Metro Council passes resolution condemning neo-Nazis who verbally assaulted children downtown

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Nashville’s governing body condemned and rebuked the actions of a Nazi hate group at its most recent meeting.

The council passed a resolution Tuesday, Aug. 6, affirming the city’s celebration of diversity of those who call it home and denouncing the actions of a neo-Nazi group that verbally assaulted children in downtown Nashville.

The children are buskers, performing bucket drumming for donations around downtown Nashville. Metro Council affirmed the children’s desires to “not only earn money but to express their creativity and joy as children” as part of the resolution.

“Nashville does not welcome or encourage hateful behavior,” and “denounces any form of speech that promotes division, intolerance, or incites hatred,” the resolution reads in part.

Additionally, the resolution “strongly encourages” Metro Legal, the Metro Nashville Police Department, and the District Attorney’s Office to review any state or local laws on assemblies to identify any ways to protect children from harassment.

During discussion, District 2 Councilwoman Kyonzte Toombs said the resolution was meant to be a “strong message” to combat the “abhorrent event” of the neo-Nazis verbally assaulting the children.

“Even as the police were ushering the children out of the area, these grown men were still yelling racial slurs at children,” she said while introducing the resolution. “I want us to show the city that we stand with those children, that that type of hate has no place here in our city.”

“No child should have to go through that,” she added. “As a mother of Black children, that was disheartening to me. I can’t imagine how the parents and family of those boys felt. I know how I felt just watching it.”

According to Toombs, Metro Legal was looking into the definition of harassment in relation to the incident to see if there was anything to be done that way.

Councilman Jeff Preptit, of District 25, concurred, saying it was “infuriating.”

“Inappropriate doesn’t even do it justice,” he said during the meeting, adding it likely brought up “painful memories” for some of his colleagues as well as himself.

He said he recalled the first time he was called the N word was when he was just 8 years old in the second grade.

“That is something that I continue to pray that this next generation did not have to experience,” he said. “Unfortunately, what we know and what we’re experiencing is that hate is alive and well, not only in Nashville, not only in Tennessee, but across the nation and, unfortunately, across the border in our neighbors to the North.”

Preptit was referencing another incident with neo-Nazi protesters that took place earlier in July, when a group of neo-Nazis marched through downtown Nashville.

One of the protesters later allegedly assaulted a downtown bar employee and was arrested. He was later identified as Ryan McCann, a Canadian citizen.

In video footage, McCann beat a bartender with a flagpole during the neo-Nazi rally.

The resolution passed unanimously.