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Community reacts to hateful incident with supportive messages and swift calls to action

Village

by Chrissy Ruggeri | Tue, Oct 12 2021

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Within hours of learning about a racially charged incident involving a cast member of the Smokey Joe’s Cafe show at the John W. Engeman Theater, the Northport and East Northport community rallied to denounce the hateful act and show support for the cast, crew and theater. The actor, who is Black, described to theater management being called a racial slur while walking past St. Paul’s Methodist Church on Main Street in Northport Village this past Sunday, October 10, soon after finishing the matinee performance.

This is the latest in a string of incidents of bigotry to take place in Northport since late August, prompting statements from local officials and organizations that this type of behavior would not be tolerated any longer. Yesterday, the Northport Village Mayor and Board of Trustees released an official statement indicating that they express their “strongest condemnation of these hateful and disgusting acts.”

“The recent acts are despicable, unconscionable, and un-American,” the statement read.

According to the statement, the board has reached out to representatives of the group Not In Our Town (NIOT) Northport, Rabbi Silverman of the East Northport Jewish Center, and Kevin O’Neill, the theater owner. “We will continue to speak out against all forms of hate and plan on organizing a public vigil to demonstrate that we in Northport Village and the surrounding community at large will not tolerate hate and bigotry in any shape or form,” the statement continued. The vigil will bring local organizations, elected officials and community members together to take a unified stance against hatred in Northport and beyond.

NIOT Northport members also spoke out against this most recent incident before making a direct call to action. Residents were asked to purchase tickets for tomorrow night’s performance of Smokey Joe’s Cafe – dozens of seats were reserved within a few hours, and generous community members were gifting tickets to people who otherwise might not be able to attend. By yesterday evening, flowers and homemade signs stood outside the theater doors, with messages of kindness and support.

The support continued today, when Kevin O’Neill confirmed that 100% of all tickets bought since Sunday’s incident will be donated to a charity chosen by the musical’s cast. To learn more about the show and ticket availability, visit the theater’s website.

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