Editor, The News:
I’m concerned about a group in Maple Ridge who call themselves Soldiers of Odin and have taken it upon themselves to patrol our streets. (The News, Nov. 16) They say they are not a racist group but, if that is the case, why do they name themselves after the group with the same name in Finland, whose founder is a self-proclaimed neo-Nazi?
There is no doubt these folks have an agenda. If they really just wanted to help patrol the town, they could join a group like Citizens on Patrol.
We’re in a time of rising tension. People have the right to have some concerns. But we must be careful not to vilify others. That is going down a dark and dangerous road. The most productive thing we can do is to get to know people that we feel uncomfortable with. That goes a lot further toward making everyone safer and happier.
Michael Sather, Maple Ridge