Dear Editor,

On Feb 12th in Marysville, Ohio, a group of protesters gathered to hold a “White Lives Matter” event.

I did not run for Congress to stay silent, especially while armed white supremacists attempt to influence and corrupt our district.

The right of assembly is protected in our first amendment, and I enlisted in the armed forces to defend those rights. Today, however, I am horrified that individuals here in Ohio are choosing to use this right to spew racist hatred and vitriol.

And I won’t stand for it.

I have been honored to call myself an Ohioan my entire life, but those people who gathered that day do not represent my values or my state, and I wonder if my opponent Jim Jordan feels the same. He has spoken for no one on this issue.

I am also reminded of the poem by Martin Niemoller we all know, which ends with “Then they came for me–and there was no one left to speak for me” in times like this.

I refuse to allow this sort of hate to be paraded in my neighborhood (Congressional District) while saying nothing to defend and speak for my family, friends, and neighbors of color. We are a multicultural nation, and that is our strength. I am proud of that and will be until my final breath.

Jeffrey Sites

Democrat candidate for Congress

Lima, Ohio