Arlington Heights parade organizers defend letting controversial group march
Organizers of the Arlington Heights Memorial Day parade defend allowing an organization deemed by critics to be an anti-Muslim hate group to march, saying that though the group's positions are extreme, they feared a lawsuit on First Amendment grounds.
A local chapter of ACT for America was one of about 100 units to march in the village's centennial parade last Monday.
ACT, which calls itself the nation's largest national security grass-roots organization, advocates for upholding Western values and combating the threat of radical Islam, according to the organization's website.
But the Southern Poverty Law Center put the group on its list of domestic hate groups "because it pushes wild anti-Muslim conspiracy theories, denigrates American Muslims and deliberately conflates mainstream and radical Islam."
Greg Padovani, chairman of the Veterans Memorial Committee of Arlington Heights, said he received about a dozen complaints via phone and email about the ACT chapter's inclusion in the parade and for leaflets marchers were handing out along the parade route.
Padovani said he and other committee members investigated the group's website, but could not find anything espousing hate or violence.
"Our ultimate conundrum is we have a policy for the parade that everybody is invited to march because it is a community parade - unless you're promoting something illegal, hateful or violent - which, maybe these folks are on the very edge of that," Padovani said. "We have a down side - if we were to say no to these people they could come back and sue us."
Padovani says two lawyers have told him the private, self-funded veterans committee would lose the First Amendment case "hands down," end up paying legal fees, and ACT would still be allowed to march.
Padovani and three other residents make up what is a private, volunteer committee that organizes the parade and a ceremony afterward at Memorial Park. Padovani, who has run the parade for 10 years, is now a village trustee appointed to fill a vacancy on the village board in January, but the parade is not run by the village of Arlington Heights, nor does it receive funding from the municipality.
"I'm in a no-win position because people would be really unhappy if they're in and really unhappy if they're out, and my group will take the hit," Padovani said.
Organizers of the Des Plaines-based chapter of ACT couldn't be reached for comment. But Art Ellingsen, founder of the Arlington Heights TEA Party, defended the chapter and their admittance in the parade. He's also attended some of the chapter's meetings in the past.
"There are 3,000 people killed in an act of war on Sept. 11, 2001. They are victims of wars just like the guys who died in World War II and Vietnam," said Ellingsen, who marched in the Memorial Day parade with a local chapter of Vietnam veterans. "They're memorializing victims of people making war against the United States."
"ACT for America is just sounding a warning," he said.
Ronak McFadden, a Mount Prospect resident who attended the parade Monday with her children, objects to the group marching. She called their signage and messaging a "dog whistle."
"I used to really like the patriotic holidays growing up," McFadden said. "People have taken over patriotism as being white and racist."
Padovani said the ACT chapter has been in the Memorial Day parade for two or three years, but this is the first time he's received complaints about it. Of the 100 or so groups who submit applications to march every year - mostly military, veterans, bands, Scouts and churches - Padovani said he and his committee usually have to do a closer vetting of about a half-dozen organizations. Those are typically political or advocacy groups, businesses and new organizations, he said.
He says for next year, organizers will consider barring marchers from distributing pamphlets or any kind of literature, whether political or commercial. "What I tell everybody in the application and email is this parade is to honor our veterans and our fallen heroes. Their unit should pick up on that theme," he said. "I have told the political units, advocacy units and businesses that in very, very strong terms. As far as I can tell, everyone's done very, very well."