A local educator who received a swastika armband anonymously in the mail said he was "absolutely disgusted" by the item and, at first thought to toss it in the trash.
Don Dunn, an eighth-grade teacher at Bonita Springs Charter and father of three, received the armband with a note that said, “You’ve been selected to join our exclusive group.”
"I will tell you that I was absolutely disgusted when I opened it," Dunn said. "Hated the fact that my children were present. In the beginning, I just thought maybe I should throw this away and not say anything. But I thought about it, and to me, that would be maybe responding with fear, and I didn't want to do that."
Instead, Dunn contacted the Lee County Sheriff's Office and the news media.
"I feel good that I got it out there," he said.
A history teacher at the charter school, Dunn understands the extreme negative meaning behind the Nazi symbol.
"This is not only a vile act rooted in hate, but it incurred in the presence of my children who should never have to witness such a grotesque reminder of, in my opinion, one of humanity's darkest chapters," he said. "The swastika, in its modern context, is not just a symbol, it's a message. It represents a legacy of violence, genocide, white supremacy and terror. It's inseparable from the horrors of the Nazi regime, and it has been adopted by hate groups around the world to intimidate, threaten and divide, and its appearance in any form is just not a coincidence."
Representatives of local Jewish and Holocaust organizations are condemning the mailing of the swastika armband to Dunn.
A joint statement by the Holocaust Museum & Cohen Education Center, the Jewish Federation of Lee & Charlotte Counties, and the Jewish Federation of Greater Naples described the incident.
"We are disturbed to learn that a Lee County, Florida educator was personally targeted and received an armband bearing a swastika at his home," the statement said. "He is unaware who the sender is and why he would have received it."
Dunn said the swastika armband represents a deliberate expression of hate, rejection of values, dignity, equality and human decency.
"I do want to stress that this incident is not about me, and it's about what the symbol means and what it stands for," he said. "It's a reminder that while we've come far, and we have, but the work of confronting hate and tolerance and ignorance is so far from being over this kind of act is meant to silence, to frighten and to divide, and definitely not, you know, aimed at me, but just this division is really what's behind this act."
The organizations said that the intent of the incident did not matter. "Wielding symbols of hate like the swastika has no place in a civilized society and in our community. We are grateful to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the Secure Community Network for investigating this matter."
The Secure Community Network is the largest Jewish security organization in North America, and works with synagogues to provide safety guidance and threat intelligence. SCN coordinates with law enforcement and other organizations to provide best practices for Jewish communal security.
The three groups that issued the statement said they were compelled to speak out against antisemitism and hatred in all its forms.
"Mr. Dunn has had a long relationship with our Museum, having brought his students on field trips here for several years," the statement said. "We commend him for his commitment to teaching this difficult history and ensuring that all his students learn about Holocaust and the dangers of unchecked hatred."
Dunn stressed that hate such as represented by the Nazi symbol has no place in his home or the community.
"I'm just sorry that this happened, and I'm sorry that this division, this hate, is still buried, and still very much alive," he said. "And it just saddens me as a middle school teacher, I really want our youth to understand the horrors that were behind this symbol. For people just to freely send this through the mail, and think nothing of it is just disturbing. So it just breaks my heart, and I just hope this never happens to anyone."
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