Dear Friends, Partners and Supporters of Not In Our Town,
I know you understand what is at stake, and want to thank you for your courage and commitment to making our communities safe from hate and violence. I may be new to some of you, but I have been with you in the fight against hate for many years. As we close this year and look ahead to NIOT’s 30th anniversary year in 2026, I want
to share a simple question that has guided my work every day:
Why did I choose NIOT?
I served for more than a decade and a half at the U.S. Department of Justice’s Community Relations Service, responding to some of the most difficult moments in our country’s struggle against hate. I was on the ground at racial extremist rallies where anger, fear, and intimidation were not abstractions—they were threats to life, limb, and property. I stood in the aftermath of mass shootings at houses of worship and even a grocery store that was the target of a white supremacist, walking through sacred spaces and community cornerstones shattered by violence, listening to families who had lost everything including their sense of belonging. I worked with schools where arson and hateful vandalism shook entire communities: swastikas scrawled across walls, nooses hung from trees, messages meant to terrorize.
In those moments, I realized something vital: I could no longer be just an observer, a mediator, or even an ally. These experiences called me to become part of the active resistance—to join the people who refuse to accept hate as an inevitable feature of American life.
That calling is what brought me to Not In Our Town.
At NIOT, we work from a simple but powerful truth: real change begins locally. It happens when neighbors stand together, when city leaders, teachers, small business owners, parents and young people step forward and say, Not here. Not in our school. Not in our city. Not in our town.
This year, NIOT has supported communities facing hate incidents, trained local leaders to prevent violence, amplified stories of courage, strengthened United Against Hate Week, launched new tools for schools, and worked alongside cities building long-term safety and inclusion. Across the country, ordinary people are standing up—and NIOT is helping them do it.
As we prepare for an ambitious year ahead, I’m asking for your partnership. With support and confidence from the Board and Founder Patrice O’Neill, I have assumed the leadership of NIOT at a time when the need for the work is urgent, but funding is scarce. A year-end gift to NIOT is more than a donation—it is an investment in safer, stronger communities and in a national movement of people ready to confront hate together.
Thank you for standing with us. Your support ensures that when hate shows up, communities will be ready—not with fear, but with unity, courage, and action.
With gratitude and resolve, Justin Lock, Executive Director, Not In Our Town
Make your donation to Not In Our Town Today at NIOT.org/donate