Driscoll, Tierney Help Dedicate New Downtown Salem Plaque [VIDEO]

Several of the speakers at Thursday's downtown Salem plaque dedication pointed out that the corner of Washington and Front streets was well-known for years as the spot where a Salem man would hold signs and shout antisemitic comments to passing motorists.

Now, thanks to Salem's No Place for Hate Committee, that same location will be the permanent home of a giant boulder bearing a plaque meant to encourage tolerance.

A crowd of some 50 area residents joined city and state officials Thursday afternoon for a dedication ceremony and ribbon cutting for the new plaque.

The plaque features an inscribed quote by Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Elie Wiesel that reads: "The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference."

Speaking at the dedication Thursday were Mayor Kimberley Driscoll, Congressman John Tierney, Scott Weisbery, Chair of the No Place for Hate Committee, state Rep. John Keenan, Salem Superintendent Stephen Russell, Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Rinus Oosthoek and Salem State University President Patricia Meservey.

Also on hand were At-Large City Councillors Tom Fuery and Bill Legault, Ward 1 Councillor Bob McCarthy, Ward 2 Councillor Mike Sosnowski, Ward 5 Councillor Josh Turiel, Ward 7 Councillor Joe O’Keefe and School Committeeman Brendan Walsh.

Check out the video attached to this post for a look at some of the speakers at Thursday's ceremony.