house speaker robert deleo. | ap photo/elise amendola by lauren dezenski 11/21/16 12:47 pm est boston <u+2014> top leaders in massachusetts government rallied both in person and in spirit on the steps of the state house monday morning against a reported spike in bias and racism-based incidents since donald trump<u+2019>s election. the event opened with a letter from gov. charlie baker and lt. gov. karyn polito, who said they were unable to attend but vowed to <u+201c>work on behalf of 100 percent of the people.<u+201d> story continued below "this past election was divisive and very personal to many individuals across the country, and we believe our next step forward as a nation is to unite and come together," they said in the letter, read by anti defamation league of new england president david grossman. <u+201c>the baker-polito administration rejects all forms of racism and discrimination and holds the duty of protecting the rights of all individuals in the commonwealth above all else,<u+201d> baker caught heat last week after huddling with republican governors at a conference in florida, including vice president-elect mike pence. baker said he was taking a <u+201c>wait and see<u+201d> approach to the trump presidency, and did not disavow trump's senior staff pick and alt-right figure steve bannon. house speaker robert deleo struck a tone of unity among the state<u+2019>s leaders: <u+201c>the massachusetts state government will protect all of our residents no matter what's going on.<u+201d> senate president stan rosenberg also addressed the crowd, saying, <u+201c>it is not typical in our country to feel fearful at the end of an election.<u+201d> the steps of the state house were packed with state leaders, including attorney general maura healey, who like other massachusetts officials, was a vocal opponent of trump both on the campaign trail and in the days since the election. her office opened a hot-line to report potential hate and bias-motivated incidents last week, and she told the crowd of more than 300 that her office has already fielded nearly 400 reports. harvard law student harman singh recounted to the crowd an experience last week where he was harassed by a man in a cambridge super market who thought he was a muslim. singh stressed the <u+201c>importance of bystander intervention." "no one at the store said a single thing to me," singh said. "bystander intervention is a simple and effective way to counter intolerance.<u+201d> lauren dezenski's must-read rundown of what's up on beacon hill and beyond
state leaders rally against reported post-election surge in bias-based incidents
lauren dezenski