I can appreciate the pressures of meeting a print deadline, but I was disappointed that the lead story on Monday’s front page basically ignored the shameless and crude racist “jokes” and the stream of hate and invective that spanned six hours at Donald Trump’s rally on Sunday. at Madison Square Garden. And “For Trump, a symbolic detour to his old base” — is this the title you chose?

The event was indeed symbolic — of the pro-Nazi rally that was it held at the same place in New York on February 20, 1939, by the German-American Bund, part of a movement designed to fuel anti-Semitism and prevent European Jews from finding refuge in the United States. America should be run by white people, said Fritz Kuhn, leader of the Bund. Over 20,000 people attended, showing their support for Hitler.

I have no doubt that 85 years later, Madison Square Garden was deliberately chosen for a late October MAGA rally. The train of speakers that precedes Trump he spewed vitriol and insults; one after another, they were openly racist, sexist, cruel and hateful. Then, of course, Trump continued with his usual attacks. It was equally appalling to see the masses of young and old faces in red hats reveling in the attacks on fellow Americans.

I wish your top story had reported more on this and provided the historical perspective.

Cynthia Poor

Roslindale

The vile and hateful remarks about Latinos, blacks and Jews and members of other groups heard at Sunday’s Madison Square Garden rally for Donald Trump clearly deserve resounding censure and need to be put in proper context. This constant and relentless disrespect of human beings who do not fit the mold of so-called traditional, white Americans is part and parcel of a larger strategy aimed at dismantling democracy.

Across generations and continents, dehumanizing and other groups of people has been one of the strategies used by authoritarians to turn democracies into dictatorships. For many Latin Americans in particular, spectacles like Sunday’s rally are revolting and horrifying because they follow the playbook we’ve seen before in our home countries.

Another strategy used to undermine democracy has been the erosion of norms and social constructs that are essential to a tolerant and well-functioning society. For this reason, we also want to urge all media outlets not to minimize, normalize or explain away this kind of rhetoric.

What we saw on Sunday is not just an extraordinary scandal. It is also another shocking example of what it looks like to lose a country to dictatorship. This should rightly frighten and horrify us and spur us all to be aligned in our actions to save our democracy.

Marcela Aldaz, CEO, Arka HR Solutions

Carmen Arce, Director of Operations, The Partnership

Eneida Roman, President and CEO, Amplify LatinX

Mary Skelton Roberts, CEO, Philanthropy Massachusetts

Boston