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Lawmaker speaks out against hate after angry phone call

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — An angry, anonymous phone call to one Indiana lawmaker has him speaking out after he was called a Nazi and a white supremacist.

He says too many conversations about politics are centered around hate and that enough is enough.

Indiana Sen. John Ruckelshaus released an op-ed Friday calling for people to talk to each other with more empathy.

Ruckelshaus said he’s noticing from the national conversation and from his own constituents that tension has been rising over certain political issues.

A few weeks ago, in the wake of the Charlottesville tragedy, Ruckelshaus, a Republican from Indianapolis, held a town hall style meeting with his constituents. Afterward, he got an angry, anonymous phone call.

“White supremacist was used, Nazi was used, white privilege was used,” he said recalling the message.

He said all of those claims are of course not true, and while negative phone calls don’t bother him, the anger is overshadowing issues.

“Anything we can do to tone down the rhetoric and get the politics out of the issues so that we can have calm, rational discussions where we can all come together will serve us much better,” he said.

So what can be done? He said people need to show empathy.

“Before you even talk, you should stop and think and listen. Put yourself in the other person’s shoes. Why are they thinking that way?”

Ruckelshaus said politicians need to set an example. This past week he met with Sen. Greg Taylor over coffee to talk about proposing a hate crime bill.

“[Taylor] being a Democratic state senator and I being a Republican state senator try to tackle a very difficult issue, taking the politics away and looking at this from a personal relationship. He’s African-American; I’m white,” he said. “Where’s the common ground? How can we work together?”

24-Hour News 8 talked to Hoosiers who said they want politicians to take the lead in stopping the rhetoric, but that it’s everyone’s responsibility.

Ruckelshaus said he knows his request is easier said than done, but hopes people will keep it in mind the next time they’re getting riled up about politics.