Black gangs, neo-Nazis share the blame for riot in Toledo

Given the warnings early last week from police on the streets that black gangs planned to show up in a predominantly black neighborhood that a white supremacist group had targeted for a march Saturday, why didn't officials of the city of Toledo go to court to at least force the National Socialist Movement to gather in a neutral site?
That's one of the many questions Mayor Jack Ford and members of his administration need to answer in the wake of a riot by gang members and others that resulted in 114 being arrested on charges including assault, vandalism, failure to obey police, failure to disperse and overnight curfew violations. Twelve officers were injured, including one who suffered a concussion when a brick came through a side window of her cruiser and hit her in the head.
The neo-Nazis are having the last laugh because they didn't go through with their march, which was intended to draw attention to gangs and crime in the neighborhood of whites, blacks and Hispanics known as Poland Village. It was once a thriving Polish-American community.
The mayor and his police chief, Mike Navarre, had to have known that violence was inevitable in such a volatile setting and they could have made the argument in court that an injunction against the white supremacists was essential for the public good.
Ford's insistence that he could not stop the National Socialist Movement from marching on the sidewalks in the neighborhood rings hollow because the city has the right to maintain law and order, and officials were well aware that they had a ticking time bomb on their hands.
In retrospect ...
Indeed, police Chief Navarre told CBS News that if he had it to do over, he would not allow the neo-Nazis to enter the neighborhood. "If I needed to go to court, get an injunction, I would force them to do this on a neutral site," Navarre said.
With all the warnings from the beat cops that trouble was brewing, the chief must bear responsibility for not urging the administration to take the type of pre-emptive action he outlined for CBS.
Even though the disturbance was confined to a 1-square-mile area, the crowd ballooned to about 600. Rioters looted and burned a corner bar and looted or damaged three other businesses.
And all because residents were upset that city leaders were willing to allow a dozen white supremacists to walk through the neighborhood and shout insults. As the mayor rightly noted when the National Socialist Movement first announced its intention to show up in Poland Village, the group had not applied for a permit. Participants simply planned to walk on the sidewalks. Thus the city's hands were tied.
However, the complexion changed when the gangs made it known that they weren't going to let the white supremacists go unchallenged.
There's enough blame to go around for what occurred in Toledo Saturday, but the bottom line is one we have embraced for a long time: In a democracy, even stupid people have a right to voice their opinions, but it does not mean that thoughtful citizens should pay any attention to them.
Neo-Nazis tossing out racial insults and seeking to divide a community are the personification of stupidity. The less attention paid to them, the better.
By the same token, black gangs taking advantage of an explosive situation to trigger violence are just as guilty and deserve to be punished to the fullest extent of the law.