During the 2016 presidential election, a few locals in Maple Valley found that hate was on the raise in not only Maple Valley, but everywhere.

To combat this hate, they formed a group called Stand Up.

The group has a Facebook page with about 100 people on it and they try to hold meetings at least once a month.

According to Alicia Busch, one of the group members, she and others noticed a spike in hate toward people of color, LGBTQ people and other minorities.

“Our goal is to stand up for marginalized communities and that’s everyone from children to the LGBTQ community to racial and religious minorities, anyone who is in a marginalized community, we fight for them,” Busch said.

They said their other goal is to obtain equity in the community.

Busch said she herself feels marginalized in Maple Valley because she is Jewish and Japanese-American.

“Marginalized, to me at least, is a group of people that don’t have the same opportunities, support systems,” Busch said. “The problem is we might have the same length of path to get from one starting point to your goal, but the marginalized person probably has a bunch of hills and mountains and spikes in the road that they have to overcome to get to that same end goal.”

She said one of the big things the members of the group do on the Facebook is discuss current issues and communicate effective ways to find help when needed.

“One of the things I try to focus on is giving the group resources so they can easily find what numbers to call, some ideas on what to call about, what to say, things like that,” Busch said.

Another group member, Kris Undsderfer, said he has felt the hate in the area has amplified since the 2016 election, and that he has experienced some of the hate too.

“Before the election, I noticed particularly two incidents around here where my skin stood up. I heard people yell the ‘N’ word at a bar and the hate crimes and racist activities has escalated, whereas for the last 10 or 15 years, I would say, I hadn’t had someone say ‘faggot’ to my face like I did in the last year,” Undsderfer said.

An example of a hate crime that has happened in Maple Valley, according to group members, is graffiti on the Cedar River Trail. The graffiti had racist writing in it and when someone posted about it to the Stand Up group, they acted on it.

“People in our group took the time and wrote nice messages like ‘Hate has no home here,’ or whatever and just like, that was awesome,” Undsderfer said.

The group has been taking small, slow steps to get their voice heard because, according to Busch, the group does not feel safe speaking out yet.

“We’ve been hesitant to spread the word because we want our little group to be safe.” Busch said.

Stand Up has taken a big step in their movement to support minorities.

Busch spoke during a Maple Valley City Council meeting on Feb. 12 and explained to the council what their group does and how they want the council’s support for backing their group up.

“We’re trying to grow ourselves to understand how we can support each of the different marginalized communities in a way that doesn’t overtake that support either and allows each group to have the voice they need to have, so being that we’re in a small town it makes it a little difficult to cover all of the communities that are out there, so we have a lot of work still to do,” Undsderfer said. “But now I think we’re getting (there), with Alicia talking to the council, we’re starting to get some teeth behind and having the council and the city involved, it’s going to be great to help to basically educate the community.”

To keep spreading the word, Undsderfer said they want to start putting signs around Maple Valley, in businesses and around the city, that read “Hate has no place here.”

“We didn’t create that. That was something that was out in other communities,” Undsderfer said. “People can see the signs and feel safe inside of that establishment.”

As for their next steps, the group is not completely sure. They are sure about one thing though — they will be there for anyone who needs a little extra support.

According to Megan Sheridan, a Maple Valley city council member who helped start Stand Up, the group is willing to be there for everyone who needs the support.

“We want to be a safe place for somebody who is part of that marginalized community, where they can come and say ‘Yeah I am one (a marginalized person).’ Where they can post about ‘I was just called the ‘N’ word at Safeway,’” Sheridan said. “Or where from me, I’m white and straight, I don’t know what it’s like to be in some of those communities. So what’s been so amazing is being able to go ‘What’s it like to be apart of the LGBTQ (community) and how can I help you?’ Or ‘What is it like to be Jewish in a Christian community?’”

Sheridan went on to say she hopes everyone can find common ground someday soon.

“I think we all have very similar values, goals, needs and concerns, and I think that’s what should bond us,” Busch said.

Busch also wanted to make it clear, these problems aren’t limited to one spot.

“The uptake in racism that we’ve seen is not exclusive in Maple Valley, it’s everywhere,” she said.