Highland Memorial Park

The event begins at 6 p.m. at Memorial Park, 405 Prospect Ave., in Highland Park. Speakers include Highland Park's mayor, state senator and state representative, among others."I just felt this overwhelming need to do something," organizer and Highland Park resident Joan Kahn Zahnle told Patch. She contacted city officials and the park district on Sunday, got a permit on Monday and began planning the event right away. "It is imperative for all of us – community leaders, faith leaders and all residents – to speak out against racist and anti-Semitic ideology whenever and wherever it surfaces," said Sen. Julie Morrison, who is scheduled to speak at the rally, announcing the event. "Hatred and violence have no place in our communities, our state or our country." "My hope is that this is the kick off of something," Zahnle said. "We're all alike. It doesn't matter what your religious belief are or the color of your skin. We're human beings and we need to get along." (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news for Highland Park, Deerfield — or your community. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)Speaker Lineup for Highland Park Peace Rally:Nancy Rotering, Highland Park MayorJulie Morrison, 29th District State Senator Bob Morgan, ADL Member and Deerfield residentRabbi Jordan Bendat-Appel, Program Director, Institute for Jewish Spirituality and Deerfield residentReverand Court Williams, Trinity Episcopal Church Karyn Davidman, Representing Rep. Brad SchneiderScott Drury, 58th District State RepresentativeNagawa Kakumba, Highland Park Human Rights Commission, Highland Park residentJudith Golden & Stephanie Meis are set to close the event with a songs of peace around 7 p.m."Just having a rally, that's not the end, that's the beginning of getting people excited and motivated to break down those barriers," Zahle explained. "Highland Park is a very inclusive community, so something has to come out of this."Top photo: Memorial in Charlottesville, Virginia Patch Editor Geoff DempseyGet free real-time news alerts from the Highland Park Patch.Thanks for you... (Patch.com)

Photo: Michael Sears)Buy PhotoThe state Court of Appeals has upheld Wisconsin's ban on joint ownership of funeral homes and cemeteries, rejecting a claim the laws are anti-competitive and protectionist.E. Glenn Porter owns Highland Memorial Park, a cemetery in New Berlin, and wants to add a funeral home. With the help of the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, a conservative nonprofit law firm, he challenged the state's so-called anti-combination law prohibiting such arrangements.Porter's suit claimed the laws are arbitrary, anti-competitive and irrational, impinge on his right to earn a living and serve no legitimate government interest. The law institute makes similar arguments against Wisconsin's butter-grading requirement in a case that, so far, has fared better than the one challenging death care laws.The state disagreed, saying the laws actually preserve competition, avoid higher prices and prevent misuse of money held in trust for burial plots, caskets and other funeral-related expenses often paid in advance.Waukesha County Circuit judge Patrick Haughney agreed and granted summary judgment to the state, and now the District 2 Court of Appeals on Tuesday affirmed that decision.“Today's decision cues up an important question for the Supreme Court," said Rick Esenberg, president of Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty. "Can the government restrict liberty or favor one group of competitors over another without any need to prove that the restriction plausibly serves a legitimate goal?”The institute argued that the laws violated the right to equal protection since they ban only funeral home operators from having a stake in cemeteries, and only cemetery owners from having a stake in funeral homes.But neither of those affected groups are a "suspect class," like racial minorities or the disabled, and the right to own a certain business is not a fundamental right. So courts would apply the most deferential review of the statute's constitutionality — whether it has a rational basis to a legitimate government interest.RELATED: Does Wisconsin ban on Iris... (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)