Hello Everyone! It is back to virtual school time in my neighborhood and I am overwhelmed. There is also some important information to share. To start, I am thrilled to announce this NEW resource:
It includes online session agendas for an online 10-part series with embedded links to slides, handouts, and email templates. Thank you to Nichole, Laurie, Laurel, and Thomas from Madison, WI who translated the original series into the online format and generously shared it with the community!
Reckoning with the role that uncompensated and undercompensated Black labor has played in the generation of wealth, particularly for White individuals, is a critical task in the process of reparations. In this webinar we will hear from NAARC Commissioners and other experts in the field as they explore the nation’s need for reparations, what those reparations might look like, and the importance of HR 40.
Did you miss the virtual and in person march on August 28th? If you did, do not fret. You can catch up. Check out these videos of speakers, reports, pictures, and historical resources.
New SPLC report provides context for today’s far-right threats
This detailed report is worth reading in full!
Excerpt: Between 2016 and 2018, Americans witnessed a major upswing in street mobilization by far-right groups, making it one of the most active periods of on-the-ground, extremist activity in decades. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has documented 125 rallies, marches and protests nationwide, which were organized and attended by far-right extremists, including white nationalists, neo-Nazis, Klansmen, the “alt-right,” and right-wing reactionaries during these three years. There were 74 of these events in 2017 alone, the SPLC found.
Those years represented a high point in the movement’s faith in the political process – a faith that has wavered as right-wing extremists have increasingly lost confidence in President Donald Trump. As a result, they have resorted to more authoritarian means of achieving their political goals. Many have retreated from the streets entirely, joining more clandestine extremist cells that believe America’s multiracial democracy is headed for inevitable collapse. These so-called accelerationists call for violence to speed the process along.
For example, while members of the far-right “boogaloo boys” took to the streets in 2020 during the nationwide protests sparked by the police killing of George Floyd, their aims are fundamentally different from radical right groups that did so during Trump’s candidacy and the early years of his presidency. The boogaloo boys do not plan their own rallies and do not intend to act as an insurgent political force seeking mainstream power.
Instead, they hope to exacerbate larger political tensions and push the country toward a second civil war. For the boogaloo boys and similar groups, taking to the streets is not a return to the far-right politics of protests that the nation previously witnessed, but a shift toward more authoritarian, anti-democratic – and even violent – tendencies within the radical right.
As this report demonstrates, there are two distinct periods of far-right activism within recent years, with the latest period harboring an increased threat of violence.Read more…
The Fight against Far-Right Hate and Violence
There is something of an “all court press” against Nazis currently underway. In the midst of significant threat to our country’s fundamental democracy, there is some good news. Read the excerpts below to gain an overview, and follow the links for important details.
An update on ‘outing’ the Nazis, leading to arrests
The Trump Administration is wielding its power to pain antifa in a negative light. Please read this article to learn just how essential anitifa has been in outing Nazis and getting them either fired from their jobs or arrested before they could enact their violent plans.
This post is a fascinating and detailed look at how antifascists are exposing Nazis, making their lives difficult, and undermining their efforts.
Excerpt: “Former white nationalist Joshua Bates has been doxed twice. The first time, in 2015, courtesy of the Southern Poverty Law Center, got him fired from his job as a software developer and left him unemployed for four months. Three years later, his personal information was again published, this time by an Antifa group… “It sucked for me. I’m not going to lie. But what the anti-fascists are tying to do is make it hard to be a Nazi. And they do a really good job of that. If the government would stop cutting funding [to deradicalization groups], maybe doxing wouldn’t have to be a thing. But it’s a grassroots reaction by people trying to keep themselves safe.”
When you hear stories about radical left-wing Antifa, remember: Nazis want to kill people. Antifa works to stop the killing.
When you hear stories about radical left-wing Antifa, remember, Nazis want to kill people. Antifa works to stop the killing.
An update on the lawsuit against the Nazis
What follows is a message from Amy Spitalnick on the work of Integrity First for America (the group who is suing the Nazis --- Sines v. Kessler), published on the third anniversary of the Charlottesville violence in 2017:
IFA is releasing a brand new video on our lawsuit -- and how it can put these neo-Nazi and white supremacist leaders and hate groups out of business. Watch here: bit.ly/ifavideo
Once you watch, please consider sharing the video with your friends, family, and colleagues via email or on social media: Facebook; Twitter; Instagram; LinkedIn.
I wanted to share some IFA news and resources as we mark three years since the Charlottesville violence today and prepare for trial this fall.
Today, hundreds of interfaith clergy and faith leaders from across the country released an open letter highlighting the threat of white supremacist terror and supporting our plaintiffs in their fight for justice and accountability. With faith communities on the front lines of this violence, their voices are especially critical. You can read letter and view the signatories here; the press release is available here.
Lead counsel Roberta Kaplan and our expert witness Deborah Lipstadt published an op-ed on CNN exploring the antisemitism, racism, and other forms of hate that were central to the Charlottesville violence - and which still fester today.
I also talked to Teen Vogue about suing white supremacists, our incredibly brave plaintiffs, and the impact our case is having.
Former ACLU President Nadine Strossen and former ACLU of Southern California President Stephen Rohde published a piece in the LA Review of Books on the aftermath of the Charlottesville violence, highlighting our case as a way to take on violent extremism while protecting the First Amendment.
And Virginia Public Radio looked at how our lawsuit can bankrupt the Unite the Right organizers.
An update on results of the recent federal crackdown
From Vice News: The chief philosophical influence of an American neo-Nazi extremist group that is the subject of a nationwide FBI crackdown, and is believed to be on the cusp of being declared a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the State Department, is claiming in an audio message obtained by Motherboard that the group is disbanding.
In the recording, James Mason, a longtime figure within the U.S. neo-Nazi movement and the author of what’s considered an important work in the racist canon of the far-right, claims to officially announce the demise of Atomwaffen Division, a group that has become synonymous in recent years with white nationalist terrorism and is linked to five murders… While the statement does not necessarily prove the group or its supporters are abandoning their activities, it does show the sustained pressure by federal authorities is having a negative effect on the militant neo-Nazi movement.
Please note: The dissolution of their group does not mean the remaining adherents are giving up their ideology. See blow:
Twitter Thread by @BMakuch: Just learned neo-Nazi terror org Atomwaffen Division claims to havebecome a new group: 'National Socialist Order' founded by the remaining AWD leaders who weren't arrested in a nationwide FBI crackdown earlier this year. An interesting development for counterterrorism watchers.
And from the Informant:
Four members of the neo-Nazi terror group Atomwaffen Division have been hit with a fresh criminal charge in a federal case in which they are accused of cyberstalking and mailing threats to journalists and activists. Cameron Shea, Kaleb Cole, Taylor Parker-Dipeppe, and Johnny Roman Garza were arrested in February as part of a nationwide sweep of Atomwaffen members.
Last week (August 2020), a federal grand jury in Seattle handed up a five-count indictment against the four men that included a new charge on top of four counts they had already been facing. The fifth count was interference with a federally protected activity, which is tied to allegations that they conspired to threaten a Jewish woman who worked for the Anti-Defamation League.
An update on the push for deplatforming
Limiting the reach of hate and conspiracy groups on social media and other platforms remains an essential push. Although giants like FB, YouTube, and Twitter are currently taking more action than previously, they must do far more to stop the spread of hate..
Join an ongoing, support dialogue for white anti-racists. There are multiple options.
The Sunday Dialogue (SD) that I run occurs on the 3rd Sunday of every month, 3-5PM Pacific via the Zoom online platform. We focus on connecting, sharing, and learning from one another. If you have not signed up for the interest list, please subscribe here: Sunday Dialogues Interest List Sign Up
AWARE-LA also has Saturday Dialogues that occur the first four weekends of each month at various times (all Pacific time zone). (All are great! Each has its own flavor due to the different facilitators’ personalities. Feel free to try them all! Due to COVID, they all meet via Zoom for the foreseeable future. The Saturday sessions include both a structured learning component as well as a personal sharing portion. Click here to review the options and register.
