White Supremacy and Racism in Law Enforcement:
https://us.e-activist.com/page/email?mid=83a977e735c1420fbd1653f75316c5c6
White supremacy and racism in law enforcement:
"The conviction of Derek Chauvin on all three charges is a needed step to ensure that he is held accountable for the murder of George Floyd. Any other result would have deepened the already profound trauma wracking our country, felt most acutely by Black and brown people in America. Any other result would have dealt a significant, almost insurmountable blow to the ideal of an American justice system that is capable, in any way, of holding police officers accountable.
Still, this week’s verdict does not erase the fact that police are too rarely held accountable for using deadly force against Black and brown people. Even since the nationwide outcry against the murder of George Floyd, police have continued to kill other Black and brown people. In just the past two weeks, three more people—Daunte Wright; Adam Toledo; and, just moments before the verdict was read in the Chauvin trial, Ma’Khia Bryant—were added to the long list of Black and brown people killed by the police: Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks, Daniel Prude, Elijah McClain, Atatiana Jefferson, Stephon Clark, Botham Jean, Alton Sterling, Tony McDade, and Freddie Gray, among so many others.
This list shouldn’t exist. Each name on this list and every name added speaks to the failure of this country to protect Black and brown communities, yet tragically, this list continues to grow.
As we know, white supremacist activity among U.S. military and law enforcement personnel has long been a systemic problem, and there are numerous public examples of of law enforcement participating in racist discourse. A 2019 report found that since 2009, there have been deeply troubling incidents in more than 100 different police departments, in 49 different states, where individuals have sent overtly racist emails or texts or made racist comments via social media.
The Center for American Progress and the McCain Institute recently partnered to produce “A National Policy Blueprint To End White Supremacist Violence,” which lays out ways to counter white supremacist recruiting and infiltration in military, veteran, and law enforcement communities. Find more on the updated policies, processes, and training needed to stymie and prevent white supremacist infiltration and recruiting here.
You can read the entire blueprint full of strategies to tackle the urgent and complex threat of white supremacist violence here.
4 steps for Congress
Last fall, CAP released a report outlining the first steps for Congress to take to address white supremacist terrorism. One of these steps is to root out violent white supremacy in military and law enforcement institutions.
White supremacist activity among U.S. military and law enforcement personnel is not new. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, U.S. Border Patrol agents, and National Guard members, among others, have been linked to white supremacist rhetoric and organizations in recent years.
The dismissal of the threat of white supremacy is not just a partisan issue; it extends to the intelligence community, exemplified by an unredacted FBI assessment from 2006 that highlights concerns with white supremacist infiltration of law enforcement. The report confirms that infiltration is not simply a politicized narrative but rather a severe threat that has been neglected by those in positions of power for far too long.
To ensure that those entrusted with the safety of the country are not engaging in or supporting activity that puts entire communities at risk, more and better information is needed, as are concrete strategies to combat white supremacist extremism within these institutions.
Read CAP's full report here.
Sen. Doug Jones joins CAP as distinguished senior fellow
CAP National Security tweets a comment from Doug Jones regarding racism and hate crimes against Asian Americans.
This week, former Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL) joined CAP as a distinguished senior fellow. He recently moderated our event "A Blueprint for Ending White Supremacist Violence." Check out highlights from the event.
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