Violent attacks by homegrown hate groups demand a response. No one in America should have to fear for their life or property because of their race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.
Whether it's 2015's horrifying
racist murders of nine innocent churchgoers at Charleston's Emanuel AME church, a rash of church burnings across the South, reports of white supremacists training for a planned “race war" in Florida, or any of the 200,000 - 300,000 hate crimes reported annually in America, organized hate groups are a problem America must address.
The Southern Poverty Law Center estimates that 784 domestic hate groups are now operating in the US — up from 457 in 1999. These groups can reach untold millions through the Internet, fueling hate and radicalizing the next homegrown terrorist.
The lives and property of people across the country — along with the very ideal of equality for all people in America — are at stake. It's time for lawmakers to take domestic terrorism more seriously.
Urge leaders on the Homeland Security Committees in the US House of Representatives and Senate to immediately hold hearings on domestic terrorism to better understand the threat and develop concrete actions to shut down these violent American hate groups.
Chairmen Johnson and McCaul and Ranking Members Thompson and Carper,
As someone who believes in freedom from terror and equality for all the people of America, I strongly urge your respective committees on homeland security to convene hearings on domestic terrorists and the organized hate groups that encourage violence against people based on race, religion, nationality, gender, sexual orientation or other aspects of identity.
An estimated 200,000 - 300,000 hate crimes are reported each year in America, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. The Southern Poverty Law Center estimates that there are 784 active hate groups operating in the US.
And while hate crimes are often perpetrated by lone actors, America cannot afford to ignore the role that these groups play in encouraging and radicalizing domestic terrorists.
[Your comments]
While Congressional hearings will not end hate-based violence, they will create a better understanding of the threat posed by hate groups and help Congress develop concrete steps to help law enforcement shut down these violent thugs.
Thank you for considering my request.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
