Demanding justice and systemic change
This week, staff members at the Southern Poverty Law Center wrote several first-person stories about the recent killings of Black people by racist police and vigilantes, investigated white supremacists, provided analysis on the attacks on peaceful protests and demanded that systems of oppression be dismantled. We’re sharing some of their work below:
It’s Time to Demand Justice for Black People in America
It’s been nearly two weeks since a Minneapolis police officer killed George Floyd by kneeling on his neck for nearly nine minutes, even after Floyd repeatedly said, “I can’t breathe.” I’m still angry.
Read more.
George Floyd, Tony McDade, Sean Reed and Breonna Taylor
The killings must stop. We have seen the impacts of white supremacy’s pervasiveness in law enforcement across the country for centuries and we, as a nation, must come together to dismantle the system of oppression.
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Authoritarian State or Inclusive Democracy? 21 Things We Can Do Right Now
I understand the rage. I was in fourth grade the first time I was chased by police. My best friend got caught; I did not. His life ended up very different from mine, in part because I ran faster than he did.
Read more.
Hatewatch: Bomb Threat Issued in Birmingham as Neo-Confederates React to Monument Removal
On Monday, an angry caller told police in Birmingham, Alabama, he planned to kill police, protesters and the city mayor if they proceeded with plans to remove a Confederate monument in the city.
Read more.
Hatewatch: President Trump Uses Tear Gas, Threats of Military Force; Hate Groups Respond with Glee
On Monday, the Trump administration authorized the use of tear gas to clear protesters near a Washington, D.C., church that had been set on fire. Then Trump and officials from his administration used the boarded-up church as a backdrop for what many are calling a political stunt.
Read more.
Hatewatch: White Nationalist Group Posed as VICE Reporters While Identifying D.C. Protesters
The white nationalist nonprofit VDARE hosted a livestream Tuesday in Washington, D.C., in which the group lied to antiracist demonstrators, saying they were reporters with “VICE Canada,” before urging them to say and spell out their names.
Read more.
Hatewatch: North Carolina Protest Shooting Suspect Appears To Have Ties to Organized Neo-Confederacy, Hate Groups
Police in Salisbury, North Carolina, arrested two men Sunday, May 31, after they reportedly fired weapons near two groups of protesters.
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Hatewatch: Designating Antifa as Domestic Terrorist Organization Is Dangerous, Threatens Civil Liberties
Amid sustained civil unrest at protests over the killing of George Floyd, President Donald Trump tweeted Sunday, “The United States of America will be designating ANTIFA as a Terrorist Organization.”
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Hatewatch: Trump Tweets, 'When the Looting Starts, the Shooting Starts,' Extremists Will Respond
Amid mounting protests against the death of George Floyd and other unarmed Black Americans, President Trump took to Twitter early May 29, calling protesters “thugs” and warning, “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.”
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Teaching Tolerance: Teaching About Race, Racism and Police Violence
Teaching Tolerance provides resources to help spur much-needed discussion around implicit bias and systemic racism and empower students to enact the changes that will create a more just society.
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MEDIA STATEMENTS
SPLC Responds to Recent Killings of Black People
SPLC Action Responds to Attacks on Peaceful Protest for Trump Photo
