2023 was a deeply challenging year that saw anti-democracy groups continue to amass power at the local level, bigoted rhetoric and conspiracy theories become more mainstreamed, and violence in the Middle East spur a spike in bias incidents on American soil.

Portland was rocked by three attacks on houses of worship within the last seven days, beginning with a broken window at the Congregation Shir Tikvah, followed by antisemitic vandalism at the Congregation Beth Israel and most recently by attempted arson at the Muslim Community Center of Portland…

On Monday, leaders at Congregation Beth Israel, a synagogue located in Northwest Portland, reported that a fire had been lit outside the building and the walls had been defaced with antisemitic graffiti and violent threats…

A report last week issued by the Oregon Secretary of State laid out a series of recommendations for lawmakers to address the threat posed by anti-democracy movements…

“Ammon Bundy recklessly flouted the law when he entered the Idaho Capitol after being banned from the building in violation of a no-trespass order. Even more importantly…

Anti-democracy and paramilitary leaders protested side by side in Olympia today, rallying under a range of conspiratorial causes but focused fundamentally on promoting bigotry and undermining democratic institutions…

“After four years of Donald Trump, it was a real relief to watch a State of the Union address in which the President of the United States used his platform to push for policies to defend basic human dignity…

On Friday evening in Orlando, Idaho Lt. Governor Janice McGeachin appeared at the America First Political Action Conference (AFPAC), an event organized as a white nationalist alternative…

First and foremost, the victims of last night’s attack and their friends and families are in our thoughts as they grapple with the implications of this event…

In response to the arrest of Quintez Brown after an attack on a Louisville mayoral candidate, Eric Ward, Executive Director of Western States Center issued the following statement: “Political violence is never acceptable and does nothing to move us closer to justice. It’s unclear whether Quintez Brown’s…

In response to President Biden’s remarks about the attack on the United States Capitol one year ago today, Western States Center Executive Director Eric K. Ward issued the following statement…

Since we got the call that the Train Foundation would for the first time name an American as Civil Courage Prize Laureate, we at Western States Center have been immersed in a conversation about what constitutes courage in these times.