September 2022
Pacific Northwest Leadership Urges White House Action on Hate-Fueled Violence
To: Domestic Policy Advisor Susan E. Rice and the Administration of President Biden and Vice President Harris
We appreciate the White House devoting time and resources to a convening on hate violence. We know that in our home region of the Pacific Northwest especially, and across the nation, the growth of bigoted and anti-democracy movements is a political crisis that requires urgent action and deep investment from all levels of government and civil society. We hope this convening leads to broad action and greater federal support for local communities and democratic institutions who respond to hateful targeting and political violence by anti-democracy groups.
In the Pacific Northwest and across the country, democracy is under assault. From rallies that intimidate local elected officials and undermine the capacity of cities and counties to keep people safe, to a wave of resignations of local officials and violence targeting state capitols, the impact of anti-democracy and white nationalist extremism on local and state governance is significant. Businesses, places of worship, and community groups face similar challenges responding effectively without additional tools, training and resources.
States need support from the federal government to respond to white nationalism and political violence, including clear condemnation of the antisemitic “great replacement” conspiracy theory and policies that tackle this threat head-on. This support should include stronger laws and enforcement to prevent unlawful paramilitary activity, more training and support for government employees and local elected officials responding to attacks, examination of political bias in law enforcement, improved information sharing across municipalities and agencies, and a dedicated desk at the Department of Justice, focused specifically on anti-democracy and hate groups. From large cities like Portland, to some of the smallest towns in our region, local leaders are increasingly isolated and overwhelmed by responding to anti-democracy and bigoted targeting. With your help, they can respond with strategies that strengthen democratic practice while closing space for political and hate violence. Oregon’s Governor Brown and Secretary of State Fagan, for example, have devoted time and resources to this problem and local governments across the ideological spectrum have taken steps to reject extremist ideology, but the scale of the crisis and the stakes for our democracy requires federal action.
Respectfully, and in anticipation of the upcoming September 15 United We Stand Summit: Countering Hate-Fueled Violence Together, we offer several actions that your administration could consider to reduce the threat to national security and our local communities from hate violence:
Law enforcement should play a role in addressing this crisis but cannot be the entire solution: While we believe that criminal conspiracies and unlawful activity by bigoted and anti-democracy groups should be investigated and prosecuted, this is fundamentally a political crisis that requires a political solution. A key opportunity will be lost if all new resources are devoted to law enforcement.
Investing in building broad, diverse coalitions to reject bigoted and anti-democracy movements: Bigoted and anti-democracy groups may seem motivated to sow chaos, but they are, in fact organizing to build political power, often using intimidation, misinformation, white-nationalist appeals, and outright violence to attack our democratic institutions and vulnerable communities. One of the most important ways to shrink their power is to show that the vast majority of Americans reject them and value an inclusive democracy. Convening leaders in faith, business, labor, and community groups in different regions across the country to communicate with their members and supporters about our shared democratic values can erect an important moral barrier against hate, closing space for violence and setting norms.
Training and supporting elections officials: The harassment and intimidation of elections officials is well-documented, and they are on the frontlines of combating misinformation about our elections. We must provide resources, knowledge, and support to all elections administrators doing this essential work. In addition to direct investment, bipartisan coalitions should be mobilized to support local elections offices when they face attacks.
Protecting and supporting all public employees. Public employees are often the targets of anti-democracy and anti-government groups. We encourage you to identify ways to protect public employees burdened by harassment, intimidation, and threats, including supporting civil litigation that can be an important tool to hold white nationalist, paramilitary and other bigoted actors accountable for the violence they foment.
Supporting law enforcement targeted by bigoted and anti-democracy groups. In recent weeks, we have seen the escalation of threats against law enforcement and federal agencies from bigoted and anti-democracy groups. It is critical that they, like all public employees, be protected as they do their work. However, it is also well-documented how these groups seek to recruit and place supporters within law enforcement, especially local sheriff’s offices. Along with additional resources for officer safety must come a greater examination of the prevalence of these groups in law enforcement agencies across the country.
Encourage information sharing. Those targeting our communities often break existing laws, travel across state and county lines to engage in violent mobilizations, and rely on a lack of coordination from municipalities to continue flouting our laws and norms. A serious attempt at pushing municipalities to share information and intelligence on bigoted and anti-democracy actors engaging in criminal activity would be a meaningful step in the right direction. If they do not share information, we should explore if political bias may be contributing to this reticence.
Grants to counter the impacts on local governments. When local government or community institutions weaken or fail, we have seen many examples of extremist groups stepping in to occupy the vacuum. As hate and political violence becomes more commonplace, there are insufficient resources to maintain security for the functioning of school boards, libraries, city councils, county commissions, and other local bodies. Federal financial assistance in the form of block grants for state and local governments to choose and implement the tools that are right for them to strengthen resilience and responses to anti-democracy targeting could have a significant impact.
As we work together to address this crisis, these are just some of the urgent actions we would encourage you to explore. We remain inspired by the broad coalitions of local elected leaders, civil servants, and community members who raise their voices against violence and bigotry every day. But the burden of responding to hate and political violence cannot be limited to local government leaders. Local government is deserving of federal relief and support in addressing white nationalism and hate violence – an existential threat aimed at the heart of our democracy. We stand ready to work with you and fight the fear together.
Thank you for your consideration,
Western States Center
Elected & Government Leaders
Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan
Oregon State Senator Sara Gelser Blouin
Oregon State Senator Chris Gorsek
Oregon State Senator James Manning Jr.
Oregon State Senator Janeen Sollman
Oregon State Senator Kathleen Taylor
Oregon State Representative Rob Nosse
Oregon State Representative Karin Power
Oregon State Representative Barbara Smith Warner
Oregon State Representative Rachel Prusak
Metro Council President Lynn Peterson
Metro Councilor Christine Lewis
Multnomah County Commissioner Susheela Jayapal
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler
Portland Commissioner Mingus Mapps
Portland Commissioner Dan Ryan
Salem City Councilor Chris Hoy
Salem City Councilor Trevor Phillips
Eugene Mayor Lucy Vinis
Eugene City Councilor Greg Evans
Bend City Councilor Barb Campbell
Milwaukie Mayor Mark Gamba
Gladstone City Councilor Annessa Hartman
North Clackamas School Board Member Mitzi Bauer
North Clackamas School Board Member Kathy Wai
Lane Education Service District Board Member Rose Wilde
Redmond School District Director Liz Goodrich
Civil Society Leaders & Groups
Basic Rights Oregon
Business for a Better Portland
Children’s Institute
Jewish Federation of Greater Portland
Latino Network
Manao Wealth Strategies, LLC
Micronesian Islander Community
Oregon AFSCME
Oregon Environmental Council
Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education
Oregon Justice Resource Center
Oregon League of Conservation Voters
Oregon Peace Institute
Oregon Wild
PCUN
Portland Business Alliance
Pro-Choice Oregon
Rural Engagement Project
Self Enhancement, Inc.
SEIU
Springfield-Eugene Chapter of Showing Up For Racial Justice
Urban League of Portland
Women’s Foundation of Oregon