{"id":11478,"date":"2021-01-21T22:33:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-21T22:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiofree.org\/?p=153158"},"modified":"2021-01-21T22:33:00","modified_gmt":"2021-01-21T22:33:00","slug":"135-civil-rights-groups-oppose-new-domestic-terrorism-statutes-say-tackle-far-right-violence-with-existing-laws","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2021\/01\/21\/135-civil-rights-groups-oppose-new-domestic-terrorism-statutes-say-tackle-far-right-violence-with-existing-laws\/","title":{"rendered":"135 Civil Rights Groups Oppose New Domestic Terrorism Statutes, Say Tackle Far-Right Violence With Existing Laws"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Echoing the concerns expressed by many activists<\/a> and several Democratic lawmakers<\/a> worried that the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob will be used as an excuse<\/a> to enlarge the national security state at the expense of civil liberties, 135 rights groups on Thursday wrote a letter to Congress voicing their opposition to the “proposed expansion of terrorism-related legal authority.”<\/p>\n

“We must meet the challenge of addressing white nationalist and far-right militia violence without causing further harm to communities already disproportionately impacted by the criminal-legal system.”
\u2014Rights groups<\/p>\n

The letter<\/a> was spearheaded by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a diverse coalition of more than 220 national organizations committed to promoting and protecting the rights of the American public; 134 additional groups supported the effort.<\/p>\n

“We must meet the challenge of addressing white nationalist and far-right militia violence without causing further harm to communities already disproportionately impacted by the criminal-legal system,” the letter states.<\/p>\n

Arguing that law enforcement already has more than enough power to hold right-wing extremists accountable if the federal government prioritizes combatting white supremacist violence, the Leadership Conference wrote:<\/p>\n

\n

The Justice Department (DOJ), including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), has over 50 terrorism-related statutes it can use to investigate and prosecute criminal conduct, including white supremacist violence, as well as dozens of other federal statutes relating to hate crimes, organized crime, and violent crimes.<\/p>\n

The failure to confront and hold accountable white nationalist violence is not a question of not having appropriate tools to employ, but a failure to use those on hand. To date, DOJ has simply decided as a matter of policy and practice not to prioritize white nationalist crimes. Congress should use its oversight and appropriations authorities to ensure that law enforcement appropriately focuses investigative and prosecutorial resources on white nationalist crimes.<\/p>\n

Congress should use its oversight and appropriations authorities to ensure that law enforcement appropriately focuses investigative and prosecutorial resources on white nationalist crimes.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

“We urge you to oppose any new domestic terrorism charge, the creation of a list of designated domestic terrorist organizations, or other expansion of existing terrorism-related authorities,” the letter continues.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

More domestic terrorism laws on top of what we already have WON’T help address white supremacist violence. It WILL further harm communities that are already disproportionately impacted by these laws.<\/p>\n

Read @civilrightsorg<\/a>‘s full letter that we signed here: https:\/\/t.co\/0dvxG0PH8s<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Win Without War (@WinWithoutWar) January 21, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

Reiterating that “federal prosecutors have many existing laws at their disposal to hold violent white supremacists accountable,” the Leadership Conference warned that “a new federal domestic terrorism statute or list would adversely impact civil rights.”<\/p>\n

“As our nation’s long and disturbing history of targeting Black activists, Muslims, Arabs, and movements for social and racial justice has shown,” the letter notes, “this new authority could be used to expand racial profiling or be wielded to surveil and investigate communities of color and political opponents in the name of national security.”<\/p>\n

“Federal prosecutors have many existing laws at their disposal to hold violent white supremacists accountable… a new federal domestic terrorism statute or list would adversely impact civil rights.”
\u2014Rights groups<\/p>\n

Acknowledging that the “magnitude” of the January 6 insurrection warrants a response from lawmakers, the Leadership Conference made the following recommendation: “Members of Congress should not reinforce counterterrorism policies, programs, and frameworks that are rooted in bias, discrimination, and denial or diminution of fundamental rights like due process.”<\/p>\n

Instead, the human rights advocates explained, “Congress should focus on its oversight and appropriations authority to ensure that the federal government redirect resources towards the ever-growing white nationalist violence plaguing our country.”<\/p>\n

The Leadership Conference also urged Congress to “identify ways to address the white supremacist infiltration of law enforcement” and “hold hearings featuring communities that are experiencing white nationalist violence in an effort to encourage accountability and transparency.”<\/p>\n

Here is the full list of signatories:<\/p>\n

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights<\/em>
Access Now<\/em>
Act To Change<\/em>
Advancement Project, National<\/em>
Alabama State Association of Cooperatives<\/em>
American Civil Liberties Union<\/em>
American Friends Service Committee<\/em>
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC)<\/em>
Americans for Democratic Action (ADA)<\/em>
Amnesty International USA<\/em>
Andrew Goodman Foundation<\/em>
ANYAHS Inc.<\/em>
Appleseed Foundation<\/em>
Arab American Institute<\/em>
Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF)<\/em>
Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC<\/em>
Augustus F. Hawkins Foundation<\/em>
Autistic Self Advocacy Network<\/em>
Bend the Arc Jewish Action<\/em>
Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI)<\/em>
Brennan Center for Justice<\/em>
Bridges Faith Initiative<\/em>
Brooklyn Defender Services<\/em>
Center for Constitutional Rights<\/em>
Center for Democracy & Technology<\/em>
Center for Disability Rights<\/em>
Center for International Policy<\/em>
Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)<\/em>
Center for Popular Democracy\/Action<\/em>
Center for Security, Race and Rights<\/em>
Center for Victims of Torture<\/em>
Center on Conscience & War<\/em>
Charity & Security Network<\/em>
CLEAR project (Creating Law Enforcement Accountability & Responsibility)<\/em>
CODEPINK<\/em>
Color Of Change<\/em>
Common Cause<\/em>
Common Defense<\/em>
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)<\/em>
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Washington Chapter<\/em>
Defending Rights & Dissent<\/em>
Demand Progress<\/em>
Demos<\/em>
Detention Watch Network (DWN)<\/em>
Drug Policy Alliance<\/em>
Durham Youth Climate Justice Initiative<\/em>
Emgage Action<\/em>
End Citizens United \/ Let America Vote Action Fund<\/em>
Equal Justice Society<\/em>
Equality California<\/em>
Federal Public and Community Defenders<\/em>
Fight for the Future<\/em>
Free Press Action<\/em>
Freedom Network USA<\/em>
Friends Committee on National Legislation<\/em>
Government Information Watch<\/em>
Greenpeace US<\/em>
Human Rights Campaign<\/em>
Human Rights First<\/em>
Human Rights Watch<\/em>
Immigrant Defense Network<\/em>
Immigrant Justice Network<\/em>
Immigrant Defense Project (IDP)<\/em>
In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda<\/em>
Interfaith Alliance<\/em>
Japanese American Citizens League<\/em>
Justice for Muslims Collective<\/em>
Kansas Black Farmers Association\/Nicodemus Educational Camps<\/em>
KinderUSA<\/em>
Labor Council for Latin American Advancement<\/em>
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law<\/em>
Legal Aid Society of Metropolitan Family Services<\/em>
Louisiana Advocates for Immigrants in Detention<\/em>
Matthew Shepard Foundation<\/em>
Montgomery County (MD) Civil Rights Coalition<\/em>
MPower Change<\/em>
Muslim Advocates<\/em>
Muslim Justice League<\/em>
Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC)<\/em>
NAACP<\/em>
NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATIONAL FUND, INC. (LDF)<\/em>
National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity (NAPE)<\/em>
National Association of Social Workers (NASW)<\/em>
National Council of Jewish Women<\/em>
National Education Association<\/em>
National Employment Law Project (NELP)<\/em>
National Equality Action Team (NEAT)<\/em>
National Immigration Law Center (NILC)<\/em>
National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild (NIPNLG)<\/em>
National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund<\/em>
National Network for Immigrant & Refugee Rights<\/em>
National Organization for Women (NOW)<\/em>
National Partnership for Women & Families<\/em>
National Women’s Law Center<\/em>
NETWORK Lobby<\/em>
New America’s Open Technology Institute<\/em>
North Carolina Association of Black Lawyers Land Loss Prevention Project<\/em>
Open MIC (Open Media & Information Companies Initiative)<\/em>
Open The Government<\/em>
Oxfam America<\/em>
Palestine Legal<\/em>
Partnership for Civil Justice Fund<\/em>
People’s Parity Project<\/em>
Presbyterian Church (USA)<\/em>
Progressive Turnout Project<\/em>
Project Blueprint<\/em>
Project On Government Oversight<\/em>
Public Advocacy for Kids (PAK)<\/em>
Public Citizen<\/em>
Public Justice<\/em>
Quixote Center<\/em>
Radiant International<\/em>
Restore The Fourth<\/em>
Rethinking Foreign Policy<\/em>
Rural Coalition<\/em>
S.T.O.P. \u2013 The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project<\/em>
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Justice Team<\/em>
South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT)<\/em>
Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC)<\/em>
SPLC Action Fund<\/em>
TASH: equity, opportunity and inclusion for people with disabilities<\/em>
Texas Progressive Action Network<\/em>
The Human Trafficking Legal Center<\/em>
The Sentencing Project<\/em>
The Sikh Coalition<\/em>
Transformations CDC<\/em>
True North Research<\/em>
Tuskegee University<\/em>
UnidosUS<\/em>
Union for Reform Judaism<\/em>
United Church of Christ, OC Inc.<\/em>
US Human Rights Network<\/em>
Veterans for American Ideals<\/em>
Voices for Progress<\/em>
Win Without War<\/em>
Wind of the Spirit Immigrant Resource Center<\/em>
Workplace Fairness<\/em><\/p>\n\n

This post was originally published on Radio Free<\/a>. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Echoing the concerns expressed by many activists and several Democratic lawmakers worried that the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob will be used as\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11478"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11478"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11478\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11479,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11478\/revisions\/11479"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11478"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11478"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11478"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}