Trump’s Lies and Tacit Supporters in the House & Senate Embolden Extremists.
Our work to protect clean water is directly tied to social justice and a government that respects all people. In the wake of the insurrection in the U.S. Capitol, a few things remain abundantly clear:
- President Trump and his enablers in the House and the Senate incite and embolden white extremists through baseless lies, Twitter rants, and tacit support.
- The police response to white extremists stands in stark contrast to the militarized police response to peaceful Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests over the summer. Where BLM protestors were met with tear gas, extreme violence, and countless arrests, Wednesday’s white domestic terrorists saw a far gentler, incomparable police response.
- Police response in the U.S., whether violent or peaceful, runs along skin color lines, ultimately informing the public about what they are allowed to protest safely and how far that protest may go.
- The events as they unfolded yesterday are neither shocking nor surprising but the inevitable culmination of a presidency steeped in white supremacist ideals and violent racist rhetoric.
- Now is not the time to “stay in one’s lane.” We must all continue to come together to push for justice, fight against systemic racism and inequality, and continue to condemn all forms of white supremacy.
With this in mind, Columbia Riverkeeper would like to highlight the work of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), an organization working tirelessly to monitor domestic hate groups: exposing their activities to the public, media, and law enforcement. SPLC’s social media channels followed and commented on the events as they unfolded on June 6. Read the Statement of Lecia Brooks, Chief of Staff for SPLC here.
Remember, President Trump supported tear-gassing peaceful protestors for a photo-opp in front of a church. The contradiction in his response to protests is clear: ‘If you’re with me, commit all the violence you want. If you’re against me, then protests are unacceptable.’
Watch Democracy Now’s interview with Manisha Sinha, professor of American history at the University of Connecticut, and Bree Newsom Bass, artist and anti-racist activist, who in 2015 was arrested for removing a confederate flag from the South Carolina statehouse grounds.
In spite of Wednesday’s insurrection, Georgia voters made history, electing their first-ever Black and Jewish senators, Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, respectively.
Columbia Riverkeeper is committed to achieving this vision by advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion in environmental decisions and our own actions.
