Combating the threat of white supremacy

As a nation, we are still coming to grips with the disturbing events in Charlottesville, Virginia, that led to the tragic death of Heather Heyer, a Virginia state trooper and a state police officer. I mourn for them and their families, and I mourn the fact that we find ourselves here.

We have heard statements from politicians about these events. However, statements are not worth the paper they are written on unless those words are followed by substantive action. It is imperative for public leaders to call out the perpetrators of these attacks by name, as well as any others who inflame racial tensions.

They certainly need to take the president to task when he defends extremism. I believe Congress needs to get serious about combating all forms of violent extremism, including far-right-wing extremism and white supremacy.

Pascrell:Trump's critics in New Jersey say his condemnation of white supremacists comes too late

It has been several decades since images of white supremacists gathering publicly have been splashed across our newspapers and televisions. But these dark forces have always been present in our lives. From Ronald Reagan’s “Cadillac-driving welfare queens” to George H.W. Bush’s infamous Willie Horton ad, leaders have used these dog whistles to stoke the worst fears about minorities in America. But there has now been an undeniable shift – these quiet signals are being screamed into a microphone by a president who rolled out his campaign by vilifying immigrants and playing coy with neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan.

Far-right-wing extremism poses a significant threat to the lives and well-being of Americans. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, since last year the number of neo-Confederate groups increased by 23 percent, and anti-Muslim hate groups increased by 197 percent – the most dramatic increase for any type of hate group.

While the growing number of far-right-wing extremists is concerning under any circumstances, it is especially troubling in light of a May 2017 Joint Intelligence Bulletin from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that states “the white supremacist extremist movement likely will continue to pose a threat of lethal violence over the next year.” It also confirmed that “white supremacist extremists were responsible for 49 homicides in 26 attacks from 2000 to 2016, more than any other domestic extremist movement.”

This threat is not new.

In 2009, DHS issued a report on the resurgence of domestic right-wing extremism. Citing the economic downturn and the election of the first African-American president, the report demonstrated how these unique circumstances laid the groundwork for right-wing radicalization and recruitment. The report cited “right-wing extremist chatter on the Internet” focused on “the economy, the perceived loss of U.S. jobs in manufacturing” and “the perception that illegal immigrants were taking away American jobs through their willingness to work at significantly lower wages.”

This messaging has been used to draw new recruits into right-wing extremist groups and further radicalize those already subscribing to extremist beliefs. It is not surprising that these groups flocked to Donald Trump when he lied about the state of our country, blamed our woes on immigrants, and pushed the false narrative that President Obama was born in Kenya.

As expected, this report – ordered by Republican President George W. Bush – was vilified by Fox News and Republican members of Congress. Folding to the political pressure, the report was quickly withdrawn by the Obama administration – a mistake that I have repeatedly criticized. Last year, I helped organize a briefing on Capitol Hill so members and staff could hear directly from Daryl Johnson, the report’s author. Johnson reminded us that burying our heads in the sand does not make these issues go away.

Despite these warning signs, congressional leaders continued to sit on their hands or actively opposed efforts to confront these issues directly. Since 2010, our Republican leaders have held 13 hearings focused on extremism in the Muslim community and five that touched on far-right extremists. Hearings present an opportunity for members of Congress to hear from experts on specific subjects, to highlight important issues to the public or hold the executive branch accountable.

Instead of perpetuating the false narrative that terrorism is rooted in one religion, Congress should use these hearings to hold Department of Justice officials accountable for dismantling the civil rights office and to ensure that the Countering Violent Extremism Task Force is focusing on countering threats from all sources.

We should hear from actual experts in our law enforcement agencies about policies that can help combat far-right-wing extremism and white supremacy. We should ensure the administration is working to combat all forms of violent extremism by getting to the bottom of the Trump administration’s decision to revoke a federal grant to an organization, Life After Hate, that is dedicated to helping people leave “white power” groups. These are just some of the many steps Republican leaders could take to match the power of their words.

It is not enough to say we are “troubled” or “frustrated” by the actions of this president. It is time for congressional leaders to take a hard look at how they are shirking oversight responsibility over the Trump administration.

It is time to stand up and recognize the threat of right-wing extremism for the safety and security of our country.

Bill Pascrell, Jr., D-Paterson, represents the 9th Congressional District.