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When the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, branch of the NAACP received word from members of the community that a patrol deputy in Plaquemines Parish was a member of the Proud Boys...

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Community groups provide frontline defense against rising hate and extremism

By Dwayne Fatherree | Read the full story here

Friend,

When the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, branch of the NAACP received word from members of the community that a patrol deputy in Plaquemines Parish was a member of the Proud Boys, a known anti-Muslim and anti-woman group, the branch leadership took action.

“Our tactics are pretty much always the same,” said Jarret Luter, political action committee chairman for the Baton Rouge NAACP branch. “It’s really a matter of course investigating it, talking to either victims or officials that have to address those issues.”

NAACP members documented social media posts in which the deputy, Brian Green, bragged about his ties to the Proud Boys organization, which the Southern Poverty Law Center has designated as a hate group. He was also listed as an administrator for the local Proud Boys chapter’s Facebook page.

“Generally, they’re pretty boastful, so of course he would go to social media,” Luter said. “That’s always the downfall. You can almost just bank on them exposing themselves.”

A week after NAACP leaders presented the findings of their investigation to Plaquemines Parish Sheriff Gerald A. Turlich Jr., Green was fired for violating the department’s social media policy by using his sheriff’s office uniform to promote the Proud Boys’ views.

The work of community groups like the NAACP provides a first line of defense against hate and extremism, instilling resilience in the communities they serve. Such work is needed as the Year in Hate and Extremism 2023 report, released this week from the SPLC’s Intelligence Project, shows the number of extremist and hate groups climbing.

“Despite an alarming spike in hard-right groups and actions, we are encouraged by communities who have joined together to push back against voices that are preaching division and hate,” said Rachel Carroll Rivas.

Rachel Carroll Rivas is the interim director of the Intelligence Project, which monitors hate and antigovernment extremist groups throughout the United States and exposes their activities to the public, the media and policymakers.

The annual report has become a key resource for community groups, especially in an election year.

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Sincerely,

Your friends at the Southern Poverty Law Center

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