Friend,
In a new video from the SPLC
[link removed]
released on the one-year anniversary of Jan. 6, SPLC President and
CEO Margaret Huang and SPLC Chief of Staff Lecia Brooks discuss the
"dichotomy of perspective" that has divided the nation,
and why protecting voting rights will be key to ensuring that elected
officials who incited this "unsuccessful coup" are held
accountable.
Jan. 6 Video
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In addition to monitoring and exposing the hate groups behind the
attack, the SPLC has worked to create a series of concrete,
forward-looking policy recommendations to address both long-festering
issues and those unearthed in the wake of the insurrection. Below is a
summary of those recommendations. For further details about our policy
proposals, you can read more here.
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Protect Democracy and Restore the Voting Rights Act
States across the country have enacted laws restricting voting access,
including efforts to limit voting by mail, enacting barriers to
registering new voters, establishing tougher voter identification
laws, empowering partisan poll watchers and shifting election
authority, which will make administration of elections more partisan.
To defend our democracy, we must overcome the Senate gridlock and
enact The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to
Vote Act to stop the escalating attacks on voting rights and prevent
election subversion in the future.
Speak Out Against Hate, Political Violence and Extremism
Words matter, especially from our leaders. It is impossible to
overstate the importance of elected officials, business leaders and
military commanders using their public platforms to condemn the events
of Jan. 6 - and the deeply anti-democratic ideology and
extremism behind it. It must also be made clear to violent
insurrectionists and those propagating white supremacist ideas that
there is zero tolerance for political-based intimidation and
violence.
Hold the Planners and Perpetrators of the Jan. 6 Attack Accountable
Those responsible for the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection - and
elected officials who explicitly or subtly encouraged this political
violence - must be held accountable and suffer real
consequences. Anyone indulging conspiracy theories or engaging with
movements that exploit bigotry to raise campaign dollars is
complicit.
Act to Prevent This From Ever Happening Again
Preventing another assault on our democracy is a challenge that
requires our leaders to step up and address the failures that allowed
extremists to reach a boiling point and cause catastrophic harm on
Jan. 6. The following recommendations are ideal first steps towards
ensuring our nation does not repeat those failures.
Improve government response to domestic extremism
A March 2021 Intelligence Community Threat Assessment found that the
most dangerous threats to our nation are white supremacist
violent extremists and anti-government violent extremists, including
some militia groups. The Biden administration and Congress should
continue to closely track and assess the nature and magnitude of the
problem of domestic extremism and should fund resilience and digital
literacy initiatives and government and academic research on best
evidenced-based prevention programs.
Confront white supremacy and extremism in the military
The Justice Department has so far charged more than 700 individuals in
connection with the Capitol breach. Disturbingly, more than 80 of the
defendants charged in relation to the January 6 attack on the U.S.
Capitol have ties to the U.S. military - mostly veterans. In
April, the Secretary of Defense established the Countering Extremist
Activities Working Group (CEAWG) to study the issue and offer
recommendations. The Department of Defense must promptly implement the
December CEAWG report commitments, which include inoculating
active-duty personnel against radicalization.
Enforce current laws
Every state prohibits private militias, and many states have laws
prohibiting political violence, restricting firearms in state
capitols/government buildings and near polling places and banning
paramilitary training in furtherance of, or in preparation for, a
civil disorder. Federal and state authorities should take action to
raise awareness about these laws - and enforce them.
Fund prevention initiatives to steer individuals away from hate and
extremism
Disinformation and conspiracy theories are galvanizing attacks on
democracy and government institutions. Since it is not possible to
legislate, regulate or tabulate hatred and extremism out of existence,
we need federal and state government leadership to promote anti-bias,
anti-hate and democracy-building education programs - like the
SPLC's Learning for Justice resources - in our
nation's schools. Programs and processes that intervene
ethically in the lives of individuals - often called
"pre" or "deradicalization" efforts -
should also be promoted and funded on a larger scale.
Promote online safety and hold tech and social media companies
accountable
Social media companies should not enable the funding or amplifying of
white supremacist ideas or provide a safe haven for extremists. There
is broad, bipartisan support in Congress for legal reforms to promote
tech safety, accountability and transparency. Tech companies must
create and enforce terms of service and policies to ensure that social
media platforms, payment service providers and other internet-based
services do not provide forums where hateful activities and extremism
can grow and lead to domestic terrorism.
Teach truth, democracy-building and civics education and engagement
To fulfill the full promise of our democracy, it is necessary to build
community resilience against hate, with a particular focus on the
systemic racism that supports it. We must ensure that our youth are
taught critical thinking skills and digital literacy so they can fend
off misinformation, disinformation and online radicalization. It is
through inclusive education, teaching about the Bill of Rights and our
democratic institutions and teaching the truth about our
nation's history of slavery and oppression that we will truly be
able to move forward.
Restrict access to firearms for extremists
Brandishing firearms emboldens extremists, intimidates the public and
can spark escalating tensions at anti-government rallies and protests.
Researchers documented at least 100 instances of armed groups and
incidents involving guns at protests at state capitols in the six
months before the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Federal and
state officials should adopt reasonable gun violence prevention
initiatives to help prevent violent extremists from acquiring weapons.
Sincerely,
Your friends at the Southern Poverty Law Center
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