Hi John,

Hate crimes have reached a 16-year high, according to a new report from the F.B.I. In Washington state, the rate of hate crimes has increased faster than in most of the country. We know that when fueled by a gun, hate turns deadly.

That is why we co-hosted a summit this week with the Anti-Defamation League addressing the intersection of hate and gun violence. The summit brought together a diverse group of panelists and attendees including elected officials, law enforcement, and community leaders from the Seattle Indian Health Board, the Sikh Coalition, El Centro de la Raza, and more.

We were reminded just how important this work is in a first-of-its-kind case earlier this month. Thanks to a newly-enacted update to Washington’s Extreme Risk Protection Order law, local law enforcement and federal agents were able to seize a cache of military-style weapons from an avowed neo-Nazi in Snohomish County who was preparing for a “race war.” As Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes said, “We actually, I firmly believe, prevented a massacre.”

Thanks for all you do,
Dylan O'Connor