Dear John,

Before walking into a Tops supermarket in Buffalo earlier this year, the 18-year-old alleged gunman became immersed in hateful online conspiracy theories he believed thoroughly justified his actions.

The deadly attack, on the heels of the hate-fueled attack in Colleyville, TX, was a horrific reminder of the dangers of domestic extremism and online conspiracies. In a matter of minutes, the gunman shot 13 people — 11 of them black, two of them white — while livestreaming the assault. The senseless attack left 10 dead and a nation grieving.

There are already considerable efforts nationwide to prevent extremism and hate-fueled violence. But the fact that attacks like these continue to happen means that there’s much more work to be done.

At the White House yesterday, the Biden Administration hosted the bipartisan United We Stand Summit addressing this rise of hate-fueled violence, which is harming our nation’s most vulnerable communities and threatening our democratic institutions. As President Biden said there: “White supremacists will not have the last word and this venom and violence cannot be the story of our time... an attack on one group of us is literally an attack on all of us.”

ADL worked with other civil rights organizations to call for this summit in the aftermath of the Buffalo tragedy and we are already taking several steps to stem the tide of extremism and violence.

Progress Is Happening

In coordination with the summit, over 150 mayors from across the United States have pledged to join the ADL and the U.S. Conference of Mayors to combat hate, extremism and bigotry in their cities. This work, city by city across the country, will be central in stopping extremism-motivated violence. You can read the full Mayor’s Compact here.

Another alliance sparked by the summit is the new Community Solidarity & Safety Coalition (CSSC), convened by ADL and the National Urban League to focus on solidarity and safety issues for community-based and nonprofit organizations, houses of worship, educational spaces and other public spaces where communities have been targeted. You can read about CSSC actions and alliance members here.

Domestic extremism endangers all Americans, regardless of political persuasion. We all have a stake in the success of this summit. We must take critical steps today to avert the next tragedy.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Greenblatt

CEO and National Director

ADL