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DEMOCRACY ALERT
A Roundup of Threats to American Democracy
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October 15, 2021 | Issue #34
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Dear Friend,
Hacked data from bigoted and anti-democracy groups has driven multiple news cycles for those of us closely following this issue. There were three releases of data from the Epik server, which has hosted sites known for connecting people organizing around white nationalism and other forms of bigotry like 8Chan, Parler, and Gab. Hacked materials from the paramilitary Oath Keepers website have also been publicized.
It will take years for researchers, journalists, and activists to sort through the many years of data released, but there are some early learnings. In the days and weeks after the January 6 insurrection, one of the questions reporters often asked was: What has been the impact of the insurrection on paramilitary and anti-democracy groups and their recruitment? We now know one more piece of the answer thanks to these hacked materials. Data from the Oath Keepers website shows that nearly a thousand people joined the group in the wake of the insurrection, including many current and former military and police employees.
We have long known that white nationalist and paramilitary groups have routinely attempted to recruit veterans and law enforcement officers while also encouraging their members to join police forces or the military to gain training. Still, it is deeply troubling every time we hear of another current law enforcement officer who has been identified as a member of a bigoted and anti-democracy group. All levels of government and law enforcement must tackle this significant issue proactively, rather than allow extremists in uniform to commit harm until they are identified by hackers or researchers.
As we seek to more effectively fight for inclusive democracy, for our civil rights, and for our right to live free from fear and bigotry, tracking and responding to local and national incidents of organized bigotry is an important step. We hope this biweekly series continues to help ground all of us in our collective call to blunt anti-democratic movements and build a more just future, filled with dignity, safety, and freedom for all.
In solidarity,
Lindsay Schubiner
Momentum Program Director
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PARAMILITARY, PATRIOT MOVEMENT, AND ANTI-GOVERNMENT ACTIVITY
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Hacked materials from the Oath Keepers website show that nearly a thousand people joined the group following the insurrection, including many current and former military and police employees. This group included at least two New York City police officers, prompting a statement from Mayor Bill de Blasio that any officers who are part of violent “far-right nationalist” groups should be investigated, charged internally, and removed from the police force. The hacked materials also reveal the Oath Keepers membership of a high-level official in the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office in Arizona and a lieutenant in the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in Maryland who is running for sheriff, among others. Another analysis showed that dozens of Oregon law enforcement officers had joined the Oath Keepers since 2009. Meanwhile, anti-democracy groups continue to organize around conspiracy theories that undermine democratic elections. One group is organizing to send volunteers, sometimes armed, door to door to look for “phantom voters.
- Military contractors with ‘sensitive roles’ joined Oath Keepers after Jan. 6 attack, John Wright, Raw Story
- Hack exposes law enforcement officers who signed up to join anti-government Oath Keepers, Will Carless, Grace Hawuck and Erin Mansfield, USA Today
- Officers Who Pledge Loyalty to Oath Keepers Should Be Fired, Mayor Says, Ali Watkins, New York Times
- The surge of ‘mini-insurrections’ reflects evolving pandemic extremism, Shawn Vestal, The Spokesman-Review
- Utah Jewish federation condemns use of syringe swastika at anti-vaccine protest at Governor's Mansion, Jacob Klopfenstein, KSL.com
- Colorado Election Fraud Group Is Training Conspiracists in Other States to Knock Doors in Search of ‘Phantom Ballots’, Erik Maulbetsch, Colorado Times Recorder
- Dozens of Oregon law enforcement officers have been members of the far-right Oath Keepers militia, Jonathan Levinson, Oregon Public Broadcasting
- Trump Won the County in a Landslide. His Supporters Still Hounded the Elections Administrator Until She Resigned. Jeremy Schwartz, ProPublica
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WHITE NATIONALIST AND ALT-RIGHT ACTIONS
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Last week self-proclaimed Proud Boy Alan Swinney was convicted of eleven counts, including assault, menacing, and unlawful use of a weapon. Swinney had sprayed bear mace, fired paintballs, and wielded a loaded revolver against counter-protestors at an alt-right rally in Portland in 2020. This high profile case brings accountability for one individual who intentionally turned to violence to further his dangerous ideology, but also comes at a time when anti-democracy violence continues unabated across the country. The ADL has found that in the past eight months, nine new chapters of the white nationalist Rise Above Movement (R.A.M.) have developed in the U.S. R.A.M. leaders have sought to bring online white nationalist activity into the real world by growing a network of connected “fight clubs.” In Idaho, one realtor affiliated with the bigoted Redoubt movement has faced consequences for including discriminatory language in his property listings.
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FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL ANTI-DEMOCRACY ACTIONS
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After civil society and elected officials pushed for an investigation, a Department of Homeland Security internal review released last week shows that analysts were pressured by Trump appointees into characterizing racial justice demonstrators in Portland as “violent extremists” as well as creating dossiers on journalists and protesters who had no connection to potential homeland security threats. Meanwhile, the Mayor of Anchorage excused Holocaust relativism by supporting anti-vaccine protesters’ use of yellow Stars of David in their protest. In Southlake, Texas, the chilling effect of laws restricting teachers’ ability to teach truth on historical atrocities became clear as leaked audio from a meeting revealed a school leader feeling pressure to “balance” the teaching of books on the Holocaust with “opposing perspectives.”
- Senior Homeland Security leaders pushed unfounded antifa conspiracy at 2020 Portland protests, report states, Jonathan Levinson and Conrad Wilson, Oregon Public Broadcasting
- Anchorage mayor defends anti-maskers who wore yellow Stars of David in protest - then apologizes, Ben Sales, The Forward
- Southlake school leader tells teachers to balance Holocaust books with 'opposing' views, Mike Hixenbaugh and Antonia Hylton, NBC News
- Fulcher, other GOP lawmakers object to FBI review of threats against school boards, Ariana Figueroa, Idaho Capital Sun
- Michigan representative wears 'Q' button to election audit rally, Craig Mauger, Detroit News
- One week after anti-mask protest, two CdA school board members announce resignation, KHQ
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After calls for help from the National School Board Association, the Department of Justice released a memo pledging greater support for local school officials and teachers who are facing threats and harassment. In response, the African American Policy Forum issued a strong statement adding historical context to this moment and reminding readers that threats against educators and the public education system are threats against democracy. Meanwhile, in California, a newly signed law responds to last year’s difficult working conditions for reporters by protecting press teams’ access to protests, ensuring press freedom by barring citation or arrest for reporting on protests behind police lines. In Colleyville, Texas, high school students organized to speak out on the racism they experience in their town as their Black school principal faced a challenge to his tenure. And in Wyoming, the only state that has never had a refugee resettlement program, faith leaders are looking to move past a history of vitriolic anti-immigrant debates and open their doors to supporting refugees.
- Justice Dept. Will Address ‘Disturbing Spike’ in Threats Against School Personnel, Erica L. Green, The New York Times
- School boards are ‘under an immediate threat,’ organization says in request for federal help, Brittany Shammas, Washington Post
- African American Policy Forum Hails New Justice Department Policy on Violent Threats to Schools and Educators, Statement from AAPF
- California protects reporters covering protests with new law, Don Thompson, Associated Press
- Texas teenagers organize to defend their Black principal, Hannah Natanson, Washington Post
- Faith groups in Wyoming are shifting the conversation on refugee resettlement, Karin Brulliard, Washington Post
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INCIDENTS OF FAR-RIGHT VIOLENCE
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As prosecutions continue around the January 6 Capitol insurrection, prosecutors are continuing to charge new individuals for their conduct on that day, including three Minnesota men who stand accused of assaulting Capitol police officers, and a Texas man who had also plotted to attack an Amazon data center in addition to his involvement in the January 6 insurrection. Meanwhile, prosecutors in Virginia brought additional charges against two members of the Neo-Nazi group The Base, alleging that they planned to assassinate the Virginia State House Speaker and free Charleston shooter Dylann Roof from prison. Additionally, political violence continues on the local level in many locations, including an arson attack on a Democratic Party office in Texas, an online shooting threat against women on a Michigan college campus, and an attack on a mobile COVID vaccine site by anti-vaccine protesters in New York.
- Three Lindstrom men face federal charges related to Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot, Stephen Montemayor, Minneapolis Star-Tribune
- Texas man and J6 attendee who wanted to blow up Amazon data center sentenced to 10 years, Phil Helsel, NBC News
- Neo-Nazis wanted to assassinate Virginia house speaker and bust mass murderer Dylann Roof out of prison: prosecutors, Matthew Chapman, Raw Story
- Arrest made in arson incident at Travis County Democratic Party office, CBS Austin
- University of Michigan police investigate online shooting threat targeting women on Ann Arbor campus, Natasha Dado and Dane Kelly, Click On Detroit Local 4
- Anti-Vaxxers Just Destroyed a COVID Testing Unit in New York, Tess Owen, VICE
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