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Fighting Hate and Injustice in Trump Era

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Southern Poverty Law Center Non Profit Org. 400 Washington Avenue • Montgomery, AL 36104 U.S. Postage PAID www.splcenter.org Southern Poverty SPLC REPORT Law Center Published by the Southern Poverty Law Center Winter 2018 Fighting Hate • Teaching Tolerance • Seeking Justice Volume 48, Number 4 A Year-End Report Fighting hate and injustice in Trump era By Richard Cohen Here’s a look at some of our campaign he launched against Silicon Valley companies like classmate of white nationalist and Morris Dees achievements this year and a a Jewish woman named Tanya PayPal to kick hate groups off their leader Richard Spencer. preview of the challenges we’re Gersh in Montana. She en- internet platforms – cutting off Both Sessions and Miller were We hope you’re as proud as we anticipating in 2019. dured months of harassment their primary source of funding. architects of the administra- are of the progress we achieved We’re currently engaged in after Anglin mobilized an army And it’s not just hate group tion’s cruel immigration policies. this year. With your help, we a court battle that could have a of internet followers to launch a funding that’s at stake. Hate We’ve launched an ambi- won justice for vulnerable peo- lasting impact and limit the abil- “troll storm” against her. groups use the internet to re- tious initiative to provide legal ple in our nation’s courts, helped ity of hatemongers to use the Tanya and her family received cruit new members. And, recent representation, at no cost, to children reject prejudice in our internet to terrorize people. hundreds of vicious emails, texts, studies show that online hate fu- immigrants who are being nation’s schools, and fought phone calls and els real-world violence. swept up across the country back against the hate and xeno- messages on social We’re constantly pressuring and thrown into prisons in the phobia unleashed by President media – threats internet companies like Twitter Deep South, often in horrible, Trump in communities across that included and Facebook to stop the spread inhumane conditions. VALERIE DOWNES VALERIE the country. MICHELLE LELAND horrifying imag- of demonizing propaganda on Because of your support, None of this would have been es invoking the their platforms. And we’ll keep we’ve been able to expand our possible without the support of Holocaust. up the pressure in 2019. operations in an incredibly short people like you. We are grateful Our lawsuit period. We’ve established legal that you stood with us this year. sends a message to Countering hate offices at five of the largest immi- Now that we’re nearly two hatemongers who in the White House grant prisons in remote areas of years into the Trump presiden- Morris Dees Richard Cohen encourage violence As concerned as we are about the Deep South, and we’re pro- cy, two things are absolutely and harrassment. the spread of hate groups online, viding vital support to six others. clear: The president’s words and We’re suing Andrew Anglin, We won key court rulings in we’re even more alarmed about We’ve even had to sue the actions reflect the racism that one of the most notorious our case this year (see page 4). the hate in the White House. Trump administration for erect- was at the core of his campaign, neo-Nazi leaders in America. Now, we’re gearing up for a feder- Trump is systematically put- ing barriers that keep us from and we should expect more of He was one of the promoters of al trial in 2019. ting the white nationalist agenda gaining access to the men and the same as long as he’s in office. the deadly white supremacist into action. women who need our help. The road ahead will be diffi- rally in Charlottesville – a racist Hitting hate in the pocketbook He has surrounded himself But we’ll do whatever it cult. But if we stick together, if who calls Donald Trump “Our We’re pioneering new strategies with far-right ideologues – peo- takes, because we’re a lifeline we don’t give in to cynicism and Glorious Leader.” to fight hate in the digital era. ple like former Attorney General for many good people who are in despair, we will prevail over the We’re determined to bring Over the past year, we’ve had Jeff Sessions and White House dark forces afoot in our country. Anglin to justice for the terror enormous success in pushing adviser Stephen Miller, a former Continued on page 8 SPLC strikes blow against Jim Crow in midterms IN THIS ISSUE TALLAHASSEE, Florida – federal government to allow of two states where a person required only nine of 12 guilty The SPLC and its allies won newly freed slaves to vote – and could be sent to prison – even votes for conviction, though the a landmark victory for voting fearful of a black majority in the for life – with just 10 of 12 jurors state previously had required a a a a rights in Florida and a key crim- sparsely populated state – the agreeing to a guilty verdict. unanimous verdicts. Since 1974, inal justice reform in Louisiana framers devised the law to dis- Now, Oregon is the only state 10 votes have been required. America rejects on Nov. 6, as voters in those enfranchise them. that allows non-unanimous Louisiana has historically had extremism in states swept aside two Jim criminal verdicts. the nation’s highest incarceration midterm elections Crow-era laws intended to dis- Legislative victories The roots of Louisiana’s law rate. The SPLC last year success- enfranchise and criminalize The state had previously en- go back to the constitution it fully pushed major criminal justice PAGE 2 African Americans. acted its “Black Codes,” laws adopted in 1898. Then, the law reforms through the legislature. The SPLC invested heavily in that made it easy to pin seri- advertising, mail, and canvassing ous criminal charges on African a a a a in those states to educate voters Americans. Because of system- SPLC launches about the proposed constitu- ic discrimination in the justice Action Fund for tional amendments and to turn system, the law is still having its ANDREWS HILLARY out the vote. intended effect: About one-fifth legislative battles “These are historic reforms of all black adults in the state PAGE 4 that strip away racist laws de- can’t vote. signed in the wake of the Civil The amendment, which goes War to maintain a white su- into effect in January, garnered a a a a premacist regime,” said SPLC about 65 percent of the vote, President Richard Cohen. topping the 60 percent it need- “We’re proud to have played a ed to be enacted. Now, the SPLC role in helping voters under- will be involved in efforts to get stand what was at stake – and these newly enfranchised peo- thrilled with the outcome.” ple registered in time to vote In Florida, Amendment 4 in 2020. overturns a law barring 1.4 mil- In Louisiana, voters over- SPLC victory lion people from voting because turned another Jim Crow relic of previous felony convictions. by passing Amendment 2, which in neo-Nazi case Curtis Davis is an outreach paralegal with the Southern Poverty Law Center who The ban has been in effect requires jury verdicts in criminal played a major role in successfully advocating for the unanimous jury ballot initiative PAGE 4 since the state rewrote its con- trials to be unanimous. Before in Louisiana. Davis’ work fundamentally changed criminal justice in the state by stitution in 1868. Forced by the the vote, Louisiana was just one preventing unfair convictions via a racist law created during the Jim Crow era. 2 SPLC REPORT // WWW.SPLCENTER.ORG WINTER 2018 A MESSAGE FROM SPLC PRESIDENT RICHARD COHEN SPLC REPORT Published by the Southern Poverty Law Center WINTER 2018 America rejecting extremism The Southern Poverty In 2004, the journalist stop Muslims from entering the was already secretary of state Trump tweeted that Brat was Law Center is dedicated to Thomas Frank published a high- country, deport millions of un- in Kansas, is one of the leading “strong on the border” and had fighting hate and bigotry ly insightful book about the state documented immigrants and proponents of voter suppres- his “Total Endorsement.” Other and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable of politics in America called build a wall at the U.S.-Mexico sion measures. hardline nativists were defeat- members of our society. What’s the Matter with Kansas? border. He drew from the same Trump chose him to lead his ed, as well. Using litigation, education, He described how right-wing playbook this year. “voter fraud” commission – the After losing the House, and other forms of politicians had exploited cultur- He sent thousands of troops one that disbanded after not Trump claimed that numerous advocacy, the SPLC al issues like same-sex marriage to the border to intercept a car- producing a shred of evidence GOP incumbents lost because works toward the day and abortion to such effect that avan of asylum-seekers and to support Trump’s lies about they didn’t “embrace” him – and when the ideals of they had placed a stranglehold warned voters that millions of peo- that people like Rep. Steve King, equal justice and equal opportunity will be a on a state once known for its Democrats wanted ple voting illegally an Iowa congressman known for reality. The SPLC also progressive populism. to make America for Democrats. his incendiary anti-immigrant sponsors the Civil Rights The sad truth, Frank posit- “a giant sanctuary “He’s as close remarks, won their races be- Memorial, which honors ed, was that Kansas voters were city for drug deal- MICHELLE LELAND to Trump as poli- cause they stayed close to him.
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