On this edition of Your Call, we're discussing the rise of armed militia members and far-right groups like the Proud Boys, Boogaloo boys and Patriot Prayer.
According to several reports, the federal government has long ignored white supremacists even though the FBI says they’re the most lethal domestic terrorist threat to the US. Former FBI agent Michael German says white supremacists and militias have infiltrated law enforcement agencies across the country. What do you want to know about these groups and their agendas? What are their plans for the election?
Guests:
Jason Wilson, independent journalist based in Portland, covering the political right, from far right extremist groups to radical right street protests
Dr. Peter Simi, associate professor in the Department of Sociology at Chapman University who has studied extremist groups and violence for more than 20 years, and author of American Swastika: Inside the White Power Movement's Hidden Spaces of Hate
Web Resources:
The Guardian, Jason Wilson: Portland suffers serious street violence as far right return 'prepared to fight'
The Guardian, Adam Mahoney, Lois Beckett, Julia Carrie Wong: Armed white men patrolling Kenosha protests organized on Facebook
New Republic, Melissa Grant: Far-Right Militias Are Learning Impunity From the Cops
Brennan Center, Michael German: Hidden in Plain Sight: Racism, White Supremacy, and Far-Right Militancy in Law Enforcement
NPR: Former DHS Official: Trump Pouring 'Fuel On The Fire' Of Domestic Extremism