How White Supremacist Threats Teach Us About Predictable White Backlash
By: Allison Gaines
Tags: Race, White Supremacy, Equality, BlackLivesMatter, Civil Rights

Local Law Enforcement Works Alongside White Supremacists

In the 1700s, the first formal police force in the United States started as slave catchers. Their motive was to express white-backlash against Africans who wanted freedom. States developed modern policing from that system that initially only detained Black people, baking racism into the system. So, it should not surprise anyone that law enforcement still works with racist extremists.

‘Having personnel within law enforcement agencies has historically been and will continue to be a desired asset for white supremacist groups seeking to anticipate law enforcement interest in and actions against them,’ the report notes in a section that was previously redacted (Speri, 2020).

The relationship seems mutually beneficial because officers often view local right-wing militia as essential partners. Law enforcement has long held a soft spot for white supremacists. They give preferential treatment to white defendants, even after they commit race-related murders. For example, when Dylann Roof shot and killed nine Black churchgoers in 2015, officers brought him to get a hamburger before carting him off to jail. Likewise, officers failed to arrest Kyle Rittenhouse after he shot two protesters in Kenosha.

The relationship between Rittenhouse and police has drawn particular scrutiny in the wake of video interactions captured earlier in the night (Litke, 2020).

While white people often blame a few bad apples for race-based violence, Kyle was not alone that night in Kenosha. He was only one member of the armed militia that crossed state lines to counterprotest. As a young man, older white extremists are partly responsible for filling his head with racist beliefs about Black people.

From his perspective, he most likely felt perplexed. His older extremist cohorts assert they are doing the right thing by showing up armed to counterprotest. Likewise, officers stood with the armed white supremacists. Thus, it is no surprise that he felt he had the right to shoot anyone out there.

Video taken 15 minutes before Rittenhouse allegedly shot and killed two people shows exactly that. Police thanked his group for their presence and gave them water (Litke, 2020).

The police thanked the group of white extremists for attending that night, before the shooting. While many white people in America seem reluctant to pick a side, law enforcement already has. When law enforcement pairs themselves with extremists, they bind themselves to a system that hurts Black people and other marginalized groups. Their pattern of bigotry and discrimination should concern all Americans.

White backlash manifests itself in a multitude of ways, all of which Black people have to endure. While it would be nice to live in a country where the FBI would save us all from domestic terrorism, the truth is more nuanced. Even when federal law enforcement attempts to address white supremacy, they must also deal with local law enforcement’s involvement.

Active and retired law enforcement personnel were known to have joined the National Alliance, in some cases holding regional leadership roles in the organization, and raises concerns that the group’s successful efforts to infiltrate law enforcement would likely benefit other white supremacist groups with which it shared intelligence (Speri, 2020).

While the FBI saved Garza’s life, local law enforcement’s actions are inconsistent with addressing systemic racism. They acknowledge the dangers of white supremacy, yet their inability to design a significant task force to protect Americans is disheartening.

The acting chief of the Department of Homeland Security’s intelligence office on Friday said he agrees with the FBI director and other administration officials that white supremacists are an active threat to public order (Hosenball, 2020).

Federal law enforcement agencies have unity in recognizing white supremacy as the real threat to domestic tranquility. However, there is a disconnect between understanding and addressing the problem. Activists need to ensure the administration directs federal agencies to pursue justice, even when local law enforcement agencies are involved.

While the FBI continues to address extremism, they have a conflict of interest. As they usually work with law enforcement, the FBI may be ill-equipped to manage local law enforcement’s collaboration with white supremacist groups.

The Civil Rights Division within the Department of Justice would be more equipped to do so. However, this is where politics intersects with advocacy. The President selects the head of the DOJ. Thus, the will to fight against Civil Rights Violations often rests on the President’s racial ideology. Alicia Garza warned against the current administration’s negligence in addressing racial animus.

‘This is why this President is so dangerous,’ Garza added, referencing Trump’s refusal to denounce racists, supremacists and others on the radical right in a way that many believe has emboldened them to take action. ‘He is stoking fires he has no intention of controlling,’ (BET Editor, 2020).

In her statement, she ties Trump’s inability to denounce white supremacy with white extremists’ emboldened actions. When she said that he had no plan on putting out these fires, Garza alluded to the power a president has to address racial inequality. We need leadership that recognizes the harm that racism causes, empowering the Civil Rights Division to pursue injustices no matter where they arise.