WASHINGTON, D.C.—On Tuesday, September 29, 2020, at 10:00 a.m, Rep. Jamie Raskin, the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, will hold a remote hearing titled, “Confronting Violent White Supremacy (Part IV): White Supremacy in Blue—The Infiltration of Local Police Departments.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) first raised concerns about the white supremacist infiltration of law enforcement in a 2006 intelligence assessment, but there have been repeated indications that the presence of white supremacists in police departments remains a nationwide problem.
In 2017, a study of racial attitudes found that white police officers are nine times as likely as a white nonpolice citizen to think that Black people are more violent than white people. In addition, multiple investigations of current and former police officers’ activity on Facebook found a pattern of engagement in violent, racist, xenophobic, misogynistic, homophobic, and bigoted content.
The presence of white supremacists in local police departments endangers Black communities, makes it more difficult for law enforcement to respond to the threats posed by far-right extremism, and risks public safety.
The hearing will examine this pervasive problem and examine actions that the federal government must take, such as passing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, to rid law enforcement communities of officers who have white supremacist affiliations or subscribe to white supremacist beliefs.
WHAT: Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties hearing on “Confronting Violent White Supremacy (Part IV): White Supremacy in Blue—The Infiltration of Local Police Departments”
WHEN: Tuesday, September 29, 2020, at 10:00 a.m.
Heather Taylor, President, Ethical Society of Police, St. Louis
WATCH: A livestream will be available on YouTube and the Committee website.
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