"What about White Identity Extremists?" The FBI "Black Extremist Groups" Report.

Recently, the FBI issued the report “Black Identity Extremists Likely Motivated to Target Law Enforcement Officers” in an attempt to target groups of “violent blacks.” In the report multiple “black extremist groups” are listed and are put on watch by the FBI. However, the report fails to identify any white extremist groups that may also have the potential to act on violence toward the police. This systematic decision to target “black identity extremists” continues the trend over the last century of fabricating a violent black identity. This FBI report harkens back to times when people like Ell Persons were lynched because the white community and law enforcement assumed blacks to be responsible for violence. Similarly, just as law enforcement used to allow (and even partake in) violence towards blacks simply “running crowd control,” this report ignores and may potentially enable white extremist groups to continue acts of violence.

In response to the report, Attorney General Jeff Sessions was asked about his own knowledge and connection to the report. In one moment regarding “violent blacks,” while Sessions claims, “there are groups that do have an extraordinary commitment to their racial ideology,” Congress Woman Karen Bass quickly responds “are you aware of white organizations that do this as well?” As Sessions answers, it is comical, but also chilling, that he is unable to firmly assert that organizations like the KKK and Neo-Nazis are white identity extremists with violent capabilities. What is especially unsettling is that in the wake of Neo-Nazi present violence in Charlottesville, blacks are still being targeted white real and present extremist groups still exist in the US. In the same interview, Sessions is asked whether he considers Black Lives Matter to be a “violent extremist movement.” He similarly wavers at the question (as the one previously mentioned) but ultimately chooses not to express his beliefs on the movement.

This brought one question to mind: If government officials are unable to investigate the true nature of a social or political movement, how can they justifiably target people involved with these protests? Although Black Lives Matter is not specifically mentioned in the report, targeting groups where motivations are simply understood seems to violate their right to freedom of speech. Under this recent report, blacks are still targeted by extremist groups and law enforcement. If blacks are to receive true equal protection, federal attempts must be made to shift focus toward white extremist groups rather than away from these recorded and observed sources of violence.

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“Congress Woman Bass vs Jeff Sessions.” c-Span.org, C-Span, 14 Nov. 2017, www.c-span.org/video/?c4691627/congress-woman-bass-vs-jeff-sessions.