ABOUT
WASHINGTON – The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, The Andrew Goodman Foundation (AGF), and over one hundred other civil and human rights organizations urge Congress not to create new domestic terrorism charges in response to January 6, 2021’s attack on the Capitol. The Department of Justice already has the necessary charges to hold white nationalist violence accountable. We must condemn those responsible for the attacks without placing additional harm on those who are already disproportionately affected by the criminal-legal system.
“The magnitude of last week’s attack demands that Congress focus on ensuring that our government addresses white nationalist violence as effectively as possible. Members of Congress should not reinforce counterterrorism policies, programs, and frameworks that are rooted in bias, discrimination, and denial or diminution of fundamental rights like due process. Rather, as highlighted below, Congress should focus on its oversight and appropriations authority to ensure that the federal government redirect resources towards the ever-growing white nationalist violence plaguing our country, and hold law enforcement accountable in doing so.”