White nationalist groups and extremist violence of all stripes must be denounced in the strongest terms.
The need for such a declaration is disappointing, and yet that need exists. Even here in the Northwest, which we often like to view as a welcoming, accepting, easygoing corner of the country, white nationalists are feeling emboldened by the current political climate.
This is not a surprise, nor is it breaking news. The so-called alt-right and an associated white supremacist movement supported Donald Trump during his presidential campaign and contributed to his election; denying that is to ignore all evidence. When the president responded to a 2017 rally in Charlottesville, Va. — a rally that featured Nazi imagery and slogans — by insisting the protestors included “some very fine people,” he provided tacit support to a movement that should be anathema to all Americans.
That marked a notable departure from accepted norms. If there was one thing Americans could previously agree upon — at least publicly — it was that Nazis do not represent our values. That equation has been altered and it is a threat to the underpinnings of civilized society.
Meanwhile, some recent news reports have reminded us that even our state is not immune from the virus represented by supremacist groups. Members of Proud Boys — a group whose creed includes, “The time for apologies is past. I am a Western Chauvinist and I refuse to apologize for creating the modern world” — have been implicated in a May ruckus at Vancouver Mall and have clashed with protestors at rallies in Portland.
Proud Boys members say they are simply a fraternal organization and deny accusations of white supremacist leanings. But the group’s founder has been quoted as saying, “It’s such a rape culture with these immigrants, I don’t even think these women see it as rape” and “Muslims have a problem with inbreeding. They tend to marry their first cousins … and that is a major problem here because when you have mentally damaged inbreds — which not all Muslims are, but a disproportionate number are.”
If members of the Proud Boys are disturbed by accusations of being white supremacists, they must be reminded that we all are judged based on the company we choose to keep.
Such was the case with Erin Willey, a deputy who was fired last week by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office. Willey had been photographed wearing a Proud Boys-related shirt and apparently was selling Proud Boys apparel. Sheriff Chuck Atkins said, “Law enforcement officers are peacekeepers whose core mission is to protect and safeguard the community. My expectation is that my employees do not engage in activities or associations that undermine or diminish our role as peacekeepers.”
Indeed, there is no place for white supremacist sympathies in a position of public trust, and any suggestion that this is a First Amendment issue must be rejected. Willey remains free to say and believe whatever she wishes; she remains free to associate with any group she likes; her First Amendment rights remain intact. But as an officer whose job is to serve and protect citizens of Clark County, aligning with an organization that says one way to save America is “shut down the government” belies her duty.
All of this represents a small faction of an underlying issue facing the United States. That issue requires all patriots who believe in this country to speak up and reject the beliefs of white supremacist organizations.
