If so, these threats might simply end upon Wednesday’s inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, who has called for unity and decency.
This threat was present before the Trump administration began and will not disappear with Biden in the White House.
Federal investigative agencies have long known, yet refused to address, the infiltration of white supremacists in law enforcement agencies.
Just last summer, law enforcement officers told militia members, “We appreciate you,” before Kyle Rittenhouse killed two protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Insurrectionists and white extremists walked cavalierly through the halls of Congress after breaching security, carrying a Confederate flag, appearing to assume that they would be welcomed by law enforcement.
At the state and local levels, law enforcement agencies and their oversight bodies must investigate and hold accountable law enforcement employees who participate in white supremacist organizations or hold white supremacist views, whether they were present at the attack on the Capitol or not.
And we must radically transform our system of public safety to address the structural inequities in law enforcement strategies, reducing the scope of law enforcement officers in Black and brown communities and investing in services that address communities’ underlying concerns. »
