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I can't stop thinking about how predictable this week's events were and how little the people in power did to stop it or prepare for it. They knew.
There was the 2009 DHS report on the threat of far-right violence. In response, some GOP legislators demanded the department rescind the report and fire the author.
DHS proceeded to disband the analysis unit dedicated to domestic terrorism. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2017/08/21/i-warned-of-right-wing-violence-in-2009-it-caused-an-uproar-i-was-right/
DHS proceeded to disband the analysis unit dedicated to domestic terrorism. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2017/08/21/i-warned-of-right-wing-violence-in-2009-it-caused-an-uproar-i-was-right/
Before that, extremism experts warned that white supremacist groups increased recruitment after Obama won in 2008. https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2008/11/06/hate-groups-claim-obama-win-sparking-recruitment-surge https://www.adl.org/news/article/white-supremacists-strategize-around-inauguration-day
Then there's been the steady drumbeat of white supremacist attacks, from Charleston to Pittsburgh to El Paso. The perpetrators made an effort to make their far-right extremist ideologies crystal clear - in order to spread their message.
During the Trump administration, Congress held several hearings on far-right violence. The GOP invited speakers to testify that were, simply put, an insult to anyone actually serious about the issue. Antifa was a frequent mention on the Republican side.
Charlottesville was a wake-up call in some ways, but clearly not enough, considering the parallels to this week's attack on Congress. It was openly planned online and officials knew ahead of time, and failed utterly.
In fact, DHS sent a warning to Virginia law enforcement before the Charlottesville rally. https://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/29/charlottesville-violence-homeland-security-242140
An independent review of what went wrong in Charlottesville detailed the utter failures of law enforcement. Maybe Capitol Police should have read it. https://www.policefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Charlottesville-Critical-Incident-Review-2017.pdf
I would love to know what these lawmakers would say now. https://twitter.com/Riogringa/status/1347549148061573120
Just like Charlottesville, the warnings from the federal government came. And they even offered to help, and were denied. https://apnews.com/article/9c39a4ddef0ab60a48828a07e4d03380
