The Real Meaning of "Terrorism"

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Friend,     Since the horrific attack on the Capitol, we’ve heard a lot more of a familiar word: “terrorism.” As we struggle to come to terms with the growing threat of white extremists, more and more officials are calling for expanded domestic terrorism powers, but this would be a profound mistake.   Sadly, we’ve been down this road before. In the aftermath of the Oklahoma City Bombing, we saw the federal government pass sweeping new criminal laws called AEDPA. Only those laws were never used to target white extremists, they were used to target Black and Latin/x communities instead.   In recent days, we saw the deadly toll of that power, thirteen federal executions, more than in the past 70 years combined, and all made possible by AEDPA. And the Americans we executed were disproportionately Black, including the last execution, Dustin Higgs, a 48-year-old Black man whose life was taken on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. We don’t know what powers Congress and police boosters will propose in the coming days, but we do know this: whatever tools we give police will be used overwhelmingly against communities of color. If there is any lesson from this insurrection and the police indifference to white extremists, it’s that we need more accountability for police, not more power.   With thanks, Albert Fox Cahn, Esq. Executive Director Listen To Our Podcast! Our Team Share Tweet Forward