Unity needed to stop white supremacist hate crimes

 

On Monday, July 15, State Senator Gary Winfield and his family woke up to find a white supremacist pamphlet pasted on the outside of their home in New Haven's Newhall neighborhood. The hate crime is being investigated.

Winfield is the leading force in the legislature tackling police misconduct, economic inequality, education funding and all issues facing African American communities and all working class people..

In big, bold letters the flier says “Stop White Replacement.” Issued by a group calling itself White Lives Matter it says, “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children.”

This is a throwback to the slaveocracy and the jimcrow segregation system that followed.

The question before our country in the 2024 elections is stark: will we choose a Third Reconstruction founded on equity and raising up everyone, or will be be destroyed by a Second Confederacy?

The dangerous white supremacist agenda of MAGA Republicans is meant to create divisions so that policies can be carried out to dismantle all people serving programs and basic rights. Elimination of SNAP and Social Security will devastate the lives of white and Latino as well as African American families. This agenda only benefits the quest of billionaire corporate executives and military production corporations for total control of our economy and our lives.

As a community we must unequivocally speak up because an injury to one is an injury to all. Every individual and organization has a role to play.

The Connecticut People's World has initiated a voter pledge card to engage community-wide participation. It says: “White supremacy and bigotry have no place in our community and country. An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us. The best way to honor the people who sacrificed their lives for our rights is to VOTE VOTE VOTE.”

The Stop the Hate and Division voter pledge card says, “It's time to stop all the attacks on working people, the poor, immigrants, people of color, women, LGBTQ and youth! As Trump and his rich friends get richer and the rest of us pay more for everything NOW is the time to organize, register voters and make the change to put People, Peace and Planet before Profits.”