White Nationalism in Portland

White nationalist hate groups, their racist rants, and their disturbing glorification of violence has no place in our homes, hometowns, or anywhere else in America. Full stop.

This weekend, right-wing groups descended on an East Portland neighborhood, terrorizing our community with violence, destruction, and hateful rhetoric. Extremist right-wing groups like the Proud Boys are a threat to our communities, and their deliberate, violent provocations are neither invited nor welcome in Portland or anywhere else in this nation.

These groups are a domestic terrorism risk, plain and simple.

Condemnation alone isn’t enough to create the kind of America where everyone — regardless of what they look like or where they’re from — is treated equally and with respect. It is also important that we work together to sever the roots of white supremacy that have long been tangled around every aspect of American life, from our schools and workplaces to the quality of our water infrastructure and available medical care.

That is why I’m fighting to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in the Senate — a small step toward finally fixing the broken policing system that has failed so many in our country. But it isn’t just our justice system that fails to serve justice. We need to make tangible investments in our education, housing, and health care systems in our country to create the foundations for success for every American. We must pursue environmental justice to right the racist policies we’ve enacted that resulted in Black and Brown communities feeling the impacts of climate chaos first and worst.

We have work to do to fight for the fairer, more equal America that we all deserve. And we can get there if, together, we continue to fight for accountability and justice in every aspect of our society.