Antisemitism, Anti-Muslim, Anti-Palestinian, Bigotry, Racism and Hate Crimes in the USA

[phkrause]

Republican Michigan lawmaker loses staff and committee assignment after online racist post

A Republican lawmaker in Michigan lost his committee assignment and staff Monday, days after posting an image of a racist ideology on social media.

https://apnews.com/article/michigan-lawmaker-punished-racial-post-5008bba47b6c11b5dc8b262f26350514?

[phkrause]

On 30th anniversary of her son’s death in a terror attack at the Brooklyn Bridge, Devorah Halberstam decries ‘plague’ of hatred

(New York Jewish Week) — Devorah Halberstam, whose son Ari was killed in a 1994 terror shooting at the Brooklyn Bridge, decried rising antisemitism at a commemoration of the attack’s 30th anniversary.

https://www.jta.org/2024/03/01/ny/on-30th-anniversary-of-her-sons-death-in-a-terror-attack-at-the-brooklyn-bridge-devorah-halberstam-decries-plague-of-hatred?

[phkrause]

NYPD reports 17 antisemitic crimes in February, as Oct. 7 surge appears to taper off

(New York Jewish Week) — Antisemitic crimes in New York City declined in February, as a surge in anti-Jewish hate incidents following the Oct. 7 attack on Israel appears to have tapered down.

https://www.jta.org/2024/03/07/ny/nypd-reports-17-antisemitic-crimes-in-february-as-oct-7-surge-appears-to-taper-down?

[phkrause]

White supremacists, seizing on Israel-Hamas war, have accelerated their antisemitism since Oct. 7

(JTA) – At a recent city council meeting in Evanston, Illinois, a man in dark sunglasses stepped up to the podium during the public comment period to accuse the Anti-Defamation League of stifling free speech.

https://www.jta.org/2024/03/08/united-states/white-supremacists-seizing-on-israel-hamas-war-have-accelerated-their-antisemitism-since-oct-7?

[phkrause]

Mississippi ex-deputy gets 20-year sentence in racist torture of 2 Black men

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A former Mississippi sheriff’s deputy was sentenced Tuesday to about 20 years in prison for his part in torturing two Black men in a racist assault and for his role in a separate episode where a white man was sexually assaulted.

https://apnews.com/article/mississippi-goon-squad-sentencing-d2eb6ba7e2f337ac1f17035cc97f2934?

[phkrause]

US Jews upset with Trump’s latest rhetoric say he doesn’t get to tell them how to be Jewish

Since the start of his political career, Donald Trump has played on stereotypes about Jews and politics.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-jewish-voters-democrats-antisemitism-a43bf6f6266d9c6a4b761b82281aa512?

[phkrause]

Freedom Monument Sculpture Park in Montgomery to honor victims of slavery

The Equal Justice Initiative will soon open a third site in the Montgomery area memorializing victims of racial violence.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/03/30/freedom-monument-sculpture-park-in-montgomery-to-honor-victims-of-slavery/?

[phkrause]

A biased test kept thousands of Black people from getting a kidney transplant. It’s finally changing

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jazmin Evans had been waiting for a new kidney for four years when her hospital revealed shocking news: She should have been put on the transplant list in 2015 instead of 2019 — and a racially biased organ test was to blame.

https://apnews.com/article/kidney-transplant-race-black-inequity-bias-d4fabf2f3a47aab2fe8e18b2a5432135?

[phkrause]

6 former Mississippi law officers sentenced in state court for torture of 2 Black men

BRANDON, Miss. (AP) — Already sentenced to many years in federal prison, six white former Mississippi law enforcement officers who pleaded guilty to a long list of state and federal charges for torturing two Black men were sentenced Wednesday in state court.

https://apnews.com/article/mississippi-goon-squad-sentencing-3519cddc1f1e2827f28bb930045305d6?

[phkrause]

A Powerful Atlanta Movie Executive Praised for His Diversity Efforts Shared Racist, Antisemitic Sentiments in Texts

When Ryan Millsap arrived in Atlanta from California a decade ago, the real estate investor set his sights on becoming a major player in Georgia’s booming film industry. In just a few years, he achieved that, opening a movie studio that attracted big-budget productions like “Venom,” Marvel’s alien villain, and “Lovecraft Country,” HBO’s fictional drama centered on the racial terror of Jim Crow America.

https://www.propublica.org/article/ryan-millsap-movie-executive-racist-antisemitic-texts?

[phkrause]

Athletic director used AI to frame principal with racist remarks in fake audio clip, police say

A high school athletic director in Maryland has been accused of using artificial intelligence to impersonate a principal on an audio recording that included racist and antisemitic comments, authorities said Thursday.

https://apnews.com/article/ai-artificial-intelligence-principal-audio-maryland-baltimore-county-pikesville-853ed171369bcbb888eb54f55195cb9c?

[phkrause]

? Asian Americans fear rising hate crime

Data: Savanta Research. Chart: Axios Visuals Four years after the pandemic when the nation saw surges in anti-Asian hate, Asian Americans still feel they're targets, Axios' Niala Boodhoo writes from a survey released at the start of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. Why it matters: 1 out of 3 Asian Americans in the poll say they've been called a racial or ethnic slur, or been physically threatened with violence. ? By the numbers: Americans in the survey believe hate has increased the most toward Black Americans (42%), followed by Asian Americans (33%) or Hispanics (25%), according to the STAATUS Index (Social Tracking of Asian Americans in the U.S.). In stark contrast, 61% of Asian Americans feel hate toward them has increased. Keep reading.

[phkrause]

Biden's plea on antisemitism: "Never forget"

President Biden drew a through line today from the Holocaust to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, saying the "ancient hatred of Jews" was "brought to life," Axios' Ivana Saric reports.

• Many people are "denying, downplaying, rationalizing, ignoring" the horrors of both events, including Hamas' use of sexual violence, Biden said.
• "I'm calling on all Americans to stand united against antisemitism and hate, in all its forms."

Zoom in: "'Never again,' simply translated for me, means 'never forget,'" Biden said during his keynote address at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's annual Days of Remembrance ceremony.

• The president recalled his own efforts to pass down knowledge of the Holocaust to his family, including taking his grandchildren to visit the Dachau concentration camp in Germany.

[phkrause]

A new account rekindles allegations that Trump disrespected Black people on ‘The Apprentice’

Gene Folkes had just been jettisoned as a contestant on “The Apprentice” and was commiserating with a crew member at a bar inside the lobby of Trump Tower. He was indignant — and not just at having been kicked off the reality show after its star, Donald Trump, had delivered his catchphrase: “You’re fired.”

https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-apprentice-racism-nbc-election-2024-d962dfce1220920681ede63b90058f5d?

[phkrause]

White nationalist, anti-LGBTQ activity on the rise, annual hate report shows

WASHINGTON — Emboldened by the mainstreaming of hard-right politics ahead of a presidential election cycle, white nationalist and anti-LGBTQ+ groups increased to record levels in the United States last year, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center’s latest annual report on hate and extremism.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/06/08/white-nationalist-anti-lgbtq-activity-on-the-rise-annual-hate-report-shows/?

[phkrause]

A majority of Black Americans believe US institutions are conspiring against them, a Pew poll finds

WASHINGTON (AP) — Most Black Americans say they’ve experienced racial discrimination regularly or from time to time, which colors how they view U.S. institutions like policing, the political system and the media, according to a study on conspiracy theories.

https://apnews.com/article/black-americans-race-conspiracies-pew-poll-ce1e9d8749df585db64b61777e82d7b8?

[phkrause]

Mississippi ex-deputy seeks shorter sentence in racist torture of 2 Black men

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A former Mississippi sheriff’s deputy is seeking a shorter federal prison sentence for his part in the torture of two Black men, a case that drew condemnation from top U.S. law enforcement officials, including Attorney General Merrick Garland.

https://apnews.com/article/mississippi-goon-squad-rankin-deputy-219629e5366f436eab03855c70b0230e?

[phkrause]

Michigan judge loses docket after she’s recorded insulting gay people and Black people

PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A suburban Detroit judge is no longer handling cases after a court official turned over recordings of her making anti-gay insults and referring to Black people as lazy.

https://apnews.com/article/michigan-judge-suspended-gay-black-insults-46ad22d3c123bd0e7b00ea189eb63a3d?

[phkrause]

Haitian elected officials in Florida condemn GOP’s ‘racist stereotypes’

Florida elected officials of Haitian descent are speaking out after former President Donald Trump doubled down on false attacks against Haitian immigrants made by his vice-presidential pick, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/09/12/haitian-elected-officials-in-florida-condemn-gops-racist-stereotypes/?

[phkrause]

Nice Little Jewish Community You Have Here

Donald Trump’s former longtime adviser Michael Cohen has said of the ex-president, whom he has likened to a Mob boss: “He speaks in code.” Trump used the code last week to send a warning to American Jews. “If I don’t win this election,” he said, “the Jewish people would have a lot to do with a loss.”

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/09/trump-threat-to-american-jews-election/680023/?

[phkrause]

Racist text messages referencing slavery raise alarms in multiple states and prompt investigations

WASHINGTON (AP) — Racist text messages invoking slavery raised alarm across the country this week after they were sent to Black men, women and students, including middle schoolers, prompting inquiries by the FBI and other agencies.

https://apnews.com/article/text-messages-slavery-racism-black-americans-fbi-708973521d2974bec7514b8622877290?

[phkrause]

Here’s where and why police are being investigated for excessive force, discrimination and other allegations A U.S. Justice Department investigation into the Memphis Police Department after the beating death of Tyre Nichols has found a pattern of unlawful use of excessive force and discrimination against the Black residents of the majority-Black city. The case is one of 12 similar investigations of state and local law enforcement agencies since April 2021. Five other investigations all found patterns of illegal police practices. Six similar ones are still in progress. Read more.

What to know: George Floyd died in May 2020 after a white officer pinned his neck to the pavement in Minneapolis for 9 1/2 minutes despite the Black man’s pleas of “I can’t breathe.” In June 2023, the DOJ issued a report saying the police department in Minneapolis engaged in a pattern of using excessive force and discrimination.      Breonna Taylor was shot and killed in her home during a raid in March 2020 in Louisville, Kentucky. In March 2023, the DOJ issued findings that the Louisville Metro Police Department had a pattern of unlawful practices that included executing search warrants without knocking and announcing. The report acknowledged changes already made by Louisville police and identified additional remedial measures that were needed.   The DOJ investigation of Lexington, Mississippi, followed a lawsuit by a civil rights group that accused police in this small, rural town of terrorizing Black residents by subjecting them to false arrests, excessive force and intimidation. The report, released in September, said the Lexington Police Department “has created a system where officers can relentlessly violate the law.” The department operates under an unconstitutional conflict of interest because it is partially funded by money raised through fines.

Related coverage ➤  Things to know about the investigation into the Memphis Police Department  Oklahoma officer charged for slamming 71-year-old man to the ground

[phkrause]

Andrew Tate, ‘manosphere’ influencer now in Florida, promotes antisemitism alongside misogyny on his livestreams

Tate has praised Hamas as demonstrating “the masculine spirit of resistance.”

https://www.jta.org/2025/02/28/united-states/andrew-tate-manosphere-influencer-now-in-florida-promotes-antisemitism-alongside-misogyny-on-his-livestreams?

[phkrause]

Campus antisemitism

The Anti-Defamation League released an updated report card assessing how US colleges combat antisemitism and protect Jewish students. It found that they’re making substantial progress — but work remains.

[phkrause]

?️ MAGA's antisemitism divide

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Antisemitic conspiracy theories are flooding America's most popular pro-Trump podcasts, exposing deep political and moral fissures at the heart of the new MAGA coalition, Axios' Zachary Basu writes. Why it matters: At a moment of record-high antisemitism in the U.S., an astonishing split screen has emerged between the Trump administration and prominent influencers that reliably spread MAGA's message. President Trump has prioritized cracking down on antisemitism and criticism of Israel on college campuses, including by revoking federal funding and arresting pro-Palestinian activists. But many of the podcasts Trump appeared on during the campaign are simultaneously platforming far-right provocateurs who are openly hostile toward Israel and use racist tropes about Jewish influence. ? Zoom in: Conspiracy theories about Israel, Jeffrey Epstein and Jewish elites dominated four MAGA-friendly podcasts last week that had previously hosted Trump. All came out within the same 48-hour period. Candace Owens, a pro-Trump lightning rod who left The Daily Wire last year over her embrace of antisemitic rhetoric, was a guest on "This Past Weekend with Theo Von." Andrew Tate, the misogynist influencer accused of sex trafficking and rape in Romania, appeared on the Nelk Boys' "Full Send" podcast and Patrick Bet David's "PBD Podcast." He also attended UFC 313 in Las Vegas, where he was welcomed by UFC president and Trump ally Dana White. Ian Carroll, an independent researcher who has suggested Israel was involved in 9/11, spent nearly three hours on the biggest platform of all — "The Joe Rogan Experience." Between the lines: Together, the conversations were broadcast to tens of millions of listeners on Spotify, YouTube and other platforms. Alternative media and "manosphere" influencers helped fuel Trump's election by bringing millions of politically disengaged Americans — especially young men — off the sidelines. For many young Americans, their political awakening is coinciding with the stunning normalization of online antisemitic hate.