April 16, 2021
THE WEEK’S BIG 3
The former police officer who was recorded on camera fatally shooting Daunte Wright during a traffic stop was arrested and charged with second-degree manslaughter on Wednesday. ADL called on Fox News to remove primetime opinion host Tucker Carlson after he openly embraced a white supremacist conspiracy theory in front of millions of viewers. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed a watered-down hate crimes bill into law this week, one that ADL and other advocates had criticized for overhauling another proposed bill that included more specific language cracking down on crimes targeting victims due to their race, religion and sexual orientation.
Read on for more on these headlines, news you can use to fight hate and the latest info about ADL from around the country.
1) Former Police Officer Charged with Second-Degree Manslaughter in Daunte Wright Killing
“Kim Potter, a 26-year veteran of the Brooklyn Center Police Department, was arrested at about 11:30 a.m. at the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension in St. Paul, officials said. She posted bond and was released later the same day. She was charged with second-degree manslaughter, the bureau said. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years behind bars.” NBC News: FULL STORY
+ ADL Statement on Charges Filed Against Police Officer in Killing of Daunte Wright
2) ADL: Fox Should Fire Carlson for White Supremacist Rhetoric
“There is zero indication that Fox will take such a step -- or even reprimand Carlson. But the ADL's call, delivered in a letter to Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott, underscores the extreme and unsettling nature of Carlson's anti-immigration commentary.” CNN: READ MORE
+ WATCH: ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt on CNN’s Reliable Sources
+ READ: ADL Response to Lachlan Murdoch, Chairman and CEO of Fox News, on Tucker Carlson
3) Arkansas Governor Signs Scaled-Back Hate Crimes Bill
“Under the measure, offenders that commit violent felonies against individuals due to their ‘mental, physical, biological, cultural, political, or religious beliefs or characteristics’ would have to serve at least 80 percent of their sentence behind bars. However, another hate crimes bill previously pushed by Hutchinson would have also covered crimes committed targeting individuals for their race, sexual orientation and gender identity.” The Hill: LEARN MORE
+ WATCH: ADL South Central Regional Director Aaron Ahlquist on the “sham” legislation – ABC Arkansas
KEY ADL SOCIAL STATEMENTS
- We are thrilled that our former @ADL colleague, @ErikaMoritsugu has been chosen as this Administration’s Asian American and Pacific Islander liaison…
- Excising extremism from the U.S. military requires action from our leaders. Glad to see critical steps are being taken to address #extremism in the military via policies @ADL has advocated for…
- .@POTUS committed to expanding U.S. refugee admissions but still hasn’t increased the FY21 admissions cap from the all-time low set by the prior admin. The cap must be raised immediately as a step towards #RestoringWelcome for refugees & asylum seekers…
IN THE COMMUNITY
- Anti-Semitic football play-calling in Massachusetts town hints at long history of ‘systemic bias' (JNS.org)
- OC Jewish Community Calls For An End On Comparing Coronavirus Vaccine to Holocaust (Voice of OC)
- In move to quash online harassment, Nevada anti-doxxing bill advances (Las Vegas Sun)
ADL IN THE NEWS
- France Supreme Court Upholds That Suspected Jewish Woman’s Killer Unfit to Stand Trial (Jewish Journal)
- This Independence Day, let’s hear it for normalcy (The Times of Israel – Kenneth Jacobson op-ed)
- The Lawfare Podcast: The Continuing Threat of White Extremism (The Lawfare Podcast – Ryan Greer interviewed)