Trump DOJ’s Targeting of Southern Poverty Law Center Represents Dangerous Weaponization of Government Against Civil Rights Organizations

The Southern Poverty Law Center has spent decades protecting Americans from fascism and white supremacy and ensuring we can all live our lives free from discrimination and hate. It’s thus not surprising that they are now the target of the Trump administration and its politicized Department of Justice, which stands for everything the SPLC fights against. But it should deeply concern every American when any administration–be it Democrat or Republican–can weaponize an agency against a civil rights non-profit simply because they disagree with their aims. They are trying to intimidate SPLC and all civil rights organizations from speaking out and doing our work. If they can come for one of us, they can come for all of us. We stand with SPLC and all of our colleagues advancing civil rights in these trying times. Our work is more important now than ever.