[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 174 (Friday, October 27, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1447]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              CIVIL RIGHTS

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. MARCIA L. FUDGE

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, October 23, 2017

  Ms. FUDGE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend Rep. Veasey for 
hosting tonight's special order.
  Let me begin by offering my condolences to the families of Sgt. La 
David Johnson and his fellow soldiers who lost their lives in Niger.
  Those who give their lives in the service of this great nation and 
their families deserve our honor, respect and thanks. The White House's 
treatment of Sgt. Johnson's Gold Star widow is an embarrassment to our 
nation.
  Furthermore, the White House's attacks on Congresswoman Frederica 
Wilson's character are baseless and shameful. I know Congresswoman 
Wilson as a woman of integrity who has proven her deep commitment to 
her constituents and community over the years.
  Mr. Speaker, I stand today with my colleagues in the Congressional 
Black Caucus to share a concern about the leaked FBI's assessment 
creating a new class of threats and unjustly labeling ordinary 
Americans exercising their constitutional rights as extremists.
  In the report, the FBI coins a new term--black identity extremists--
which can easily give the perception that African Americans speaking 
out against police brutality or anyone who identifies as black for that 
matter is a threat to law enforcement.
  I can't help but wonder, what led the FBI to reach such a conclusion. 
Was it the Facebook ads purchased by Russian operatives targeting the 
Black Lives Matter movement?
  This type of mischaracterization is dangerous and further erodes the 
trust between law enforcement officials and communities of color.
  We have seen this before. The FBI has a long and troubling history of 
targeting African Americans in this country.
  In the 1960s, the FBI's Counter Intelligence Program (COINTELPRO) was 
used to surveil and discredit civil rights activists fighting 
institutional racism, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and black 
members of Congress.
  These activists were fighting for equality, access to the ballot box, 
educational opportunities, and decent housing. They no longer wanted to 
be treated as second-class citizens. Put simply, they were seeking an 
even playing field and equal treatment under the law as should be 
provided to every American.
  Here we are sixty years later, and we continue to fight for the same 
rights.
  We have seen it play out in the unrest that unfolded in communities 
like Ferguson, Baltimore, and Cleveland where those who are being paid 
to protect and serve are not held accountable for killing unarmed 
African American citizens.
  This report makes clear that we have harkened back to the dark days 
of J. Edgar Hoover. COINTELPRO 2.0 undermines the progress we have made 
and continues the current Administration's disturbing trend of 
demonizing communities of color.
  At some point, Members on both sides of the aisle must stand up and 
speak out against these efforts to mischaracterize actions of Americans 
fighting for a fairer and more just America.
  We all have rights under the Constitution, and no American seeking 
equal treatment under the law should be unfairly labeled when 
exercising those rights.

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