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CSUSB professor: Ethiopian prime minister ‘chose hope over fear’
ZeHabesha
Aug. 26, 2019
Alemayehu G. Mariam, professor emeritus of political science at Cal State San Bernardino, wrote in his weekly column: “Last week, Sudan was pulled from the brink of disaster when the ‘military council and the main opposition coalition signed a power-sharing deal paving the way for transition to civilian rule.’
“The agreement was brokered, not by the U.N. or the usual Western powers who have long played the role of ‘Masters of Africa’s Destiny’ (MAD).
“It was brokered by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia and his diligent diplomatic corps in the Sudan with the African Union cheering on.
“PM Abiy was singled out for special commendation at the signing ceremony and got standing ovations when he addressed the diverse, fractious and often cantankerous Sudanese stakeholders.”
Read the complete article at “Hope springs eternal in Africa with leaders like Abiy Ahmed!”
CSUSB professor discusses how Orange County grapples with neo-Nazi activity
KCRW
Aug. 22, 2019
Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, was a guest on “Press Play with Madeline Brand” to discuss the incident involving teens in Garden Grove who gave Nazi salutes and sang a Nazi song, and how the community is grappling with such activity.
Listen to the segment online at “Orange County grapples with neo-Nazi activity.”
Correlation of hate crimes and political rhetoric ‘can’t be ignored,’ CSUSB professor says
Big Think
Aug. 22, 2019
Following the recent mass shootings in Gilroy, Calif., El Paso, Texas, and Dayton Ohio, Mike Colagrossi wrote that “the conversation has begun to evolve into a new direction. No longer will the public or the punditry accept the blanket blame on video games or mental illness as being the source for a mass shooter's impetus to kill.”
For example, he wrote that Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino has found preliminary evidence that political discourse is tied to hate crimes.
During August 2017, the clash between the hodgepodge of 'Unite the Right' white nationalist protesters and counter protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia — when Trump was critiqued for saying there were 'very fine people on both sides,' the researchers found that hate crimes had risen to 663 incidents.
Additionally, the center’s research found incidents rose during Trump's victory over Hillary Clinton and during the 2015 terrorist shooting by a Muslim couple in San Bernardino California, where they saw a spike of reported hate crimes against Muslims and Arabs nationwide.
The center's director, Brian Levin has stated, 'We see a correlation around the time of statements of political leaders and fluctuations in hate crimes. Could there be other intervening causes? Yes. But it's certainly a significant correlation that can't be ignored.'
Read the complete article at “Bigotry and hate are more linked to mass shootings than mental illness, experts say.”
U.S. public more attuned to report potential domestic terrorist attacks, CSUSB professor says
Reuters via The Japan Times
Aug. 26, 2019
Ever since a young racist slaughtered 22 at a Texas Walmart Inc. store, and another man murdered 10 in Ohio three weekends ago, the FBI has arrested at least seven right-wing extremists in what appears to be a more earnest effort to target white nationalist threats in the United States.
The arrests brought to light the extent of the threat of extremist ideology on the right, and its ability to motivate uniformly young, white men into acting on their hate.
They also, analysts said, mark a change after U.S. justice authorities have been accused for years of doing little about domestic terrorism, which has now killed more Americans since 2002 than Islamist extremism.
“I think that federal law enforcement understand that this is at the highest level of concern,” said Brian Levin, head of Center for the Study for Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino. “They are certainly devoting a decent amount of investigative resources.”
Levin said the arrests also show that, after the shock of recent mass shootings, the U.S. public is more attuned to the ideological threat and ready to report any hints by perpetrators of their radical ideologies.
“I think that has created a familiarity among the public with what certain warning signs are,” he said.
Read the complete article at “Shrugging off Trump, FBI now going after right-wing extremists, collaring at least seven.”
Nation’s capital has highest hate crime rate per capita of U.S. large cites, CSUSB center study shows
The Washington Post
Aug. 26, 2019
A Nov. 28 incident was one of a record 204 suspected hate crimes in the capital last year. The true number is probably higher because, experts say, many hate crimes are not reported to police. Even so, the District of Columbia has the highest rate per capita of any major city in the United States, according to Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino.
For example, “The 61 anti-gay and 33 antitransgender incidents investigated by D.C. police last year easily eclipse those in the 18 other big cities Levin has studied, including New York, with 8.5 million people, and Los Angeles, with 4 million,” the newspaper reported.
Read the complete article at “In 2018, they all became the victims of a record year of hatred in D.C.”
On mass shootings, ‘public realizes they are the first best step to prevent a massacre,’ CSUSB professor says
Sky News (United Kingdom) via Yahoo! News
Aug. 23, 2019
An article about recent arrests that authorities say prevents mass shootings, the British news site reported that “Experts say public awareness has been increased by recent incidents and prompted people to be more willing to report the warning signs.”
“Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University in San Bernardino, told Sky News: ‘I think because we've had a string of shootings, and thwarted plots in the United States are stacking up, the public realizes they are the first best step to prevent a massacre.
'‘We're seeing people who are now attuned to things and they're now less likely to dismiss these signals and send them up the chain to police and mental health officials.’'
Read the complete article at “Americans more aware of their role in stopping mass shootings.”
CSUSB professor says those closest to potential mass shooters – family, friends, co-workers – are most able to thwart such attacks
The Daily Kos
Aug. 22, 2019
David Neiwert wrote: “The toxic plague of red-pilled young men inspired by insane conspiracy theories to commit horrifying acts of mass murder and random violence is now reaching a fever stage: In the past month alone, there have been 11 separate incidents involving such plots, including three acts of mass violence and eight would-be mass killings caught in the planning stages. …
“‘This is the new normal,’ Brian Levin of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at Cal State San Bernardino told The Guardian. ‘The people most able to thwart these attacks are often not law enforcement, but those closest to them—friends, family, coworkers and fellow students … We’re not dealing with foreign-based terrorists, but the mass killer down the block.’”
Read the complete article at “The rising tide of would-be 'red-pilled'mass killers are popping up in an endless sequence now.”
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