The Scanner

Cynthia Deitle is the Matthew Shepard Foundation’s Director of Civil Rights Reform. She joined the foundation, which was founded by Judy and Dennis Shepard after the murder of their son, a gay college student, in 2017 following a two-decade career at the FBI. Cynthia held a variety of positions within the bureau, in a number of different regions, investigating hate crimes, working with victims, and strengthening relationships between law enforcement agencies and their communities.

Cynthia travels the country to conduct special trainings for police departments and sheriff’s offices about how to better respond to hate crimes and support victims. She was in Chattanooga as the second speaker in our ongoing Pivot Point policy forum series, and her conversation covered a lot of topics, including the sometimes tense relationships between local agencies and the federal governments in how they work together to combat hate in our communities.

Referenced in this episode:

“10th Anniversary of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act.” The Justice Department, October 17, 2019.

"Hate Crime & Discrimination in Chattanooga: A Preliminary Assessment of Data and a Proposed Law Enforcement Response." The Mayor's Council Against Hate, February 2020.

Devora talked about the links between the lessons of the Holocaust, the current debate in the United States about confederate statuary, and how these topics are being shared with our children -- and what happens when they’re not shared with our children.

Support the work of the Tennessee Holocaust Commission at their website, TNHoloCom.org.

Becky Monroe is a lawyer, a researcher, and an advocate for communities that have been victimized by hate crimes and discrimination. Currently, she is the Director of the Divided Community Project at the Ohio State University Moritz School of Law, where she offers free consulting to cities that are grappling with bias-motivated conflict and violence. She comes to this role after serving as Counsel and as Interim Director of the Department of Justice’s Community Relations Service, as a Senior Policy Advisor to the White House Domestic Policy Council, and – most recently – as the Director of the Stop Hate Project at the National Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

Becky was in Chattanooga to keynote the first of our PIVOT POINT forums, which are working to build stronger policy responses to hate in communities like ours, and we’re very grateful for the time she gave us. On the website for her current project it says: “By divided community, we mean a community with conflicts that could potentially polarize its residents, such that people stop listening, tensions simmer, and, in regrettable instances, some “final straw” incident triggers civil unrest and disorder. No nation, including our own, can escape such tests.”

Our conversation looks at some of the places where those tests are taking place in America right now -- and what we can all do to make sure we come through them stronger and safer.

Referenced in this episode:

"Hate Crime & Discrimination in Chattanooga: A Preliminary Assessment of Data and a Proposed Community Response." The Mayor's Council Against Hate, January 2020.

Christian’s work has made him one of the most prominent voices on this subject right now, and he’s bringing his message to larger and larger audiences all the time, most recently through a documentary series on MSNBC called "Breaking Hate." We were honored to have him join us as the guest speaker at a recent public meeting of the Council Against Hate. While he was in Chattanooga, he was also interviewed by Council Against Hate co-chair Alison Lebovitz for her show on WTCI, "The A List."  Special thanks to Alison and Emily Compton for their support and assistance, and to our friend Allison Padilla-Goodman at the ADL for connecting us to Christian and his organization, Free Radicals Project.

Referenced in this episode:

“My descent into America's neo-Nazi movement & how I got out.” TEDxMileHigh, December 20, 2017.

“Christian Picciolini shares his story of emerging from white supremacy and how Chattanooga can fight hate.” Chattanooga Times Free Press, November 12, 2019.

“The A List with Alison Lebovitz, Episode 1107 with Christian Picciolini.” WTCI-TV, January 16, 2020.

Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian is an expert on China, specifically Chinese politics and how China’s position in the world is changing. Right now, she is the China reporter for Axios and previously has written about the country for Foreign Policy Magazine, The Washington Post, and The Atlantic, among others.

Over the course of 2019, Bethany was the lead reporter on one of the year’s most significant pieces of investigative journalism, which focused on the appalling treatment of Uyghur Muslims  by the Chinese government. This project, which came to be known as the “China Cables,” exposed a widespread system of really disturbing persecution against this religious minority, which is occurring at the exact moment that the White House and a number of American companies are trying to figure out if and how they can responsibly and ethically engage with this rising super power.

Referenced in this episode:

“An American Reporter Was Denied A Visa To China. She Said It’s Because She Criticized The Communist Party.” Buzzfeed, June 19, 2019.

“Exposed: China’s Operating Manuals for Mass Internment and Arrest By Algorthim.” International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, November 24, 2019.

“‘Absolutely No Mercy’: Leaked Files Expose How China Organized Mass Detentions of Muslims.” New York Times, November 16, 2019.

“U.S. commission says China may be guilty of "crimes against humanity’.” Axios, January 8, 2020.

The Southern Poverty Law Center was founded in the early 1970s as a nonprofit legal center working to expose and combat the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist organizations in Alabama and across the Deep South. Since then, it has grown into one of the nation’s pre-eminent social justice organizations, working around the country on legal, educational, and advocacy strategies to combat racism and racial violence. The SPLC was most recently in the press for partnering with the New York Times and other media outlets on the release of a cache of controversial emails from Stephen Miller, who is now the White House’s top policy advisor on immigration issues.

For the last two decades Heidi Beirich has led the SPLC’s “Intelligence Report,” one of its most well-known and, at times, controversial undertakings, which seeks to track the evolution and movement of hate groups across the country. Charitable organizations, law enforcement agencies, and policy makers at all levels utilize the Intelligence Report to better understand hate in America. Heidi spoke to us about this aspect of their work, how she sees hate changing in America, and what role she feels the SPLC should be playing moving forward.

Referenced in this episode:

“Southern Poverty Law Center Loses Intel-Gathering Boss.” The Daily Beast, October 28, 2019.

“Accelerationism: the obscure idea inspiring white supremacist killers around the world.” Vox.com, November 18, 2019.

“A Racist Book’s Malign and Lingering Influence.” The New York Times, November 22, 2019.

The Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition -- or TIRRC -- was founded in 2003, but over the last several years have become one of the most important political and policy organizations in the south. The White House’s frequent and often jarring changes to federal policies about immigration and refugee resettlement have put TIRRC at the center of a lot of conversations about what the impact of these policies looks like at the local level. Right now, TIRRC is celebrating the groundbreaking of a new headquarters facility in the Antioch community of Nashville, but they are active in cities and towns across Tennessee and some neighboring states, and it’s clear that they intend to have an even stronger voice in defending the rights and needs of new Americans in the years ahead.

We spoke to the Judith Clerjeune, TIRRC’s policy director, about some of the many battles that TIRRC is engaged in right now, what she thinks the future holds for the south’s refugee population, and what each of us can do to help.

Referenced in this episode:

“Nashvillians of the Year: Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition.” Nashville Scene, December 5, 2019.

“Tennessee's refugee resettlement lawsuit dealt major setback, leaving U.S. Supreme Court as final option.” The Tennessean, October 16, 2019.

“'TIRRC is here to stay', new headquarters opening in Antioch.” The Tennessean, December 8, 2019.

This episode is a live recording of a panel discussion that the Council Against Hate produced as part of Chattanooga’s annual Startup Week. Every year in early October, Startup Week pulls hundreds of entrepreneurs and investors and creators together for dozens and dozens of events all over downtown Chattanooga. Startup Week is presented by The Company Lab, better known as CO.LAB. The Council Against Hate got involved for the first year with this panel, which is all about how to combat hate in the startup world, particularly from the standpoint of an entrepreneur or CEO.

The moderator for this panel is Susan Harris, who is the CEO of See Rock City, Inc. She was joined at the Palace Theatre by a great group of panelists:

Aaron Lincove, who is the Vice President of HR for KenCo Group
L'Erin Chidester, the General Manager of The Dwell Hotel
Ronald Harris, the Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion for BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee

This episode is a really practical and insightful how-to guide for people in the private sector can build safe, welcoming, fun places for their workers. The way our panelists engage with these issues is uncomfortable at times but always honest and always constructive.

If you want to get more involved with the Council Against Hate’s Business Action Team or any of our action teams, you can join at any time cha.city/againsthate,

Deborah Levine is Editor-in-Chief of the American Diversity Report, an award-winning author of 14 books, and was recently named a “Diversity and Inclusion Trailblazer” by Forbes Magazine.  She writes a regular column for the Chattanooga Times Free Press about issues of diversity and social justice, and she is the founder of the DuPage /Chicago Interfaith Resource Network and the Southeast Women’s Council on Diversity. We’re very proud that she’s also a founding steering committee member of the Mayor’s Council Against Hate.

Deborah’s latest book, which she wrote with Marc Brenman, is called “When Hate Groups March Down Main Street.” Every single page of this book is teeming with ideas and suggestions and strategies that people in cities and towns all over American can use to combat hate and violent extremism at the local level. The book is clearly inspired by the terrible events in Charlottesville that took place in 2017, but as Deborah and Marc make clear, there is plenty to be concerned about in cities of all sizes, everywhere in the country right now, but also plenty of reasons to be hopeful. Their book is a resource manual that’s meant to be put into action by people who want to reclaim a sense of safety and civility in our country right now and its release could not be more timely.

Referenced in this episode:

"When Hate Groups March Down Main Street: Engaging A Community Response." Rowman & Littlefield.
"When Hate Comes to Your Town," by David Grinberg. Democracy Guardian, November 7, 2019.
Council Against Hate + Mainx24: "When Hate Groups March Down Main Street" release party, December 7, 2019.

Bill Peduto is a native of Pittsburgh and became that city’s 60th mayor after serving several terms on its City Council. On October 27, 2018, his city was the site of the most lethal anti-Semetic attack in American history, when a gunman opened fire in the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh’s historic Squirrel Hill neighborhood — which is where Mayor Peduto himself lives.

Eleven individuals were killed and seven more, including the attacker, were injured. The attacker had a history of posting hateful comments about Jews and immigrants to social media, and continued to make anti-Semitic claims after he was apprehended by Pittsburgh Police. One year later, the attacker faces 63 separate criminal counts and prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for him. 

I was interested in speaking with Mayor Peduto, not about the national politics of this incident, but about the local response and his leadership during and since the attack. In the course of our conversation, we talked about reasons for hope, opportunities for progress, and how we can follow the example of one of another one of Pittsburgh’s most famous residents.

Referenced in this episode:

“Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto leads his city through its darkest days.” Washington Post, November 3, 2018.

“After synagogue shooting, fresh thoughts on giving thanks.” Associated Press, November 21, 2018.

“Recovery after the Tree of Life shooting.” 60 Minutes, October 20, 2019.

“Anti-Hate Crime Bills Introduced To Pennsylvania Legislature.” 90.5 WESA, October 31, 2019

The phenomenon of how social media, hate, and criminal violence all intersect and interact is still widely misunderstood, but Kevin and Joseph are making some important and provocative contributions to the discourse here. If you do a quick Google search on “YouTube fair right radicalization” and you’ll see an almost unlimited number of search results of news articles that reaffirm the theory that YouTube’s unique recommendation algorithm is responsible for radicalizing innocent people, especially young people, which has really troubling implications for YouTube’s entire business model.

What Kevin and Joseph’s research surfaced was maybe something even more troubling — that the far-right voices online may not be creating radicals, but they may be finding them, building a community for them, and activating them.

Referenced in this episode:

“Maybe It’s Not YouTube’s Algorithm That Radicalizes People.” Wired.com, October 23, 2019.

“Study: YouTube's Fringe Video Viewers Aren't Passive Zombies.” Reason.com, October 24, 2019.

"Donald Trump Jr walks out of Triggered book launch after heckling – from supporters." The Guardian, November 10, 2019.

We spoke with Geeta about “Why We Hate,” a six-part documentary that she co-directed with Sam Pollard, which aired recently on the Discovery Network. Co-produced by Steven Spielberg and Alex Gibney, “Why We Hate” is one of the most exhaustive projects that we’ve seen in popular media about some of the many factors that are driving the rise in extremism and hate around our world. It looks at this troubling phenomenon from a variety of angles and looks to some really interesting suggestions about what each of us can do about it.

Referenced in this episode:

"Why We Hate," Go.Discovery.com.

“Novel Mapping Model Tracks How Hate Spreads and Adapts Online.” GWToday, August 21, 2019.

“The physics professor who says online extremists act like curdled milk.” The Guardian, August 23, 2019.

“U.S. Senate hearing on Violence, Extremism and Digital Responsibility.” C-Span, September 18, 2019

Sarah is a third-generation Mexican-American who was born and raised in Texas and grew up navigating what it was like living as a light-skinned Latina in America. She’s a nationally trained community organizer, and she was inspired her to develop ARCC after relocating to Chattanooga to join Bridge City Community. Sarah and her husband, Jonathan, live with their kids in the East Lake neighborhood of Chattanooga. You can learn more about her work at DismantleRacism.com.

Referenced in this episode:
Ibram X. Kendi Says No One Is 'Not Racist.' So What Should We Do? NPR, August 15, 2019.

Tim Fitzsimons in a staff reporter covering LGBTQ issues for NBC Out and NBC News. He previously worked as a Washington reporter for Marketplace radio and as a producer and reporter at National Public Radio.

Referenced in this episode:
Tennessee teen dies by suicide after being outed online. NBCNews.com, September 30, 2019.
18 Transgender Killings This Year Raise Fears of an ‘Epidemic’. New York Times, September 27, 2019.
Only 0.1 percent of elected officials are LGBTQ, new report finds. NBCNews.com, June 22, 2018.

You can subscribe to Tim's newsletter and more of his coverage here and follow him on Twitter.

The Scanner is a production of the Mayor's Council Against Hate and the American Diversity Report.

Amy Spitalnick is the Executive Director of Integrity First for America, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that specializes in filing legal challenges against the leaders of white supremacist movements and other hate groups. Amy has over a decade of experience in this world, having worked for a number of federal, state, and local campaigns and advocacy efforts. She most recently served as Communications Director and Senior Policy Advisor to New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood and was previously an advisor in New York City Mayor’s Office and Communications Director in the New York State Senate.

IFA is perhaps best known right now for the involvement in Sines v Kessler, the lawsuit filed by a coalition of Charlottesville community members against the Nazis and white supremacists responsible for the violence that took place there in August 2017. Read more about all of their projects and ongoing litigation at their website and keep up with them on Twitter.

Writings referenced in this episode:
Anti-Semitic attackers aren't lone wolves. They're a group hiding in plain sight. CNN.com, April 29, 2019.
Why the El Paso shooter isn’t being charged with terrorism. Vox.com, August 8, 2019.
Charlottesville's white supremacists are being targeted by a law that took down the KKK. Think.NBCNews.com, August 12, 2019.

The Scanner is a production of the Mayor's Council Against Hate and the American Diversity Report.

Last year, he published The Fear of Islam: An Introduction to Islamophobia in the West, which examines the political and cultural factors contributing to the rise of Islamophobia after September 11, 2001.

My thanks to Jennah Hyppolite and the staff at WUTC for their production assistance, and to Dr. Jaclyn Michael at UTC for all of her help in making this happen.

If you would like to join the work of the Mayor’s Council Against Hate, please visit cha.city/againsthate.

Writings referenced in this episode:
Rethinking Our Response to Islamophobia, Religica, February 4, 2019
Taking an Inconvenient Stand against Islamophobia, Huffington Post, June 20, 2017
It’s Time to Abandon the Word ‘Terrorism’, Huffington Post, October 12, 2017

The Scanner is a production of the Mayor's Council Against Hate and the American Diversity Report.

Daryl addressed the U.S. Senate in September 2012, where he described extremist ideologies as a “poison” absorbed into one’s mind. In our conversation, we try to look at the root of this poison, why it continues to runs through the veins of so many Americans, and if any possible antidotes may exist.

Referenced in this podcast:
Mr. Johnson's September 2012 testimony to the United States Senate.
“Hateland: A Long, Hard Look at America's Extremist Heart" via Amazon.com

Ryan Broderick is a Senior Reporter at Buzzfeed who has written extensively about how technology keeps accelerating the spread of radicalism, as well as how tech companies and regulators have tried, mostly in vain, to mitigate these effects. You can read Ryan’s coverage at BuzzfeedNews.com and follow him on Twitter.

Essays referenced in this podcast:

• "The Problem Isn't 8chan. It's Americans," August 4, 2019. 
• "This Is How We Radicalized the World", October 29, 2018.

If you have a story to share about your experience with hate crime, or if you work in a newsroom that would like to be involved with Rachel’s project, please visit DocumentingHate.org. If you would like to join the work of the Mayor’s Council Against Hate, please visit cha.city/againsthate and let us know.

Thanks to Will Davis and the staff at WUTC for their assistance and support.

The Scanner is a production of the Mayor's Council Against Hate and the American Diversity Report. If you would like to join the work of the Mayor's Council Against Hate, please visit cha.city/againsthate and let us know.

Thanks to Will Davis the staff at WUTC-FM for their production assistance.