Citizen Suburban Times Weekly 4-3-2019

Citizen Week of April 3, 2019

| Vol. 2 | No. 34 | www.thechicagocitizen.com

SUBURBAN TIMES WEEKLY

SOUTH SUBURBAN REPRESENTATIVE SUPPORTS RAISING MINIMUM SALE AGE FOR TOBACCO PRODUCTS The Illinois House of Representatives recently passed a bill that will raise the minimum age to buy tobacco products from 18 to 21 in the State of Illinois. Debbie Meyers-Martin represents the 38th District of Illinois and was a chief co-sponsor for this piece of legislation because she believes that this will be beneficial for the health of her constituents and for the entire state.

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State Representative Debbie Meyers-Martin (pictured) served as a Chair Co-Sponsor on a piece of legislation that was recently passed and will raise the minimum age for purchasing tobacco products from 18 to 21. Photo Credit: Provided by Representative Debbie Meyers-Martin

NEWS

NEWS

Postpartum Support International Statement on FDA Approval of First Treatment Indicated for Postpartum Depression PAGE 5

New Independent Poll Shows Broad Support For Fair Tax Plan PAGE 5

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POLITISCOPE White nationalism, born in the USA, is now a global terror threat PAGE 4

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2 | CITIZEN | Suburban Times Weekly | Week of April 3, 2019

COMMUNITY

South Suburban Representative Supports Raising Minimum Sale Age For Tobacco Products

Darrell Garth President / Publisher

Continued from page 1

Janice Garth Sales Manager/ General Manager

BY KATHERINE NEWMAN

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The Illinois House of Representatives recently passed a bill that will raise the minimum age to buy tobacco products from 18 to 21 in the State of Illinois. Debbie Meyers-Martin represents the 38th District of Illinois and was a chief co-sponsor for this piece of legislation because she believes that this will be beneficial for the health of her constituents and for the entire state.

“This is such a valuable piece legislation for people not only in my district but throughout the entire state so I was very happy to sign on to supporting this once I was able to read the entirety of the legislation and understand the effect of it,” said Meyers-Martin.

Nationwide, tobacco use is the largest preventable cause of death and disease in the United States and cigarette smoking kills more than 480,000 Americans each year. Often times, tobacco product use is started and established during a person’s teenage years with nine out of 10 cigarette smokers stating that they had their first cigarette by the age of 18, according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control.

“I was provided with information from the

“AN INTERESTING FACT ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THIS LEGISLATION IS THAT IT WAS INTRODUCED LAST YEAR AND PASSED BUT THE GOVERNOR VETOED IT AND IT DID NOT GO INTO LAW.” DEBBIE MEYERS-MARTIN Represents the 38th District of Illinois Cancer Society and other agencies when I did my investigative work and found that most people start to smoke when they are teenagers and so if you can be an impetus to slowing that process down in terms of teenagers being able to smoke, then you really are being quite effective in a wellness kind of way. That was genuinely a motivation for this legislation and for me to sign on to it,” said Meyers-Martin.

As the Chief Co-Sponsor of this legislation, Meyers-Martin was able to take a leadership role when it came to sharing the importance of passing this bill and advocating for the health and wellness of her constituents and all Illinois B:10.75” residents. Representative Meyers-Martin gave T:10.75” the impression that it wasn’t too difficult to get S:10.75”

support for this bill because it had already been passed once before but was vetoed by the former Governor, Bruce Rauner.

“An interesting fact about the history of this legislation is that it was introduced last year and passed but the Governor vetoed it and it did not go into law. This year, many of the representatives that were opposed to it last year actually voted yes and commended the bill for its focus on health and in particular for young people. It was a very interesting dialogue that took place,” said Meyers-Martin.

This legislation will apply to all tobacco products including cigarettes, cigars, loose tobacco, and e-cigarettes.

Limiting access to e-cigarettes could potentially be a turning point for preventing young people from becoming addicted to nicotine because nearly 1 of every 20 middle schoolers and 1 of every 5 high school students reported in 2018 that they used electronic cigarettes in the past 30 days, according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control.

After passing in the House, the bill was then voted on by members of the Illinois State Senate where it also passed and pending approval by the Governor, it will take effect as state law on July 1.

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CITIZEN | Suburban Times Weekly | Week of April 3, 2019

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LegaL Notice

To merchants who have accepted Visa and Mastercard at any time from January 1, 2004 to January 25, 2019: Notice of a class action settlement of approximately $5.54-6.24 Billion.

Si desea leer este aviso en español, llámenos o visite nuestro sitio web, www.PaymentCardSettlement.com.

Notice of a class action settlement authorized by the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York.

This notice is authorized by the Court to inform you about an agreement to settle a class action lawsuit that may affect you. The lawsuit claims that Visa and Mastercard, separately, and together with certain banks, violated antitrust laws and caused merchants to pay excessive fees for accepting Visa and Mastercard credit and debit cards, including by: •

Agreeing to set, apply, and enforce rules about merchant fees (called default interchange fees);

•

Limiting what merchants could do to encourage their customers to use other forms of payment; and

•

Continuing that conduct after Visa and Mastercard changed their corporate structures.

The defendants say they have done nothing wrong. They say that their business practices are legal and the result of competition, and have benefitted merchants and consumers. The Court has not decided who is right because the parties agreed to a settlement. The Court has given preliminary approval to this settlement.

administrative costs of settlement or notice), not to exceed $40 million and (ii) up to $250,000 per each of the eight Rule 23(b)(3) Class Plaintiffs in service awards for their efforts on behalf of the Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class.

hoW

legal righTS

Every merchant in the Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class that does not exclude itself from the class by the deadline described below and files a valid claim will get money from the class settlement fund.

The value of each claim will be based on the actual or estimated interchange fees attributable to the merchant’s Mastercard and Visa payment card transactions from January 1, 2004 to January 25, 2019. Pro rata payments to merchants who file valid claims for a portion of the class settlement fund will be based on: •

The amount in the class settlement fund after the deductions described below,

•

The deduction to account for certain merchants who exclude themselves from the class,

•

Deductions for the cost of settlement administration and notice, applicable taxes on the settlement fund and any other related tax expenses, money awarded to the Rule 23(b)(3) Class Plaintiffs for their service on behalf of the Class, and attorneys’ fees and expenses, all as approved by the Court, and

•

PaymenT

and

oPTionS

•

File a claim to ask for payment. Once you receive a claim form, you can submit it via mail or email, or may file it online at www.PaymentCardSettlement.com.

•

Exclude yourself from the Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class. If you exclude yourself, you can individually sue the Defendants on your own at your own expense, if you want to.

If you exclude yourself, you will not get any money from this settlement. If you are a merchant and wish to exclude yourself, you must make a written request, place it in an envelope, and mail it with postage prepaid and postmarked no later than July 23, 2019, or send it by overnight delivery shown as sent by July 23, 2019, to Class Administrator, Payment Card Interchange Fee Settlement, P.O. Box 2530, Portland, OR 97208-2530. Your written request must be signed by a person authorized to do so and provide all of the following information: (1) the words “In re Payment Card Interchange Fee and Merchant Discount Antitrust Litigation,” (2) your full name, address, telephone number, and taxpayer identification number, (3) the merchant that wishes to be excluded from the Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class, and what position or authority you have to exclude the merchant, and (4) the business names, brand names, “doing business as” names, taxpayer identification number(s), and addresses of any stores or sales locations whose sales the merchant desires to be excluded. You also are requested to provide for each such business or brand name, if reasonably available: the legal name of any parent (if applicable), dates Visa or Mastercard card acceptance began (if after January 1, 2004) and ended (if prior to January 25, 2019), names of all banks that acquired the Visa or Mastercard card transactions, and acquiring merchant ID(s).

•

Object to the settlement. The deadline to object is July 23, 2019. To learn how to object, visit www.PaymentCardSettlement.com or call 1-800-625-6440.

Note: If you exclude yourself from the Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class you cannot object to the settlement.

For more information about these rights and options, visit: www.PaymentCardSettlement.com.

if

courT aPProveS final SeTTlemenT

The

The

Members of the Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class who do not exclude themselves by the deadline will be bound by the terms of this settlement, including the release of claims against the released parties provided in the settlement agreement, whether or not the members file a claim for payment.

The settlement will resolve and release claims by class members for monetary compensation or injunctive relief against Visa, Mastercard, or other defendants. The release bars the following claims: •

The total dollar value of all valid claims filed.

Attorneys’ fees and expenses and service awards for the Rule 23(b) (3) Class Plaintiffs: For work done through final approval of the settlement by the district court, Rule 23(b)(3) Class Counsel will ask the Court for attorneys’ fees in an amount that is a reasonable proportion of the class settlement fund, not to exceed 10% of the class settlement fund, to compensate all of the lawyers and their law firms that have worked on the class case. For additional work to administer the settlement, distribute the funds, and litigate any appeals, Rule 23(b)(3) Class Counsel may seek reimbursement at their normal hourly rates. Rule 23(b)(3) Class Counsel will also request (i) an award of their litigation expenses (not including the

for

Merchants who are included in this lawsuit have the legal rights and options explained below. You may:

The SeTTlemenT

WhaT merchanTS Will geT from The SeTTlemenT

aSk

To receive payment, merchants must fill out a claim form. If the Court finally approves the settlement, and you do not exclude yourself from the Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class, you will receive a claim form in the mail or by email. Or you may ask for one at: www.PaymentCardSettlement.com, or call: 1-800-625-6440.

Under the settlement, Visa, Mastercard, and the bank defendants have agreed to provide approximately $6.24 billion in class settlement funds. Those funds are subject to a deduction to account for certain merchants that exclude themselves from the Rule 23(b) (3) Settlement Class, but in no event will the deduction be greater than $700 million. The net class settlement fund will be used to pay valid claims of merchants that accepted Visa or Mastercard credit or debit cards at any time between January 1, 2004 and January 25, 2019.

This settlement creates the following Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class: All persons, businesses, and other entities that have accepted any Visa-Branded Cards and/or Mastercard-Branded Cards in the United States at any time from January 1, 2004 to January 25, 2019, except that the Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class shall not include (a) the Dismissed Plaintiffs, (b) the United States government, (c) the named Defendants in this Action or their directors, officers, or members of their families, or (d) financial institutions that have issued Visa-Branded Cards or Mastercard-Branded Cards or acquired Visa-Branded Card transactions or MastercardBranded Card transactions at any time from January 1, 2004 to January 25, 2019. The Dismissed Plaintiffs are plaintiffs that previously settled and dismissed their own lawsuit against a Defendant, and entities related to those plaintiffs.

If you are uncertain about whether you may be a Dismissed Plaintiff, you should call 1-800-625-6440 or visit www.PaymentCardSettlement.com for more information.

To

•

Claims based on conduct and rules that were alleged or raised in the litigation, or that could have been alleged or raised in the litigation relating to its subject matter. This includes any claims based on interchange fees, network fees, merchant discount fees, no-surcharge rules, no-discounting rules, honor-all-cards rules, and certain other conduct and rules.

These claims are released if they already have accrued or accrue in the future up to five years following the court’s approval of the settlement and the resolution of all appeals.

Claims based on rules in the future that are substantially similar to – i.e., do not change substantively the nature of – the above-mentioned rules as they existed as of preliminary approval of the settlement. These claims based on future substantially similar rules are released if they accrue up to five years following the court’s approval of the settlement and the resolution of all appeals.

The settlement’s resolution and release of these claims is intended to

be consistent with and no broader than federal law on the identical factual predicate doctrine.

The release does not extinguish the following claims: •

Claims based on conduct or rules that could not have been alleged or raised in the litigation.

•

Claims based on future rules that are not substantially similar to rules that were or could have been alleged or raised in the litigation.

•

Any claims that accrue more than five years after the court’s approval of the settlement and the resolution of any appeals.

The release also will have the effect of extinguishing all similar or overlapping claims in any other actions, including but not limited to the claims asserted in a California state court class action brought on behalf of California citizen merchants and captioned Nuts for Candy v. Visa, Inc., et al., No. 17-01482 (San Mateo County Superior Court). Pursuant to an agreement between the parties in Nuts for Candy, subject to and upon final approval of the settlement of the Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class, the plaintiff in Nuts for Candy will request that the California state court dismiss the Nuts for Candy action. Plaintiff’s counsel in Nuts for Candy may seek an award in Nuts for Candy of attorneys’ fees not to exceed $6,226,640.00 and expenses not to exceed $493,697.56. Any fees or expenses awarded in Nuts for Candy will be separately funded and will not reduce the settlement funds available to members of the Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class.

The release does not bar the injunctive relief claims or the declaratory relief claims that are a predicate for the injunctive relief claims asserted in the pending proposed Rule 23(b)(2) class action captioned Barry’s Cut Rate Stores, Inc., et. al. v. Visa, Inc., et al., MDL No. 1720, Docket No. 05-md-01720-MKB-JO (“Barry’s”).

Injunctive relief claims are claims to prohibit or require certain conduct. They do not include claims for payment of money, such as damages, restitution, or disgorgement. As to all such claims for declaratory or injunctive relief in Barry’s, merchants will retain all rights pursuant to Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure which they have as a named representative plaintiff or absent class member in Barry’s, except that merchants remaining in the Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class will release their right to initiate a new and separate action for the period up to five (5) years following the court’s approval of the settlement and the exhaustion of appeals.

The release also does not bar certain claims asserted in the class action captioned B&R Supermarket, Inc., et al. v. Visa, Inc., et al., No. 17-CV-02738 (E.D.N.Y.), or claims based on certain standard commercial disputes arising in the ordinary course of business.

For more information on the release, see the full mailed Notice to Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class Members and the settlement agreement at: www.PaymentCardSettlement.com.

The courT hearing abouT ThiS SeTTlemenT On November 7, 2019, there will be a Court hearing to decide whether to approve the proposed settlement. The hearing also will address the Rule 23(b)(3) Class Counsel’s requests for attorneys’ fees and expenses, and awards for the Rule 23(b)(3) Class Plaintiffs for their representation of merchants in MDL 1720, which culminated in the settlement agreement. The hearing will take place at: United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York 225 Cadman Plaza Brooklyn, NY 11201 You do not have to go to the Court hearing or hire an attorney.

But you can if you want to, at your own cost. The Court has appointed the law firms of Robins Kaplan LLP, Berger Montague PC, and Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP as Rule 23(b)(3) Class Counsel to represent the Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class.

QueSTionS? For more information about this case (In re Payment Card Interchange Fee and Merchant Discount Antitrust Litigation, MDL 1720), you may: Call toll-free: 1-800-625-6440 Visit: www.PaymentCardSettlement.com Write to the Class Administrator: Payment Card Interchange Fee Settlement P.O. Box 2530 Portland, OR 97208-2530 Email: info@PaymentCardSettlement.com Please check www.PaymentCardSettlement.com for any updates relating to the settlement or the settlement approval process.

www.PaymentCardSettlement.com • 1-800-625-6440 • info@PaymentCardSettlement.com

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4 | CITIZEN | Suburban Times Weekly | Week of April 3, 2019

POLITISCOPE

White nationalism, born in the USA, is now a global terror threat

BY ART JIPSON AND PAUL J. BECKER

The recent massacre of 50 Muslim worshippers at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand is the latest confirmation that white supremacy is a danger to democratic societies across the globe.

Despite President Donald Trump’s suggestion that white nationalist terrorism is not a major problem, recent data from the United Nations, University of Chicago and other sources show the opposite.

As more people embrace a xenophobic and anti-immigrant worldview, it is fueling hostility and violence toward those deemed “outsiders” – whether because of their religion, skin color or national origin.

Transnational violence Most of the Western world –

Art Jipson

Paul J. Becker

from Switzerland and Germany to the United States, Scandinavia and New Zealand – has witnessed a potent nationalist strain infecting society in recent years.

Driven by fear over the loss of white primacy, white nationalists believe that white identity should be the organizing principle of Western

society.

“Every people in the world can have their own country except white people,” the American Freedom Party’s William Daniel Johnson told the Chicago Sun Times after the New Zealand attack. “We should have white ethno-states.”

In researching our upcoming

book on extremism – our joint area of academic expertise – we found that hate crimes have risen alongside the global spread of white nationalism. Racist attacks on refugees, immigrants, Muslims and Jews are increasing worldwide at an alarming rate.

Scholars studying the internationalization of hate crimes call this dangerous phenomenon “violent transnationalism.”

In Europe, white violence appears to have been triggered by the sudden increase, in 2015, of refugees fleeing war in Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East.

Ultra-nationalists across the continent – including politicians at the highest rungs of power – used the influx as evidence of the imminent “cultural genocide” of white people.

White nationalism is a US export This disturbing international trend, in its modern incarnation,

was born in the United States.

Since the 1970s, a small, vocal cadre of American white supremacists have sought to export their ideology of hate. Avowed racists like Ku Klux Klan wizard David Duke, Aryan Nations founder Richard Butler and extremist author William Pierce believe the white race is under attack worldwide by a cultural invasion of immigrants and people of color.

The United States is diversifying, but it remains 77 percent white.

White supremacists, however, have long contended that the country’s demographic changes will lead to an extermination of the white race and culture.

The “alt-right” – an umbrella term describing modern online white supremacist movement – uses the same language. And it has expanded this 20th-century xenophobic worldview to portray Continued on page 5

Cunningham’s election security measure clears committee SPRINGFIELD – A measure sponsored by State Senator Bill Cunningham to improve the security of Illinois’ elections was approved recently by the Senate Executive Committee.

“We want to encourage voters to be fully engaged and participate in the democratic process,” said Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the southwest suburbs. “To do that, we need to make sure they are confident in the ability of the state to protect their private data.”

Senate Bill 18 would require Illinois to use the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) as its exclusive interstate voter registration program.

The legislation codifies the State Board of Elections’ decision earlier this year to withdraw from the controversial Crosscheck program, which has been widely criticized by information technology experts for its lax security and tendency to unfairly cancel the registration of some voters.

ERIC uses tougher security www.thechicagocitizen.com

“WE WANT TO ENCOURAGE VOTERS TO BE FULLY ENGAGED AND PARTICIPATE IN THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS.” STATE SENATOR BILL CUNNINGHAM protocols and more information to guarantee that personal information is correct and safer from hacking.

“It became evident that the state of Illinois could no longer participate in the Crosscheck program without significant exposure to hacking and data breaches,” Cunningham said. “This legislation represents our commitment to protecting voters’ private information.”

Cunningham credited voter rights activists with local chapters of Indivisible with bringing attention to problems with the Crosscheck system, particularly its disproportionate effect on minority voters, who studies show were most likely to be wrongly removed from voter rolls.

The bill will now go before the entire Senate.

CITIZEN | Suburban Times Weekly | Week of April 3, 2019

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NEWS U.S. Rep. Kelly Announces $14.3 million in Federal Health Funding for the Second District Congresswoman Robin Kelly recently announced that Aunt Martha’s Health and Wellness Center, based in Olympia Fields, was awarded two federal grants totaling $12.1 million and Harvey-based Family Christian Health Center was awarded $2.2 million in federal funding.

“Tens of thousands of people in the Chicagoland area rely on Aunt Martha’s and Family Christian Health Center for quality medical care and supportive services. They are proven models of community-centric health care that work and deliver high-qual-

ity services to the Southland’s underserved communities. I’m proud to have brought these federal investments to our community that will bring us up one step closer to ending health disparities within our communities,” Congresswoman Kelly said.

Aunt Martha’s will use the grant money to help fund its diverse range of youth and family services, including primary care, dental care, mental health, pediatric services, women’s health, foster care, and substance abuse and addiction treatment.

“The integrated health care and supportive

services Aunt Martha’s provides to more than 60,000 children and adults each year would not be possible without Congresswoman Kelly’s support or the funding we receive from the Health Resources and Services Administration,” said Raul Garza, the organization’s President and CEO. Family Christian Health Center will use the grant to help fund its broad range of medical services, including family practice, dental, behavioral health, pediatric services, women’s health and on-site pharmacy services.

“We are very grateful for the grant award and for the shared hard work that we’ve all done to support our community. This allows us to continue to provide quality health care to our patients and their families at our three locations in Harvey, Dolton and Lynwood and 59 zip codes in our service area. Our medical, dental and behavioral health providers along with our entire staff, are committed to serving the total person, the patient’s mind, body, soul and spirit,” said Dr. Lisa Green, DO, MPH Co-Founder and CEO of Family Christian Health Center.

New Independent Poll Shows Broad Support For Fair Tax Plan

Postpartum Support International (PSI) supports FDA’s decision to approve new treatment which can benefit women suffering from postpartum depression.

CHICAGO - A new poll released recently from the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute shows broad support for Governor Pritzker’s fair tax plan, with 67% of Illinoisans in favor. The plan received strong support from all across Illinois, including 74% in Chicago, 68% in suburban Cook and Collar Counties, and 60% downstate.

These results are similar to Think Big Illinois’ poll released recently, which showed strong support for a fair tax and that individual elements of the plan all garnered more than 70% support, including that it would help the state fund schools, that 97% of taxpayers would have their taxes remain the same or reduced,

Postpartum Support International Statement on FDA Approval of First Treatment Indicated for Postpartum Depression

Grant & Eisenhofer Launches Civil Rights Practice, Headed by Former Chief of Civil Rights Bureau for Illinois Attorney General Karyn Bass Ehler

On March 19, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Brexanolone, the first treatment indicated specifically for postpartum depression.

“As the leading organization serving on the front lines advocating for women and families, Postpartum Support International

Leading plaintiffs’ law firm Grant & Eisenhofer announced the formation of a new Civil Rights practice, led by Karyn Bass Ehler, who joins as senior counsel in the firm’s Chicago office.

Bass Ehler brings a distinguished track record in civil rights matters in both private practice

(PSI) supports FDA’s decision to approve this new treatment which can benefit women suffering from postpartum depression,” said Ann Smith, CNM, President of PSI. The new treatment will require an infusion administered in a hospital setting and is expected to be available in summer of 2019.

and that it would provide $3.4 billion to fix the state budget crisis.

“Opponents of a fair tax have already hit the panic button, launching false attacks and desperate political stunts, and today’s poll from Paul Simon Public Policy Institute makes clear why,” said Quentin Fulks, executive director for Think Big Illinois. “Illinoisans across the state want a tax system that forces the wealthy to finally pay their fair share, lifts the burden off middle and working-class families, and brings much-needed revenue into our state. Think Big Illinois remains committed to fighting for a fair tax system that works for everyone.”

and the public sector. She most recently served as Chief of the Civil Rights Bureau for the Illinois Attorney General.

Among numerous high-profile cases she oversaw during her four-year tenure, Ms. Bass Ehler was one of the lead counsel in State of Illinois v. City of Chica-

go, which resulted in a historic consent decree in 2019 to reform alleged misconduct within the Chicago Police Department (CPD).

At Grant & Eisenhofer, Ms. Bass Ehler will help direct a new docket of cases addressing civil rights violations.

White nationalism, born in the USA, is now a global terror threat Continued from page 4 refugees, Muslims and progressives as a threat, too.

Alt-right leaders like Richard Spencer, extremist Jared Taylor and the Neo-Nazi Daily Stormer editor Andrew Anglin also use social media to share their ideology and recruit members across borders.

They have found a global audience of white supremacists who, in turn, have also used the internet to share their ideas, encourage violence and broadcast their hate crimes worldwide.

“The hatred that led to violence in Pittsburgh and Charlottesville is finding new adherents around the world,” Jonathan Greenblatt of the Anti-Defamation League, a civil liberties watchdog, told USA Today

after the New Zealand attack.

“Indeed, it appears that this attack was not just focused on New Zealand; it was intended to have a global impact.”

Rising racist violence We know the alleged New Zealand mosque shooter’s hatred of Muslims was inspired by American white nationalism – he said so on Twitter.

His online “manifesto” includes references to cultural conflicts that the author believed would eventually lead the United States to separate along ethnic, political and racial lines.

The alleged attacker also wrote that he supports President Donald Trump “as a symbol of renewed white identity.”

Trump and other right-wing

politicians like French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen and Dutch opposition leader Geert Wilders have blamed the very real problems of modern life – growing economic instability, rising inequality and industrial decay – on immigrants and people of color.

That narrative has added further hostility into the existing undercurrent of intolerance in increasingly multicultural societies like the United States.

Hate crimes against Muslims, immigrants and people of color have been on the rise in the U.S. since 2014.

In 2015, the Southern Poverty Law Center documented 892 hate crimes. The next year, it counted 917 hate crimes. In 2017 – the year Trump took office stoking nationalist sentiment with promises to build www.thechicagocitizen.com

walls, deport Mexicans and ban Muslims – the U.S. saw 954 white supremacist attacks.

One of them was a violent clash between counterprotesters and white nationalists over the removal of a confederate statue in Charlottesville, Virginia. The 2017 “Unite the Right” rally, which killed one person and injured dozens, amplified the ideas of modern white nationalists nationally and worldwide.

Last year, white nationalists killed at least 50 people in the United States. Their victims included 11 worshippers at a Pittsburgh synagogue, two elderly black shoppers in a Kroger parking lot in Kentucky and two women practicing yoga in Florida.

The years 2015, 2016 and 2018 were the United States’ deadliest

years for extremist violence since 1970, according to the Anti-Defamation League.

All perpetrators of deadly extremist violence in the U.S. in 2018 had links to white nationalist groups. That made 2018 “a particularly active year for right-wing extremist murders,” the Anti-Defamation League says.

Nationalist terror is a danger to the domestic security of the United States and, evidence shows, a global terror threat that endangers the very nature of global democratic society.

Art Jipson is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Dayton.

Paul J. Becker is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Dayton.

6 | CITIZEN | Suburban Times Weekly | Week of April 3, 2019

CITIZEN | Suburban Times Weekly | Week of April 3, 2019

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8 | CITIZEN | Suburban Times Weekly | Week of April 3, 2019

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