More than 200 mayors of US cities have signed on to a new initiative, organized in part by the Anti-Defamation League, aimed at "ending domestic extremism and violent bigotry” in the wake of last week’s violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
"Dark forces of extremism and violent bigotry are rearing their ugly heads. We are now seeing efforts in our states and at the highest levels of our government to weaken existing civil rights policies and reduce their enforcement,” the ADL and the United States Conference of Mayors wrote in a joint statement announcing the initiative, dubbed the Mayors’ Compact.
"We have seen an increase in hate violence, xenophobic rhetoric, and discriminatory actions that target Muslims, Jews, and other minorities. We will not permit them to succeed,” the two organizations added.
"Mayors and their cities must continue to be a beacon for inclusion, tolerance, and respect for all. We will continue to create stronger cultures of kindness and compassion in our communities, and expect our federal and state partners to join us in this endeavor."
Participating mayors will be expected to promote a number of policies, including, but not limited to, rejecting bigotry and denouncing hare, protecting "public safety while safeguarding free speech and other basic constitutional rights,” pushing for investigations into domestic terrorism and hate crimes and promoting anti-hate education in local schools.
Among the signatories are the mayors of New York, Denver, Miami Beach, Chicago, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Baltimore, Boston, St. Louis, Houston and Philadelphia.
The Compact is similar to a plan that the ADL called upon the White House to adopt in the immediate aftermath of the Charlottesville violence.
"The events in Charlottesville once again showed us we have much work to do to bring Americans together,” the Jewish Telegraphic Agency quoted ADL National Director Jonathan Greenblatt as saying. “We know that hate is on the rise. ADL can’t wait any longer for the president to act. ADL is ready to work with communities across the country to combat hate.”
