In the wake of increased violent attacks across the country against elected officials, Legal Defense Fund President and Director-Counsel Janai Nelson issued the following statement:
“In this moment, we are all witnesses to a profoundly alarming escalation of violence and hatred. From horrific assassinations of elected officials to attacks like the one against Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar that occurred just last night at a town hall, this spate of political violence is unconscionable — and it must stop.
“The Trump administration and Congress must immediately denounce this brutality and make clear that assaults against sitting members of Congress and any elected officials fly in the face of the founding promise of a free and democratic America. We cannot profess to be a nation grounded in the rule of law if our elected officials live in fear of physical attacks intended to threaten, intimidate, or silence them.
“There is never a place for violence in our political system — and we must not let these attempts to undermine our democratic foundation win. Nor can we abide inciteful rhetoric that dehumanizes and invites political violence and hate crimes. It is the duty of this country’s leadership to vehemently condemn this violence and foster an environment where elected officials feel safe to carry out their critical duties.”
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Founded in 1940, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is the nation’s first civil rights legal organization. LDF has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957, though it was founded under the leadership of Thurgood Marshall while he was at the NAACP. LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute (TMI) is a division of LDF that undertakes innovative research and houses LDF’s archive. In all media attributions, please refer to us as the Legal Defense Fund or LDF (do not include NAACP) and refer to the Institute as LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute or TMI.
