| |||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
| 1 | SENATE RESOLUTION
| ||||||
| 2 | WHEREAS, The tragic events that took place on August 12, | ||||||
| 3 | 2017, in Charlottesville, Virginia prove that white | ||||||
| 4 | nationalism and neo-Nazism remain very real threats to social | ||||||
| 5 | and racial progress; and
| ||||||
| 6 | WHEREAS, Throughout the course of our nation's history, | ||||||
| 7 | white nationalism has promoted intimidation and violent | ||||||
| 8 | repression of individuals solely on the basis of their race, | ||||||
| 9 | ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, and immigration | ||||||
| 10 | status; and
| ||||||
| 11 | WHEREAS, Today, white nationalism has attempted to | ||||||
| 12 | reinvent itself, self-identifying as the "Alt-Right", yet | ||||||
| 13 | their present-day rhetoric and terrorism conjure painful | ||||||
| 14 | memories of our nation's past; and
| ||||||
| 15 | WHEREAS, While free speech is a bedrock value for | ||||||
| 16 | Americans, white nationalist and neo-Nazi groups promote | ||||||
| 17 | agendas that are in irreconcilable conflict with our nation's | ||||||
| 18 | foundational principles of liberty and justice for all; and
| ||||||
| 19 | WHEREAS, White nationalism and neo-Nazism are continuing | ||||||
| 20 | to grow as menaces to societal order that seek to reignite | ||||||
| 21 | social animosities, reverse improvements in race relations, | ||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
| 1 | divide the nation, and foment hatred, classism, and ethnic | ||||||
| 2 | eradication; and
| ||||||
| 3 | WHEREAS, The white nationalist and neo-Nazi message of | ||||||
| 4 | racial and social intolerance has led to senseless acts of | ||||||
| 5 | violence that continue to terrorize members of ethnic and | ||||||
| 6 | religious minority communities; therefore, be it
| ||||||
| 7 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL | ||||||
| 8 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we strongly denounce | ||||||
| 9 | and oppose the totalitarian impulses, violent terrorism, | ||||||
| 10 | xenophobic biases, and bigoted ideologies that are promoted by | ||||||
| 11 | white nationalists and neo-Nazis; and be it further
| ||||||
| 12 | RESOLVED, That we urge law enforcement to recognize these | ||||||
| 13 | white nationalist and neo-Nazi groups as terrorist | ||||||
| 14 | organizations, and to pursue the criminal elements of these | ||||||
| 15 | domestic terrorist organizations in the same manner and with | ||||||
| 16 | the same fervor used to protect the United States from other | ||||||
| 17 | manifestations of terrorism; and be it further
| ||||||
| 18 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
| 19 | delivered to the President of the United States, all members of | ||||||
| 20 | the United States Senate, all members of the United States | ||||||
| 21 | House of Representatives, the Governor of the State of | ||||||
| 22 | Illinois, and all members of the Illinois General Assembly.
| ||||||