IDAHO, USA — This is the final story in a series on extremist hate groups in Idaho. They are a threat to all of us, but what do we do about them? Experts state, while it's important to work as a community, our efforts should often begin with our families and friends.
"It always starts with us individually," Christina Bruce-Bennion, the Executive Director of the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights said. The fight against hate groups starts in our own backyards, "How are we educating ourselves? How are we taking a stand? How are our voices being heard? And then it's that sphere of influence, and then how do we join those voices across the community, across the state, across a region?"
We need to get to work right away because experts like Tony McAleer said people's lives are on the line, "White supremacist ideology, if left unchecked, always ends in violence."
It's violence Idahoans have seen far too much of in the past few months and years. McAleer knows all-too-well who might be recruited to violent extremist groups. He's the author of the book “The Cure for Hate,” and helps communities respond to the threat of violent white supremacist groups. Groups he was once a part of.
McAleer said, "Most people think it's the ideology that drives people in, but the ideology is really, and research has shown this, the ideology is really secondary."
If that's secondary, what's the primary reason for people to join these hate groups? McAleer said people are looking for acceptance. "If you think about the loneliness, the despair, and the craving for community, belonging, and acceptance, that's very, very powerful."
Which is why the U.S. Attorney for the District of Idaho, Josh Hurwit, said isolation is one of the big red flags that someone you may know is being radicalized. "Everyone should look out for their family members, their colleagues, their coworkers. If you're seeing a change of behavior or withdrawal from what we consider normal society, see what might be possible in a safe way to try to get that person the support that they might need," Hurwit said.
Just because someone is withdrawing, doesn't always mean they're being radicalized. It could be a sign of mental health challenges. Also, not everyone who uses violent rhetoric turns violent. But it is often a precursor to violence.
Royce Hutson, PhD, a violent extremism researcher at Boise State, said other behaviors are often paired with that. "If they're stockpiling guns and ammo, that kind of stuff, that would be very concerning," said Huston.
If we see all those red flags, and try to help, how hard is it to un-radicalize someone? McAleer said, very hard, "It wasn't just the ideas in my head, it was who I was, it was my whole identity… When you're trying to help someone out of it, it's not just about changing the ideas in their head, it's changing their whole identity."
McAleer stresses that in trying to bring someone out of a hateful ideology, we have to understand what motivated them into that in the first place. He said, it's often shame from trauma, which turns to self-hate, and then hatred of other groups. But again, it all starts with a foundation of shame. So, what we cannot do is shame people out of it.
"If toxic shame is at the root of the hatred, more shame can't possibly be the answer," said McAleer. "There's often pain or grievance that's legitimate, looking for a solution to hang itself on. And these conversations can require courage. So, we talk a lot about curiosity, courage, and compassion."
McAleer calls it, "radical compassion." Because, while we all should be disgusted by these hate groups' ideologies, we cannot use their tactics and hate the people in them. Hate speech is hate speech, even if it's directed at hateful people. Also, it's exactly what they want.
"These terrorist groups are trying to actually cleave the communities. That's their stated goal,” said Hutson. “Remember, they want to start a revolution. You start a revolution by separating people out. I mean, it's on purpose. So, if you're targeting a particular group, the hope is that that they overreact and say, 'Well, all white people are like this.' So, they're going to create this race war.
If that's what not to do, what do we actually do? Hurwit said agencies across the board are getting much more efficient at getting justice for victims. So, they want you to report hate crimes. That can start, as Hurwit calls it, a "virtuous cycle," where victims feel more comfortable reporting, they see justice done, and others feel more empowered to also stand up and report hate crimes.
But he said, first, we all need to let everyone know where we stand, "The first thing, as just a citizen, is to stand up against this, to call it out. And to say, 'This is not acceptable. This is not what our community represents… It's not what we're about. And it's, frankly, inconsistent with the Constitution.’"
Bruce-Bennion argues, "The majority of people in Idaho, I would say, sometimes, the silent majority, needs to get more vocal, and more engaged."
Hutson said, communities that take proactive measures, are welcoming to everyone, and have a strong sense of social capital are more resilient to violent extremism. "Communities can make a difference."
McAleer knows that if our community makes the choice to offer a place for everyone to belong, people don't have to get that belonging from hate groups, and hopefully those groups can wither away. "The ego sees the world through the lens of separation, black and white, the heart sees the world through the lens of connection and sort of bringing people together. As human beings, we can live in a place of fear or love. And when we're conscious of that, we get to choose which that is."
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