Letter: Call to condemn white supremacist groups

To the Editor:

During the Sept. 29 debate between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, Trump was asked a simple question: Will you condemn the actions of white supremacist groups and militias at BLM protests.

Rather than providing a condemnation, he told them to “stand back and stand by.” A signal that one white supremacist group took as an order to be ready to commit acts of violence.

While we do not believe that our friends in the DeKalb County Republican Party are OK with this tacit support, we, the DeKalb County Democratic Party, certainly are not.

We, the DeKalb County Democratic Party, condemn white supremacist groups and white supremacist militias. Not just for their actions during protests, but for their very existence. They are built on a foundation of racial hatred that shall not stand in our country.

We, the DeKalb County Democratic Party, would like to hear affirmation that our DeKalb County Republican Party feels the same. This is not an accusation directed at the DeKalb County Republican Party. We simply need to let our community know in no uncertain terms that white supremacy, whether it is openly violent or not, is not welcome in our community.

We also extend the invitation to all other DeKalb County political parties to affirm what we hope are our shared values.

DeKalb County Democratic Party

Submitted by Joshua Orr