Response of David E. Price (D-N.C.)

1. Yes. On February 10, 2015 Deah Shaddy Barakat, Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha were murdered in a hate crime in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Press Conference on “Our Three Winners”: https://www.facebook.com/ourthreewinners/videos/press-conference-with-congressman-david-price-and-dr-abusalha-father-of-yusor-ra/1081159332022032/ 2. Congressman Price’s legislative actions past two Congresses: 116th Congress • Cosponsored H. Res. 364, condemning the horrific anti-Semitic attack on the Chabad of Poway Synagogue near San Diego, California. • Voted in the affirmative for H. Res. 41, Rejecting White Nationalism and White Supremacy (15 January 2019) • Agreed to cosponsor H.R. 2708, the Disarm Hate Act, which would prevent a person who has been convicted of the crime from obtaining a fire arm. • Agreed to cosponsor H.R. 35, the Emmett Till Antilynching Act, which specifies that an offense involving lynching is a hate crime. • Cosponsored H.R. 383, Threat Assessment, Prevention, and Safety Act. This bill would standardize and provide a threat assessment and management process across the federal government. It would also create a grant program to provide states with the funding needed for training, resources, and support for multidisciplinary threat assessment and management units. 115th Congress • The House passed S.J. Res. 49 by unanimous consent, which condemned the violence and domestic terrorist attack that took place during events between August 11 and August 12, 2017, in Charlottesville, Virginia, especially expressing support for the Charlottesville community, rejecting White nationalists, White supremacists, the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazis, and other hate groups, and urging the President and the President's Cabinet to use all available resources to address the threats posed by those groups. • Cosponsored the National Opposition to Hate, Assault, and Threats to Equality Act (H.R. 1566), which is a comprehensive hate crime bill that would: o Authorize the DOJ to issue grants to state and local governments to identify hate crimes and report to the National Incident-Based Reporting System (the latest crime reporting system) o Direct DOJ to issue grants to states to create hate crime reporting hotlines o Support law enforcement programs that prevent, address, or respond to hate crimes o Create accountability that law enforcement report statistics and any progress made towards mitigating hate crimes • On August 18, 2017, Congressman Price sent a letter to the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security demanding that the agencies counter the threat posed by violent white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups. o Copy of letter: https://demings.house.gov/sites/demings.house.gov/files/documents/170818%20Letter%20to%20Sessions%2C%20Duke%20FINAL.pdf Recent Press Releases, Tweets, and Public Statements Press Release: Congressman Price Responds to Events in Charlottesville August 17, 2017 Last weekend, America witnessed a repugnant display of hatred, bigotry, and vitriol organized by white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and Ku Klux Klansmen, who convened in Charlottesville, Virginia to protest the removal of Confederate monuments and memorials from public spaces. The so-called “Unite the Right” rally reached its tragic conclusion when a self-described neo-Nazi drove his car through a crowd of counter-protesters, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer and injuring 19 others. But even before this act of domestic terrorism, the rally had produced haunting images of crowds carrying torches through a Southern town at night and wielding military-grade weapons in broad daylight, chanting “Jews will not replace us,” “blood and soil,” and other hateful slogans. Events such as this understandably provoke strong, emotional reactions for Americans of all backgrounds. In communities across the country, large rallies and vigils have been held to express solidarity with the victims in Charlottesville and focus attention on the continued presence of thousands of Confederate monuments and memorials in public spaces. One such rally, held last night in Durham, ended with the toppling of a monument dedicated to Confederate soldiers that had stood in front of the old Durham County Courthouse for nearly a century. Although there are legitimate debates as to their tactics, it is easy to understand the convictions that led these citizens to take this action. While communities in other states have taken steps to remove their own monuments, the North Carolina General Assembly enacted a law in 2015 taking this power out of local leaders’ hands. This misguided and cynical law diminishes the power of citizens to petition their government and should be repealed immediately. We must honestly face the elements of racism, bigotry and anti-Semitism that poison our society today. This is not just about who we have been as a nation; it is about who we are today and who we aspire to be tomorrow. It is about ensuring that each successive generation of Americans continues, to paraphrase Dr. King’s inspirational words, bending the arc of the moral universe ever more toward justice. I have always considered myself fortunate to have come of age politically during the Civil Rights movement. For a young man from a small town, the movement was a profound example of the power of people with conviction to right ancient wrongs. Three short years after I helped organize student protests against Chapel Hill’s segregated businesses, I sat in the gallery of the United States Senate as the Civil Rights Act passed in a dramatic vote I will remember forever. Looking back on these years, I often marvel at how far we have come as a nation toward ending institutionalized discrimination and achieving a more perfect union. Yet, like the Charleston massacre two years ago—and the many smaller acts of bigotry and racism that draw far less attention in the media—the events in Charlottesville this weekend remind us of how much work we have left to do. It is in moments like these that we must summon the determination and courage to come together as a community to reject the voices of hate, to draw upon the values we share as Americans, and to chart a better path forward. Press Release: Congressman Price Issues Statement on Tree of Life Shooting October 29, 2019 "On Saturday morning, a gunman opened fire at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, taking the lives of 11 congregants who had gathered on the Sabbath to celebrate an infant’s bris ceremony. This unconscionable act of anti-Semitic hatred constituted the deadliest attack on a Jewish community in American history. But for the Tree of Life community—and for members of the Jewish faith across the country and around the world—the shooting is also embedded in a much larger history, a history of collective persecution that has produced some of the greatest atrocities ever committed by humankind. For generations, the United States of America has been at least a partial refuge from this history: a land where Jews have been free to practice their faith without fear of violence, and where they have been interwoven—unevenly, to be sure, but steadily over time—with the cultural, economic, and political fabric of our nation. We must not allow this despicable attack to unravel this fabric, and I have been encouraged by the resounding displays of solidarity, across faith and party lines, that we have witnessed over the past 48 hours. Yet we must also acknowledge clearly and forcefully that this act of hate did not occur in a vacuum. The Anti-Defamation League has reported a historic rise in anti-Semitic incidents and online harassment over the past year, as neo-Nazis and other hate groups have become increasingly assertive in their actions and rhetoric. Such groups have long existed at the fringes of American society, but they now feel emboldened and empowered by the right-wing websites, commentators, and elected officials who have legitimized and given voice to their hate. When a member of the U.S. House of Representatives aligns himself with neo-Nazi candidates and parties abroad, he is legitimizing hate. When prominent Republicans employ rhetoric peddled by anti-Semitic conspiracy theorists to attack a Holocaust survivor because he donates to their opponents, they are legitimizing hate. And when the President of the United States condones violence by his supporters and calls the extremists who descended on Charlottesville last year “very fine people,” he is legitimizing hate. As a nation, we must summon the collective determination not just to condemn the actions of individuals but to confront the hatred and bigotry that give rise to them. At a time of intense partisan rancor and anxiety, we must unite in common purpose rather than stoking anger and division. We must honor those killed in Pittsburgh by rededicating ourselves to values of diversity, inclusion, and mutual respect." Tweets https://twitter.com/RepDavidEPrice/status/896418551288016896 https://twitter.com/RepDavidEPrice/status/896509520830013441 https://twitter.com/RepDavidEPrice/status/897572133169221633 https://twitter.com/RepDavidEPrice/status/984509028696018945 https://twitter.com/RepDavidEPrice/status/1028014708840906752 https://twitter.com/RepDavidEPrice/status/1121834579076308992 https://twitter.com/RepDavidEPrice/status/1122858904776527872 https://twitter.com/RepDavidEPrice/status/1123977593278038018