National Fair Housing Alliance Condemns Shameful DOJ Indictment of Southern Poverty Law Center
Washington, D.C. – The National Fair Housing Alliance® (NFHA™) today condemned the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). This is the latest escalation in a coordinated campaign to dismantle civil rights protections and silence the organizations that stand in the way of hate and discrimination.
“Civil rights organizations exist because of the gap between America’s aspirations and its reality,” said Lisa Rice, President and CEO of the National Fair Housing Alliance. “For more than 50 years, SPLC has been one of the leading forces closing that gap. This indictment is this administration’s clearest declaration yet that closing that gap and creating an America free from racism is now being treated as a crime.”
Since taking office, this administration has systematically chipped away at hard-won civil rights protections designed to hold America true to its founding principles. The administration is attempting to deliberately and methodically remove the guardrails keeping everyday people safe from discrimination and violence. Absolute power cannot be achieved without the systematic dismantling of civil rights—and the criminalization of those who defend them. SPLC is the latest target. It will not be the last.
The overwhelming majority of people in the U.S. believe in fairness and that our civil rights laws should be enforced. SPLC has always helped lead that charge by confronting hate, bigotry, and discrimination. Civil rights organizations are not the enemy. Without them, America would never live up to her promise, and our democracy would fail.
Civil rights advocates train poll workers, fight hate crimes, ensure citizens can vote, protect people against sexual harassment, prevent homelessness, ensure veterans receive their full benefits, run food banks, stop housing discrimination and predatory lending, rebuild communities, and staff domestic violence hotlines. Today, communities of color, women, immigrants, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, and many others are watching protections that took generations to secure get rolled back in real time. Now, the organizations that put everything on the line to defend those rights are themselves under attack.
Intimidation is the strategy. It will not work.
NFHA stands in full solidarity with SPLC.
We will not be silenced. We will win and justice will prevail.
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The National Fair Housing Alliance® (NFHA™) leads a coalition of organizations and individuals that works to end housing discrimination, expand equitable opportunities, and build inclusive, well-resourced, and resilient communities where people can thrive