WHEREAS, On August 12, 2017, white supremacists held a horrifying “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia; and

WHEREAS, The hateful event announced to the world that neo-Nazis and white supremacists threaten our communities; and

WHEREAS, The white supremacists chose Charlottesville in response to the city’s recent decision to remove a statue of Robert E. Lee from Lee Park and rename it Emancipation Park; and

WHEREAS, The protesters, which included members of the KKK, marched with torches, confederate flags, and swastikas with the ultimate goal of sowing fear and intimidating communities throughout the United States; and

WHEREAS, Militias dressed in military-style fatigues carrying semiautomatic rifles stood across the street from a local synagogue and called for the synagogue to be burned down, and Nazi Internet Web sites promoted these horrifying threats; and

WHEREAS, Known white supremacists like David Duke and Richard Spencer proudly participated in and supported the rally; and

WHEREAS, Counterprotesters also arrived to confront the hateful messages of the rally; and

WHEREAS, James Alex Fields drove into a crowd of counterprotesters, resulting in the death of 32-year-old Heather Heyer and the injury of at least 19 others; and

WHEREAS, A police helicopter monitoring the protest also crashed, resulting in the death of Lieutenant H. Jay Cullen III and Trooper-Pilot Berke M. M. Bates; and

WHEREAS, The racism, anti-Semitism, and bigotry expressed by the participants of the “Unite the Right” rally are contrary and repugnant to the morals and values of the United States; and

WHEREAS, This legislative body recognizes the value of the diversity of our state, and has passed legislation protecting all Californians from bigotry, including the Unruh Civil Rights Act and the California Fair Employment and Housing Act; and

WHEREAS, California’s diversity and equality has been a source of strength and has helped make California one of the largest economies in the world; now, therefore, be it