Revised
September 15, 2017
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Corrected
September 20, 2017
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CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION
House Resolution
No. 57
Introduced by Assembly Member Thurmond
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Aguiar-Curry, Baker, Berman, Bloom, Bocanegra, Bonta, Burke, Caballero, Calderon, Chiu, Chu, Cooper, Friedman, Cristina Garcia, Gipson, Gloria, Gonzalez Fletcher, Holden, Irwin, Jones-Sawyer, Kalra, Levine, Limón, Low, Maienschein, McCarty, Medina, Mullin, Muratsuchi, Nazarian, Quirk-Silva, Rendon, Reyes, Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Rubio, Salas, Mark Stone, Ting, and Weber)
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August 23, 2017 |
Relative to white supremacy.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
HR 57, as introduced, Thurmond.
Digest Key
WHEREAS, On August 12, 2017, white supremacists marched with Confederate flags and swastikas, chanted anti-Semitic and hateful messages, brandished weapons and torches, and assembled unlawfully to protest the removal of a Confederate statue in Charlottesville, Virginia; and
WHEREAS, Counterprotesters gathered to object to the so-called “Unite the Right” rally, and to stand up for diversity and the inclusive values of this country; and
WHEREAS, James Alex Fields slammed his car into a crowd of counterprotesters, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer and injuring at least 19 others; and
WHEREAS, A police helicopter monitoring the protest also crashed, resulting in the deaths of Lieutenant H. Jay Cullen III and Trooper-Pilot Berke M. M. Bates; and
WHEREAS, The hate and violence in Charlottesville was celebrated on Nazi Web sites and social media accounts for the world to see; and
WHEREAS, President of the United States Donald Trump failed in his initial response to admonish or name the neo-Nazis, Ku Klux Klan, and white supremacists. Instead, he said that there was blame on “many sides”; and
WHEREAS, President Trump gave moral equivalency to the white supremacists who descended on Charlottesville with an intent to commit violence, with counterprotesters defending the values of the United States; and
WHEREAS, President Trump said that there were “very fine” people among those who carried Nazi and Confederate flags, chanted anti-Semitic and racist messages, and marched proudly alongside white-robed Klansmen, white supremacist Richard Spencer, and former Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan David Duke; and
WHEREAS, President Trump expressed skepticism that the murder of Heather Heyer and the injury of 19 people by James Alex Fields was an act of domestic terrorism; and
WHEREAS, President Trump has not offered reassurances to the millions of Americans of color whose lives are under constant threat by white supremacists; and
WHEREAS, President Trump showed a complete lack of understanding about the racially motivated and unjust history of the Confederate movement by comparing Robert E. Lee to George Washington; and
WHEREAS, President Trump expressed sadness over the removal of “beautiful statues and monuments” that honor the Confederates who were willing to fight their own country to maintain slavery and their racist institutions; and
WHEREAS, President Trump sanctioned white supremacy and hatred across this country by failing to condemn these acts of violence and racism, and emboldened these groups into further action; and
WHEREAS, Dozens more protests and rallies are now planned for cities across the United States with similar messages and goals, and that are likely to end in more violence; and
WHEREAS, There can be absolutely no tolerance for white supremacy, racism, and bigotry in the United States of America; and
WHEREAS, The people of the United States of America look to their President for moral leadership in a nation where all people are created equal, and President Trump has proven that he is unfit to be a moral leader; and
WHEREAS, This legislative body recognizes the value of the diversity of our states and vehemently objects to the threat that white supremacy poses to the residents of California; and
WHEREAS, California’s diversity and equality is our defining strength and has helped make California the largest economy in the country, and one of the largest economies in the world; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, That the Assembly supports Congress’ efforts to censure President Donald Trump, calls upon President Donald Trump to publicly apologize to all Americans for his racist and bigoted behavior, and calls upon all other state legislatures to ask the same of Congress and the President; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
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REVISIONS:
Heading—Line 2.
CORRECTIONS:
Heading—Lines 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13.
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