As a protection specialist, I understand that threats directed towards those I protect come from many different sources and for many different reasons. But I have not seen hatred directed towards any one segment of the population in the United States like we are seeing today against Hispanics and those of the Muslim faith. Not to mention anyone that doesn’t think like we do or agree with us politically.
Ignorance and hate have always been present in every society, but not since the rise of Hitler in Nazi Germany has it been harvested, and used as a political tool like it is today here at home. A perfect example comes to us today from Buzzfeed news.
In their story “This Woman Called Mexicans “Drug Dealers, Rapists, And Animals” While Berating A Latino Landscaper” https://www.buzzfeed.com/salvadorhernandez/woman-mexicans-rapists-and-animals-drug-dealers?utm_term=.gddEYqmpB&sub=0_121249991#121249991 a woman echoes statements made from Donald Trump in his rants against immigrants entering the country from Central and South America.
But it doesn’t stop there, on June 13th 2018 The Iowa Republican Rep. Steve King retweeted a post from Mark Collett, a member of the so-called “alt-right” who has claimed the influx of immigrants is creating a white genocide. Mr. Collett who has described himself as a “Nazi sympathizer” has stated he “admires Adolf Hitler” of all people. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2018/06/13/steve-king-retweets-prominent-nazi-sympathizer-sparks-controversy/697888002/
Never would an elected member of Congress dare to associate with a known Nazi sympathizer yet here we are in 2018 and it’s not only Rep King but others running for Congress as well. The floodgates of fear and hate have been opened and the white nationalists and other extremists are happy to walk through them.
But it’s not just the racist and ignorant “far right”, we also have Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif from “the left”, who has encouraged people to protest and heckle members of the Trump administration if seen in public. She said “If you see anybody from that Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd and you push back on them, and you tell them they’re not welcome anymore, anywhere,”
So that’s where we are today, open calls for the harassment of public officials and the open and encouraged hatred for immigrants. We have already had attempts on the life of Rep Gifford’s a Democrat of Arizona and Rep Scalise a Republican of Louisiana, how many more extremist assailants are going to come out of the dark and answer the call for violence against those they disagree with politically?
The American political landscape is now dotted with “extreme” organizations and groups on both sides of the political spectrum. ANTIFA and the KKK, anti-Hispanic/immigrant, anti-Muslim, and the list goes on.
Yet many of our elected officials refuse to acknowledge the danger to themselves and their families, refusing even the basic of security precautions. And given it’s the rhetoric and hate speech of some of these elected officials that is increasing the threats towards them and their college’s, you would think they would either dial it back or better protect themselves.
But we now also have a whole new class of people in need of protection that traditionally didn’t before. Today members of the media, leaders within the Hispanic community, religious leaders and clergy, and others that are being vilified in tweets, articles, and posts in the non-main stream and social media.
The ISA training division will conduct seminars, the basic introduction and advanced EP training programs for any agent, officer, trooper, deputy, organization, department or agency that provides security to those at risk. And our operational division is ready to provide the security services needed at every level of threat across the country.
While we have no political affiliation as a company, and we don’t as policy support any one candidate or party, ISA does reserve the right to refuse service and training to those we feel support the hate and ignorance that is now a growing cancer in this country. We encourage any and all who may be receiving threats to their safety because of their race, color, ethnicity or national origin, political affiliation, religious beliefs or other demographic identities to contact us.
We stand against the hate.
Cover image All Purpose Hate Speech: 12/24/2015 Cartoon by Monte Wolverton