IOWA-BASED SOCIAL JUSTICE ORGANIZATION CALLS FOR ‘CALM, BUT VIGILANCE’ ON ELECTION DAY
Leaders of the Des Moines, Iowa based ‘No Justice No Peace PAC’ are responding to recent statements by President Trump related to the “Proud Boys” and other organizations pledging to ‘watch the polls’.
According to Reuters, “President Donald Trump, asked if he would denounce white supremacists and militia groups during Tuesday night’s U.S. presidential debate, told the right-wing group the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by.”
“Unacceptable. Dangerous. Oh, and add ignorant (for good measure),” said No Justice No Peace Board President Eddie Mauro. “Secretary of State Paul Pate should be working overtime on Tuesday to make sure there are no issues of voter intimidation or violence around voting. These days are fraught with risk – and if we get this wrong … Well, the whole world is watching. We can’t get this wrong.”
The Reverend Rob Johnson, Director of Partnerships for No Justice No Peace, added, “We are telling voters to remain calm, go to the polls with five friends, and pay attention to your surroundings. If you see intimidation – say something. We love our neighbors here in Iowa, and I truly believe that every Iowan wants to see every vote counted. That said, we need to be vigilant and protect the most sacred right in our democracy – the right to vote.”
As the Wall Street Journal has reported, “Officials in states being closely contested this election say they are working with law-enforcement agencies to guard against potential voter intimidation and any threats posed by armed groups or individuals.”
No Justice No Peace Director, Mark Langgin, said of these efforts to coordinate with law enforcement, “Our leaders need to recognize that many people in communities of color would find a law enforcement presence at the polls to be an intimidation tactic on its own. The fact that there are OSCE International Election Observers in Iowa this election cycle is a testament to the fact that the world is looking at the American democratic experiment and wondering if we’ve gone off the rails.”