With Trump, the danger is real
Carlos E. Martinez
Brigadier General, USAF, (Ret.)
Brigadier General Carlos Martinez | La Voz
In the Spring of 2017 officials from the Air Force Office of Special Investigations called me. An extremist group had named me as a target for assassination.
The group was angry because I was part of a group of retired generals, admirals, and officers who had signed a letter supporting the human rights of a young man who was being targeted for being transgender. In a letter sent to its members, the leaders of the extremist group offered a thousand dollars to anyone who would kill us.
The officials from the Office of Special Investigations gave me that notice so that I could take steps to ensure my safety. As a result of that notice, we installed alarms in our house, and I began taking different routes to work every day.
I don’t think it was a coincidence that this group made these threats almost immediately after Donald Trump took office. This group believed that, since Trump was elected, they had the support of their president. Their beliefs were surely validated several months later, when, in reaction to the neo-Nazi demonstrations in Charlottesville, Trump said that there were “very fine people" on both sides.”
The group that threatened me, like the groups that participated in Charlottesville, are known as “hate groups.” According to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the “primary objective of a hate group is to promote animosity, hostility, and malice against persons belonging to a different race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or ethnic/national origin than that of the organization’s members.”
Examples of such groups are the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and groups that use seemingly benign names such as the National Socialist Movement (neo-Nazi), United People of America (white nationalist) or the Proud Boys (who hate everyone). Data readily available on the Internet (obtained via statista.com) shows that in 2000 there were 599 hate groups in the United States of which 8 were based in Arizona.
These numbers grew after January 6, 2021, reaching a total in this country of 1,430 in 2023. Groups like the Proud Boys, whose members received some of the longest prison sentences of any of the participants of the attack on the Capitol, grew from just a handful of chapters to more than 150 today. Of all hate groups, 39 groups are now established in Arizona, an increase of more than 125 percent since Trump validated hatred through his words and actions that awful January day.
If Trump is elected again, hate groups will have a real champion in the White House. Who can forget his "stand back and stand by" comment about the Proud Boys, how Nick Fuentes was invited for dinner, and how former KKK leader David Duke supported Trump and he didn't denounce that. Trump has called the criminals who stormed the Capitol on January 6 patriots and has promised that, if elected president, he will pardon them. His ties with extreme right wing 9/11 conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer and her outrageous racist comments should disturb everyone.
Now, Trump is focusing his efforts on fomenting fear and hatred against immigrants in this country. During his debate with Kamala Harris, Trump said that Haitians were eating the cats and dogs of residents of Springfield, Ohio. In response to those who said that was simply not true, Trump repeated his words knowing he was lying. The result is that schools and government offices in Springfield have had to close because of threats.
In particular, Trump has singled out all immigrants as people who are “poisoning American blood,” which echoes language used by Hitler. Particularly in Arizona, I am sure one group that will be targeted for hate is those of Hispanic origin like me. But don’t think you will be safe because your family has been in this country for more than 400 years or you are blonde-haired and blue-eyed. Just having a last name like Garcia or Rodriguez will be enough for these groups to focus their hate on you. As happened to me in 2017 when I was targeted by a hate group, many Americans will not feel safe here.
The conclusion we can draw from Trump's actions and the data on the rise of hate groups is that the election of Donald Trump as president will present a real danger to a large portion of the American people, especially in those areas with many people of Hispanic origin such as Arizona.
So, this Election Day, take the most important step you can take to protect your safety and the safety of your families. Vote for Kamala Harris, a person who instead of promoting hate, will protect the rights of all, and who will not encourage hate groups to threaten us.