August 8, 2010 | Read Time: 5 minutes
The capture of an antigovernment extremist who said he planned to kill officials of two nonprofit organizations in California has sparked concern from charity leaders across the country. They fear the latest threat signals a possible uptick in violence against organizations that work on highly charged social issues in today’s polarized political environment.
Byron Williams, an antigovernment activist, told authorities last month that he wanted to “start a revolution” by killing two people: the top officials of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Northern California chapter and the Tides Foundation, a fund-raising organization that makes about $115-million in grants annually to promote economic justice, civic involvement, and environmental protection.
Thanks to alert California Highway Patrol officers, Mr. Williams—a convicted felon armed with a gun—was pulled over while apparently on his way to the San Francisco offices of the two nonprofit groups. He was arrested after a shootout with police.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Mr. Williams’s mother said he was unemployed and angry about “the way Congress was railroading through all these left-wing agenda items.”
Soon after word of Mr. Williams’s activities got out, Independent Sector, the coalition of grant makers and charities, issued a statement urging Americans to reject intolerance and promote civil discourse free of “slurring, maligning, or attacking those with a belief system different from our own.”
Exploiting Anxieties
News reports have noted that the attack came after Glenn Beck, the conservative Fox TV news commentator, repeatedly said the Tides Foundation was part of a left-wing conspiracy to overthrow capitalism and usher in socialism. He accused the group of using videos to brainwash schoolchildren into thinking capitalism is evil.
Mr. Beck, in the wake of the incident, has acknowledged bringing the Tides Foundation to his viewers’ attention but has said he never advocates or incites violence.
Diana Aviv, president of Independent Sector, said it was unclear if the gunman was acting because of Mr. Beck’s statements. But she suggested that talk of conspiracies exploits the fears of citizens who have suffered during the recession.
“It’s very easy, when people are hurting, when the economy is bad, when people are out of work, to stir people up,” she said, “to blame other people for the problems.”
She added that people across the ideological spectrum must avoid unfairly demonizing those with opposing views. “It’s important to stand up and say this isn’t acceptable,” she said.
Fear of Copycats
Drummond Pike, founder and chief executive of the Tides Foundation, said his organization is shocked and concerned about possible copycats. “There’s obviously a lot we don’t know, but based on the news reports we’ve had and on talking to the district attorney’s office, it looked like the fellow was seriously intent on causing great harm,” he said. “We’re all a little off-balance as a result.”
Mr. Pike said hyperpartisan, entertainment-oriented reporting on TV and on Internet blogs has not helped matters.
“How we could be identified in this type of way to prompt this type of reaction is just shocking to us,” he said. “It’s a sad commentary on where civil discourse is in America.”
In the wake of the incident, Mr. Pike said his organization has hired security agents to monitor its buildings and has begun an overall review of its security procedures.
Steven Sheinberg, an associate director of the Anti-Defamation League, said many nonprofit groups have reason to take stronger security precautions.
Many nonprofits “have a threat profile that they should take seriously,” he said, adding: “That doesn’t mean locking the door and hiding.”
Mr. Sheinberg, who wrote a manual to help Jewish groups avoid attacks, said organizations should take a systematic look at their mission and security needs, then come up with appropriate policies and training.
A well-thought-out policy on handling suspicious packages, for instance, could mean the difference between detecting a dangerous substance or ignoring it, he said. Training front-desk personnel to recognize people loitering outside surveying the surroundings could short-circuit troublemakers’ plans long before they turn to action.
The threats against the ACLU and the Tides Foundation have triggered memories of other, in some cases deadly, acts of violence against nonprofit groups.
Last year, James von Brunn killed a security guard at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, in Washington. Mr. von Brunn told authorities he wanted to “send a message to the Jewish community” that the Holocaust was a hoax.
And four Muslim extremists were arrested in New York last year on charges that they plotted to blow up two synagogues in the Bronx.
The federal government since 2005 has given out millions of dollars in grants to improve security for nonprofit organizations deemed to be at high risk of terrorist attack. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says $19-million in grants will be distributed this year through the Nonprofit Security Grant Program.
With the threat of Islamic terrorism a constant concern since the September 11 attacks, much of the money has gone to Jewish institutions and synagogues. The grants can go toward blast-proof windows, reinforced doors, video surveillance equipment, and other such items.
William Daroff, vice president of public policy at the Jewish Federations of North America, said “any organization that takes controversial stands, that is in the news and out there pushing forward on public-policy issues, needs to ensure it is properly protected.”
Abbi Soltani, executive director of the ACLU of Northern California, agreed that while threats like the recent one against the ACLU are “very rare,” groups need to take prudent steps to ensure safety.
Mr. Pike, of the Tides Foundation, said he is still not sure how Glenn Beck, and perhaps the recently captured gunman, construed his organization’s work as threatening.
He said Tides makes grants to causes across the political spectrum and has no interest in undermining capitalism.
And that work, he said, will continue.
“No crazy imbalanced person should divert any nonprofit from its commitment to mission,” he said, “and from making a positive contribution to society, whatever form that takes.”
