The nation has not seen the level of mass protests we’re currently experiencing since the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King in 1968. A cast of characters have invaded our mass protests and it’s time to defend ourselves and the integrity of our movement. I’m not prioritizing the misguided Black folks who are capitalizing on the looting and stupid enough to sell their bounty on Facebook. I’m talking about the white supremacists from anarchists to neo-Nazis who are high jacking the mass protests.

One of the ugly realities of the mass protests over the last 15-20 years is the infiltration of white extremists who are embedding themselves in our movement for racial and economic justice. Their presence and destructive actions have become more aggressive and more visible in recent years, especially in the aftermath of the public lynching of an unarmed, shackled Black man by white cops in Minneapolis. They boldly promote their intentions over social media, almost daring law enforcement to pre-empt their insidious plans.

These white extremists are targeting legitimate protests for their twisted, racist motives. They have stolen from Black culture, using words like boogaloo as the code for civil war. Their ultimate goal is to start a race war where all people of color (and Jews) would be decimated. Ethnic cleansing would give way to a pure white race.

Their tactics are clear. Create havoc in the protests that antagonize the interaction between police and protesters, particularly Black protesters. The hope is trigger-happy cops will be justified to fire upon protesters. Create images for the media that change the narrative from historic police terrorism to the horrors of looting and destroying property.

The infiltration of white supremacists into police departments, military and elected office is not new. The FBI has been tracking the situation for years as has groups such as the Southern Poverty Law Center.

We’ve also heard it from insiders like Scott Shepherd, once a Grand Dragon in the Klu Klux Klan, who is now an anti-racist activist. There’s Christian Picciolini, a reformed neo-Nazi now working to de-radicalize white supremacist extremists. Picciolini once told the media, “A lot of these old skinheads and [Ku Klux] Klansmen have gone into the mainstream.” Yeah, we know.

Observers have noted parallel recruitment of white supremacists to the police and armed forces and from police and military into white extremist groups. It a fluid, seamless motion that is well-documented.  One example is the two Florida lawless men who were exposed as Klansmen. Deputy Chief David Borst resigned, and Officer George Hunnewell was fired. They are not exceptions to the rule.

What we see is the wavy line is the coordination between white extremist “protestors” and white police. What know that often Brown, Brown, Asian businesses have been torched or vandalized by these provocateurs with little to no intervention by police.

Groups or well-meaning people who are calling for protests (and those who are showing up) must make preparation to minimize the damage by assigning marshals and other designated personnel to help with provocateurs. This may even mean planting marshals in front of neighborhood business along a designated march route. We are seeing video of people calling these perpetrators out, but it needs to be more organized.

There needs to be ongoing de-escalation trainings of protestors or volunteers before and after gatherings. Legal observers are also a necessity because these volunteers, usually trained by groups like the ACLU or Black bar associations, are not participants but witnesses. They often prove to be valuable when there are complaints against the police or if they see a situation brewing between protesters that need the attention of de-escalators or marshals.

If we don’t put these racists in check, not only will they be successful at using the situation to advance their agenda, they will put a chill on people coming out to show their solidarity and get engaged in policy and legislative changes long after the tear gas fades from the atmosphere.

This is not the time to be talking about respect for individual property. This is the time to re-assert our demands for justice for George Floyd, his family and the many others who’ve been victim to police terror. This is the time to talk about defunding police departments and investing in social programs and employment opportunities. This is the time to organize for substantive relief for our communities beyond the protests—until we get to the abolition of a racist and brutal system of policing.