SALEM, Ore. — The breach of the Oregon Capitol in December 2020 and the hourslong standoff with police capped a year of heightened politically motivated violence, state auditors said in a new report.
Auditors said Wednesday the state could do more to prevent these events from happening and improve coordination between levels of government and agencies grappling the threat of extremist acts, the Statesman Journal reported.
Oregon ranks 27th among states in population, but came in sixth among states for violent extremist attacks between 2011 and 2020, auditors said, citing data from the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
The Southern Poverty Law Center said earlier in March there were 10 active hate groups in Oregon, and that extremist ideas were moving further into mainstream politics.
The threats have “become increasingly complex and volatile,” with people using social media and websites to propagate “extremist narratives and activity,” according to the auditor’s report.
Oregon state law doesn’t define or criminalize domestic violent extremism. Auditors suggest Oregon consider looking to other states that define domestic violent extremism or “terroristic acts” in their laws which can mean the state can charge offenders if federal standards aren’t met.
Federal law defines domestic terrorism as “acts dangerous to human life” that are illegal, primarily take place on U.S. soil and appear to intend to influence a government or intimidate people.
“Attacks on the Oregon state capitol and the U.S. capitol over the last couple years clearly demonstrated the risk to public safety and the high cost on public resources resulting from domestic terrorism and violent extremism,” Audits Division Director Kip Memmott said. “Our report notes that Oregon is especially at high risk for this type of violence.”
The report also suggested the state’s homeland security council come up with a statewide strategy that includes “specific, measurable outcomes” to counter extremist activities, and that the state revise its plan to protect critical infrastructure like hospitals and power plants with the “latest information” on threats of domestic violent extremism.
