Civil Rights

Redlining: If you’re not sure of what it is, google it. One of the many ways that racism and discrimination still exist.

Since Trump took office, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has quietly shelved at least six investigations of discrimination and redlining....  The OCC has historically prioritized the well-being of banks over bank customers, said current and former examiners, but the balance has shifted even further under the Trump administration.

Smart Dissent's issues with Betsy DeVos have been documented repeatedly including here, here, here, here, and

In late June, Trump nominated another dangerous individual to lead an important government position charged with protecting and defending a segment of the U.S. population.  Eric Dreiband has been nominated to lead the Department of Justice's Civil Rights division.  Dreiband has represented corporations defending themselves against civil rights and employment discrimination accusations.  He is the exact opposite of the person that should be leading the Civil Rights division which handles voting rights, policing and discrimination cases among other things.

Earlier in June, we posted about the White House taking aggressive steps towards reducing the role of the federal government in fighting discrimination and protecting minorities. In that post linked here many examples were noted.  Another way the Department of Justice is lessening justice for citizens has come to light since then.

The White House is taking aggressive steps towards reducing the role of the federal government in fighting discrimination and protecting minorities.  It is doing so by cutting budgets, dissolving programs and appointing officials unsympathetic to previous practices.  Several examples are noted below and more thoroughly discussed in the Washington Post's article.

In a not particularly surprising move, President Trump weighed in on the government's role in protecting, or in this case not protecting, transgender rights.

The Trump administration on Wednesday revoked federal protections for transgender students who sought the right to use the public school restrooms that match their gender identity, taking a stand on a contentious issue that has become the central battle over LGBT rights.