This is our June 2024 Newsletter that went out to our email subscribers. Sign up to receive updates here.
Dear Friend of Life After Hate
The face of violent extremism today is not what we may assume. Life After Hate is committed to using data to increase our understanding of the population that we are trying to help exit lives of violent ideology. That means acknowledging that there is no “average” when it comes to being a violent extremist in the United States today.
What does that mean? About half of the individuals LAH helps exit violent extremism are women. We work with individuals active in violent white supremacy who are African-American and Latino. And approximately 20 percent of those turning to Life After Hate for help identify as LGBTQ+.
Earlier this spring, LAH began working with juveniles, honoring the requests for help we have received from parents and families, the criminal justice system, and those under the age of 18 seeking to end their hateful activities. And that was after serving a growing number of court-mandated cases, including individuals currently incarcerated or recently released from prison.
We share this so we can all better understand just how complex the work is. There are no simple paths to a successful exit. We work with all individuals committed to the exit process, regardless of their backgrounds or past actions. We are committed to helping anyone willing to put in the time and effort to disengage from lives of violent extremism.
Thank you for your ongoing support, encouragement, and trust.
– Pat Riccards
New LAH Discord Channel
LAH recently launched a new Discord channel, to better engage with those most in need of help exiting violent extremism.
Read about it here.
Future of “Formers”
Pat Riccards spoke with The Daily Former squad about the term “former” and those who bear the label.
Listen here.
“Breaking Free”
Brad Galloway and Lauren Manning recently spoke with the Walrus about LAH and a disengagement experience in Canada.
Read more here.
Homophobia in the Far-Right
To kick off Pride Month, Pat Riccards penned an essay for Medium on VFRE’s infatuation with drag culture.
Read more here.
