Black Americans have been sounding the alarm on the rising threat of white supremacist violence for years. And a recent planned attack on the predominantly Black city of Baltimore showcases just how warranted those concerns have been.
On Monday, federal law enforcement officers arrested a white supremacist couple plotting to “completely destroy Baltimore.” The couple, Sarah Clendaniel, from Catonsville, MD. and Brandon Russell, of Orlando, FL., planned to destroy the city’s power grid in hopes that it would cause civil unrest.
According to the complaint obtained by the New York Times, Clendaniel said that taking out the five major power stations in Baltimore would “completely destroy this whole city” and spark chaos.
It’s worth noting the somewhat racist assumption that the predominantly Black city would immediately fall to violence if the power went out locally. But then again, we are talking about white supremacists, so we can’t be too surprised.
This plot isn’t Russell’s first time on federal authorities’ radar. According to the New York Times, Russell was a founding member of a Neo-nazi group that focused on targeting electrical and nuclear facilities in Florida in 2017. Russell also spent time in federal prison for bomb-making.
“Russell provided instructions and location information,” Thomas J. Sobocinski, the special agent in charge of the F.B.I.’s field office in Baltimore, said at a news conference, according to the New York Times. “He described attacking the power transformers as the greatest thing somebody can do.”
Destroying a city’s power grid is hardly a new concept among right-wing extremists. In North Carolina, two power stations were damaged by intentional gunfire, and officials have warned that attacks on electrical power are becoming a more common tactic among the right.
Black Americans have been among the loudest group raising concerns about the threat of white supremacist terrorism. In 2021, roughly 79 percent of Black Americans called white supremacy “the most lethal terrorist threat.”
It’ll be worth watching how politicians respond to see if more will be done to address the threat of white supremacist violence.