#StopCVE: A campaign to divest from racialized surveillance programs funded by DHS, DOJ, and the FBI

Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) – recently rebranded to Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention (TVTP) under the 2016 Trump administration and the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships (CP3) under the 2020 Biden administration – is a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) counter-terrorism program that profiles Muslim, Black and Brown youth as inherently suspect and prone to radicalization.

Disguised as a "community-led public health" alternative to heavy handed law enforcement initiatives, CVE/TVTP/CP3 endangers impacted communities in the very places they turn to for safety and healing: community spaces, mental health services and schools. CVE relies on community policing to locate individuals on the "path to radicalization" using indicators that criminalize the outward expression of Muslim, Black, indigenous, POC, immigrant, and refugee identity, political thought and religious practice. 

Communities are organizing to resist CVE/TVTP/CP3 by all measures based on concerns that:

  • CVE/TVTP/CP3 is informed by a debunked theory without empirical evidence, which assumes there is a reliable way to identify "behavioral indicators" that can predict who may be on the path to radicalization.

  • CVE/TVTP/CP3 focuses on Muslim communities, and the false premise that Muslims are more prone to radicalization than other religious or ethnic groups, particularly when White supremacists commit far more acts of extremism.

  • CVE/TVTP/CP3 chills First Amendment protected activities (such as worship, activism, and expression of ideological beliefs) and further stigmatizes Muslim communities as inherently suspect with a dangerous intersection of mental health and law enforcement.

  • CVE/TVTP/CP3 is a counter-terrorism program with a national security agenda. With these strings attached, CVE/TVTP/CVE threatens the safety of our communities, all the while framing itself as a program dedicated to "building community resilience" by providing social services. 

Organizing tools used in Los Angeles to support power building and community engagement around CVE/TVTP/CP3 have included:

  • Film screenings

  • Public comment and other forms of public opposition

  • Listening sessions

  • Creative organizing workshops

  • Petitions

  • Lawsuits

  • Organizational sign-on letters

  • Digital organizing through social media

  • Community gatherings

  • Coalition and relationship-building

 

CVE in Los Angeles & Beyond: A Timeline

Learn More

The Mental Health Industry and State Surveillance

presented by Vigilant Love, StopCVE Coalition, and Bilal Nasir

What is CVE and Why Haven’t You Heard of It?

produced by Nikkei Democracy Project in partnership with Vigilant Love’s Sahar Pirzada and traci ishigo

VL’s Roots in Anti-CVE and Healing Justice Work

produced by NowThis in partnership with Vigilant Love’s Sahar Pirzada and traci ishigo

Public Comment Opposing CVE in LA (from 2018)

statements from multiple orgs, listed here, video compilation put together by Akhil Gopal

Upcoming #StopCVE Workshops & Events

Vigilant Love is observing a “Summer of Rest” until September 2022. We will have no public- facing programming during the month of August. Check back soon for our September offerings.

You can also sign up for our mailing list to stay updated on all upcoming events and offerings.

Get Involved With #StopCVE

Are you an individual or organization interested in building with Vigilant Love, joining the #StopCVE campaign, or cohosting a workshop? We first recommend checking out the #StopCVE National Coalition website!

For more specific inquiries, get in touch!