November 15, 2016

Foundation calls on Justice Department Civil Rights

Division to Prosecute Mob Attack on Trump Voter
Free and fair elections must be free of violence and threats
(Alexandria, Virginia) The Public Interest Legal Foundation sent letters to two Sections in the
Department of Justice Civil Rights Division calling for the prosecution of the violent mob attack
against a voter for President-Election Donald Trump. Video captured a violent mob attack on
David Wilcox on November 8, 2016, in Chicago, Illinois. Wilcox was beaten and kicked by a
mob of people while they were cheered on by people yelling: beat his ass, he voted for
Trump, its one of them white boy Trump guys, and he voted for Trump.
One letter was sent to Chris Herren, the chief of the Voting Section of the Department of Justice.
It called for an investigation into the attack as a violation of Section 11 of the Voting Rights Act
of 1965, a law that prohibits intimidation of those who voted for voting. A second letter was sent
to Paige Fitzgerald, acting chief of the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division. That letter
calls for federal civil rights prosecutions of the perpetrators. Federal law (18 USC 241) prohibits
violence against individuals for exercising federal rights. Another statute (18 USC 245)
prohibits intimidation or violence against voters for voting.
One letter states, As you may know, numerous incidents have occurred over the last seven years
in circumstances with striking similarities to the incident in Chicago. Yet your Section took no
action whatsoever. It is reasonable to conclude, and it is the view of many Americans, that your
office has different standards for enforcing the law depending on the nature of the victim and the
nature of the perpetrators.
The right to participate in an election without fear of being beaten by a mob is one of the most
fundamental civil rights, said J. Christian Adams, President of the Public Interest Legal
Foundation. Americans should not have to fear political violence because they voted for
Donald Trump, and this Justice Department needs to start enforcing the law no matter who the
victim is. Adams continued, elections are free only if they are free from violence.
The Public Interest Legal Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public interest law firm dedicated to election
integrity. The Foundation exists to assist states and others to aid the cause of election integrity
and fight against lawlessness in American elections.
Contact: media@publicinterestlegal.org.
###