Inaugural Yotie Talks to Focus on Hate and Extremism in Aftermath of Dec. 2 Shootings

The Dec. 2 shootings at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, which left 14 dead and 22 wounded, continues to be on the minds of many in the Inland Empire and on the Cal State San Bernardino campus. To help make sense of it, Brian Levin, director of CSUSB’s Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, will be the guest speaker for the inaugural Yotie Talks when he presents “Emerging Issues on Hate and Extremism,” on Tuesday, Feb. 23. Yotie Talks, which follows a format similar to the TED Talks and is organized by the University Diversity Committee at CSUSB, will be from noon to 1 p.m. at the Santos Manuel Student Union Fourplex. Claudia Davis, an associate professor of nursing, will moderate the discussion. The event is free and open to the public; parking at the University is $6. As the community continues to recover and heal from the Dec. 2 attack, which claimed the lives of five CSUSB alumni, it also has questions, including what prompted it, how safe are we, and can it happen again? The Yotie Talk program will allow students, faculty, staff and community residents to discuss with Levin their thoughts about hate and extremism – and help them develop an understanding of its effect on the community. Levin, a criminal justice professor, is an expert in the study of hate crimes and extremism. In the hours and days after the attack, local, national and international news media sought him for his expertise and insight to help make sense of it. A graduate of Stanford Law School, Levin is the author, co-author and editor of various books, scholarly articles, training manuals and studies on extremism and hate crime. In addition to appearing and being interviewed by news media on issues related to terrorism, extremism and hate crimes, he has been called as an expert witness to Congressional hearings, most recently in October 2015. Levin has written various U.S. Supreme Court friend-of-the-court briefs, including those in the landmark case of Wisconsin v. Mitchell, where he presented criminological data establishing the severity and characteristics of hate crime. His analysis has won various awards and his work has been referenced in numerous prominent social science journals and major law reviews. Before entering academia in 1996, Levin served as associate director-legal affairs for the Southern Poverty Law Center's Klanwatch/Militia Task Force in Montgomery, Ala., and as a corporate litigator for the law firm of Irell & Manella. He was also a New York City police officer in Harlem and Washington Heights during the 1980s, and received citations for academics and excellent police duty. “The University Diversity Committee is pleased to launch Yotie Talks,” said Cesar Caballero, chair of the UDC and dean of the John M. Pfau Library. “This topical lecture program, featuring dynamic experts from CSUSB’s faculty and beyond, is quite timely as the rise of extremism and other contemporary issues—such as demographic shifts, political polarization, and increasing income inequality—impact our nation and region. “Yotie Talks will deepen our collective understanding of our pluralistic society and the challenges we face, empowering us all to create affirmative solutions that help to bring about a more just, equitable, and prosperous nation,” Caballero said.