Overview:

It’s time to expand the Racketeer Influenced and Corruption Organizations Act (RICO) statutes to combat organized criminals who engage in a pattern of destruction and mayhem.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/antifas-mask-slips-trumps-roundtable-sends-shadow-ngo-network-behind-riot-inc-panic  

Historical Overview of Rioting in the U.S.

Rioting in the United States has deep historical roots, evolving through distinct phases:

1800s–1930s: Communal and Racial Violence

• Early American riots often served as a form of communal policing, defending local moral codes or reacting to perceived threats.
• The Draft Riots of 1863 in New York City were among the most violent, sparked by conscription laws during the Civil War.
• From the Reconstruction era through the Jim Crow period, white mobs used riots to enforce racial hierarchies, often with lethal force.

1960s: Urban Rebellions

• The 1960s saw a wave of race-related urban riots, including Watts (1965), Detroit (1967), and nationwide unrest following Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination in 1968.
• These riots had long-term economic consequences, including depressed property values and reduced employment in affected areas.cambridge+1

1990s–2020s: Police Brutality and Political Unrest

• The Rodney King riots in 1992 and the George Floyd protests in 2020 marked a significant shift, moving towards mass mobilizations against police violence.
• While many protests were peaceful, some escalated into riots, prompting debates over Law enforcement, civil liberties, and political manipulation.

Economic Impact of Rioting

Riots have historically inflicted significant economic damage, with property values in riot-affected areas dropping sharply, especially for Black-owned properties, and employment and income in affected cities declining, particularly among young Black men.

• Property values in riot-affected areas dropped sharply, especially for Black-owned properties, with slight recovery even decades later.
• Employment and income in affected cities declined, particularly among young Black men.
• Businesses often relocate or close, resulting in long-term economic stagnation in areas prone to riots.

Rioting as a Monetized Enterprise

Recent investigations and legislative efforts suggest that rioting has evolved into a coordinated and sometimes monetized activity:

Funding Networks and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) Involvement

• Reports indicate that activist networks receive millions in grants, sometimes from taxpayer-funded or foreign-linked sources.
•  For example:
• CHIRLA reportedly received $34 million in grants and was involved in coordinated monthly protests.
• George Soros’s Open Society Foundations allegedly funneled $80 million into groups tied to violent activism.

Foreign Influence and CCP Links

• Congressional investigations have targeted Neville Roy Singham, a billionaire accused of funding civil unrest through nonprofits with alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Paid Agitators and Crowd Services

• Companies like Crowds on Demand received high-budget requests to supply demonstrators for anti-ICE riots, though they declined due to legal concerns.

Legal and Political Response

Federal Legislation

• The Stop FUNDERs Act, introduced in 2025, is a proposed legislation that seeks to classify organized rioting as a RICO predicate offense, enabling the prosecution of funders and organizers as part of criminal enterprises.  The Act aims to deter and punish those who financially support or orchestrate riots.

Constitutional Concerns

• Critics argue that broad anti-riot laws risk criminalizing dissent, especially when peaceful protesters are swept into legal actions due to proximity or association.

Summary of Key Policy Impacts

·         Increased Transparency and Oversight

·        Mandating disclosure of NGO funding sources and foreign contributions could reduce covert financial influence on civil unrest.

·         Balanced Legal Reform

·        Refining anti-riot laws to protect peaceful protest while targeting organized violence helps preserve First Amendment rights and prevent legal overreach.

·         Economic Revitalization

·        Federal and state investment in riot-affected areas may stimulate local economies, restore property values, and attract business reinvestment.

·         Digital Accountability

·        Encouraging platforms to monitor incitement and coordinate with Law enforcement could deter organized violence without infringing on free speech.

·         Improved Law Enforcement Practices

·        Enhanced training and transparency in policing may reduce triggers for unrest and improve community trust.

Key Methods for Tracking Foreign Influence

Network Mapping and Entity Linkage Analysis

Organizations like the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) utilize advanced network mapping to visualize connections between foreign state actors (e.g., the Chinese Communist Party, or CCP), extremist groups, and U.S.-based nonprofits.

This includes:

• Grant-tracking to follow money trails.
• Entity linkage analysis to identify shared personnel, donors, or digital infrastructure.
• Geospatial modeling correlates funding with ideological activity hotspots.

Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) Disclosures

Reforms to FARA have made it easier to access data on foreign lobbying and political activities.

 Key tools include:

• Public registries of foreign agents and their U.S. contacts.
• Disclosure of political contributions and lobbying efforts.
• Calls for unique identifiers for each office contacted to improve traceability.

Third-Party Litigation Funding Oversight

Congressional investigations have revealed that foreign actors may fund litigation to influence U.S. policy indirectly.

Proposed reforms include:

• Mandatory disclosure of third-party litigation funders.
• Judicial oversight to ensure fairness and prevent manipulation.

Digital Signal Monitoring

Analysts track social media trends (e.g., spikes in hashtags like #IsraeliApartheid) and correlate them with real-world incidents.  This helps identify ideological activation linked to foreign funding.

 International Cooperation and Registries

Countries such as Australia, Canada, France, and the UK have enacted foreign influence transparency laws, establishing registries for organizations that receive cross-border funding.  These laws aim to:

• Promote transparency.
• Prevent covert ideological laundering.
• Enable cross-border intelligence sharing.

Challenges and Considerations

• Disinformation Risks: Foreign adversaries (e.g., Russia) amplify conspiracy theories to destabilize trust in legitimate investigations.
• Civil Liberties: Overbroad surveillance or registration laws can stigmatize nonprofits and chill free speech.
• Legal Gaps: Many nonprofits continue to operate with limited donor transparency, particularly regarding foreign contributions.

Tracking Foreign Influence in Civil Unrest: Safeguarding Sovereignty and Stability

As civil unrest becomes increasingly globalized and monetized, the need to track foreign influence in domestic protest movements has grown urgent.  While peaceful protest is a protected democratic right, foreign actors exploiting unrest for strategic or ideological gain pose a serious threat to national sovereignty and public trust.

Why Foreign Influence Matters

Foreign governments and entities may seek to:

 Destabilize democratic institutions.

• Amplify social divisions.
• Undermine Law enforcement and governance.
• Promote ideological agendas contrary to national interests.

Recent investigations have uncovered links between activist networks and foreign donors, including allegations of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) involvement through nonprofit intermediaries.  These findings underscore the importance of vigilance and transparency.