This
weekend, a gun man killed ten people and wounded
three others in a racially motivated shooting at a
supermarket in Buffalo, NY. Law enforcement
officials familiar with the case have said that
the shooter researched locations with higher
concentrations of Black people and posted a
manifesto which included numerous antisemitic and
racist memes and repeated prominent white
supremacist conspiracy theories, including “The
Great Replacement Theory”. The gunman
livestreamed the attack the platform Twitch, the
company told NPR and the stream was shut down
less than 2 minutes after the violence began.
Additionally, the suspect had threatened a
shooting at his high school last year. He was
subsequently sent to a hospital for a mental
health evaluation that lasted only a day and a
half.
Over the past couple of years,
there has been a significant
uptick in racially-motivated shootings across
the United States. Recent instances of targeted
violence have been aimed at a Black church in
South Carolina, a synagogue in Pittsburgh,
Asian-Americans in Dallas and Georgia, and
immigrants at a Walmart in El Paso, to name a few.
Many believe that these shootings drew inspiration
from a shooting in New Zealand who targeted mosques, killing 51,
and published his own manifesto about "The Great
Replacement."
Following the attack,
President Joe Biden called for national unity
against white supremacy:
“A racially
motivated hate crime is abhorrent to the very
fabric of this nation. Any act of domestic
terrorism, including an act perpetrated in the
name of a repugnant white nationalist ideology, is
antithetical to everything we stand for in
America. Hate must have no safe harbor. We must do
everything in our power to end hate-fueled
domestic terrorism.”
Across the
aisle, members of congress have also promised
action against white supremicism and shown their
support for the victims. Speaker of the House,
Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) stated that tighter gun
regulations are a priority for Democrats and
pledged to work with the White House to get the
job done. Additionally, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY)
accused the Republican Party leadership of enabled
white nationalism, white supremacy, and
anti-semitism:
“The House GOP
leadership has enabled white nationalism, white
supremacy, and anti-semitism. History has taught
us that what begins with words ends in far worse.
@GOP
leaders must renounce and reject these views and
those who hold them.”
- Read
more on the shooting HERE
- Learn
more about how white supremacy is an issue in
the US HERE
- Listen
to Professor Kathleen Belew on the history of
White Supremacy in the US HERE
