Harold Hayley is Copa Style Magazine's News Analyst. Mr. Hayley will be reporting on various situations of all types in Washington, DC and around the entire country.
Harold Hayley
"The Charleston Incident"
The egregious act of racial terrorism that was carried out by a young man
named Dylann Roof in South Carolina was
an extremely evil display of hatred. Make no mistake, this cowardly act
addresses the feelings of a group of people who are increasingly becoming more
open in the expressions of their feelings or thoughts with violent and aggressive behavior. Given
the history of the state of South Carolina (e.g. the first state to secede from
the union and fired the first shots of the Civil War) it is not hard to
understand the motivation that drives this mentality.
Hate groups that instill the mindset that it takes to bring forth this type of terrorism to fruition is alive and well in America. One of the ideas that persons of this mindset possess is that somehow America is their property. (Newsflash! An indigenous people lived here long before either you or I.) We are are a nation of immigrants which includes you.
Some people have referred to Roof as insane but, in my opinion, this is not true. As I see it, insane people do not have well thought out plans, nor take the time to produce manifestos, and plan escape routes. In most cases they simply act.While there may be some truly insane persons who do commit heinous acts of racial violence, this person should not be considered one of them. He clearly knew what his intentions were to be that fateful Wednesday evening in Emanuel AME Church. This was an act of racial hatred.However, we must understand that this type of hatred has been instilled by groups who believe in white supremacy.
America has acted as the policemen of the world for long enough. As leaders, it is time that we lead by example. For starters, we should police our own backyard. For a long time the United States has outlawed domestic, as well as, foreign terrorist organizations yet, on a domestic front we fail to vigorously enforce these laws. Oh they will actively go after ISIS cells in America but, what about the KKK or other such groups. In Roof’s alleged manifesto he states his beliefs that oddly coincide with the beliefs of other known hate groups. A reporter from one of the major news organizations (that is known for its right wing political views) asked a pastor this question, “Is this attack more of a religious based attack or hate crime against Christianity more so than one of a racial nature?” Given the benefit of doubt that perhaps all the facts have not yet been presented, I would think that a logical and rational conclusion would be that this crime was indeed racially motivated! However based on either opinions it is still a hate crime. Period. In another article, the director of the FBI in Charleston , suggested that this is not a terrorist attack. By his own definition , terrorism is an act of violence done or threatened to be done in order to influence a public body or citizenry. My question is, “doesn’t acting out in a criminal manner qualify as trying to influence?” He went on to say that “due to the lack of political motivation for his actions the alleged shooter, Dylann Roof is not a domestic terrorist.” Roof stood over a person and uttered racist remarks and then shot this person. Are we to believe that he was not politically and racially motivated? Do we play this silly game of semantics? The bottom line is that nine people are dead as a result of his actions. Anytime a person promotes their own agenda it is political. The one saving grace if any, is that should anything go wrong with the trial of this individual the Justice Department could pick up the case and prosecute. To my knowledge South Carolina has no hate crime laws on its books. In writing this article and contemplating on some of the responses to this act of racial hatred one thing is very clear, there is an element that wishes to explain away his actions. From the former governor of Texas Rick Perry, who claims drugs caused the massacre, to the idea that he did this because his love interest dumped him two years ago for a person of color. After reading his manifesto I would conclude that this was a well thought out plan of attack against black people and that he clearly had a detestation of people of color! While I’m not a conspiracy person, it seems ironic that this occurrence would happen in a historic black church long revered as a symbol of resistance to slavery and racism. On this very site prior to Roof’s massacre of nine church members, in 1822 South Carolina convicted and hung 35 of it’s church members and then burned it down. These facts lend to the notion that this was a calculated attack!
The conversations that will follow this act of racially motivated violence will likely include gun control and an outcry against racism. However, a far more needed conversation would be one to address the dysfunction of a system of ignorance, intolerance. and let us not forget mental illness. However, what more should we expect in a country that tolerates a congressman openly calling the leader of the free world , in front of a joint session, a liar! Ignorance is the common denominator here.
Hate groups that instill the mindset that it takes to bring forth this type of terrorism to fruition is alive and well in America. One of the ideas that persons of this mindset possess is that somehow America is their property. (Newsflash! An indigenous people lived here long before either you or I.) We are are a nation of immigrants which includes you.
Some people have referred to Roof as insane but, in my opinion, this is not true. As I see it, insane people do not have well thought out plans, nor take the time to produce manifestos, and plan escape routes. In most cases they simply act.While there may be some truly insane persons who do commit heinous acts of racial violence, this person should not be considered one of them. He clearly knew what his intentions were to be that fateful Wednesday evening in Emanuel AME Church. This was an act of racial hatred.However, we must understand that this type of hatred has been instilled by groups who believe in white supremacy.
America has acted as the policemen of the world for long enough. As leaders, it is time that we lead by example. For starters, we should police our own backyard. For a long time the United States has outlawed domestic, as well as, foreign terrorist organizations yet, on a domestic front we fail to vigorously enforce these laws. Oh they will actively go after ISIS cells in America but, what about the KKK or other such groups. In Roof’s alleged manifesto he states his beliefs that oddly coincide with the beliefs of other known hate groups. A reporter from one of the major news organizations (that is known for its right wing political views) asked a pastor this question, “Is this attack more of a religious based attack or hate crime against Christianity more so than one of a racial nature?” Given the benefit of doubt that perhaps all the facts have not yet been presented, I would think that a logical and rational conclusion would be that this crime was indeed racially motivated! However based on either opinions it is still a hate crime. Period. In another article, the director of the FBI in Charleston , suggested that this is not a terrorist attack. By his own definition , terrorism is an act of violence done or threatened to be done in order to influence a public body or citizenry. My question is, “doesn’t acting out in a criminal manner qualify as trying to influence?” He went on to say that “due to the lack of political motivation for his actions the alleged shooter, Dylann Roof is not a domestic terrorist.” Roof stood over a person and uttered racist remarks and then shot this person. Are we to believe that he was not politically and racially motivated? Do we play this silly game of semantics? The bottom line is that nine people are dead as a result of his actions. Anytime a person promotes their own agenda it is political. The one saving grace if any, is that should anything go wrong with the trial of this individual the Justice Department could pick up the case and prosecute. To my knowledge South Carolina has no hate crime laws on its books. In writing this article and contemplating on some of the responses to this act of racial hatred one thing is very clear, there is an element that wishes to explain away his actions. From the former governor of Texas Rick Perry, who claims drugs caused the massacre, to the idea that he did this because his love interest dumped him two years ago for a person of color. After reading his manifesto I would conclude that this was a well thought out plan of attack against black people and that he clearly had a detestation of people of color! While I’m not a conspiracy person, it seems ironic that this occurrence would happen in a historic black church long revered as a symbol of resistance to slavery and racism. On this very site prior to Roof’s massacre of nine church members, in 1822 South Carolina convicted and hung 35 of it’s church members and then burned it down. These facts lend to the notion that this was a calculated attack!
The conversations that will follow this act of racially motivated violence will likely include gun control and an outcry against racism. However, a far more needed conversation would be one to address the dysfunction of a system of ignorance, intolerance. and let us not forget mental illness. However, what more should we expect in a country that tolerates a congressman openly calling the leader of the free world , in front of a joint session, a liar! Ignorance is the common denominator here.
~Copa