Did I miss, in the last 48 hours, where the Black Israelites have come out to denounce this and deny any affiliation with these murderers? I'm pretty sure I would have noticed that.
22
If there was any such thing as impartial reporting, in this day and age, we should all be well acquainted by now with the rambling, frenetic bigotry that issues from The Black Hebrew Israelite movement, in the wake of the massive media coverage of the Covington Catholic School student’s standoff with a Native American elder that occurred on the grounds of the capital early in the year. Yet not a single commenter—much less the reporting journalist—is able (or willing) to make the connection because … why?
I’m always fascinated by a blind-spot. If ever you witness something that doesn’t fit neatly into your worldview, that’s the universe telling you to pay extra careful attention.
So here is a prime example (the rest of the story):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PicqExRHng
26
If there was any such thing as impartial reporting, in this day and age, we should all be well acquainted by now with the rambling, frenetic bigotry that issues from The Black Hebrew Israelite movement, in the wake of the massive media coverage of the Covington Catholic School student’s standoff with a Native American elder that occurred on the grounds of the capital early in the year. Yet not a single commenter—much less the reporting journalist—is able (or willing) to make the connection because … why?
I’m always fascinated by a blind-spot. If ever you witness something that doesn’t fit neatly into your worldview, that’s the universe telling you to pay extra careful attention.
So here is a prime example (the rest of the story):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PicqExRHng
10
I just read the story about the Holocaust survivors who reunited after 72 years. In it there was a quote,"...no matter how safe you feel, you know the world can turn on a dime.". Just shows to go ya.
9
Regarding the Jersey City rampage and other hate crimes, we have to ask ourselves why so many of us have knee-jerk reactions regarding blacks as "victims"
Most blacks are law-abiding citizens but compared to other groups they are disproportionately responsible for a large portion of violent crimes. This being said I wonder why they are viewed disproportionately as "victims"?
In this crazy, mixed-up world of political correctness we've gotten things mixed up. It appears that the "victims" are usually the perpetrators.
23
@Nick
If the economic rise of a group explains or justifies violent reprisals, as you seem to imply, it’s just deja vu all over again.
4
Jersey City is an incredibly inclusive and welcoming community. It is an anomaly that this crime happened here.
5
Now that’s not true, there are areas that are very high crime, that area is very dangerous. New Jersey loves to crucify cops but will let a recidivist criminal out over and over to do this. If I was those families they need to sue New Jersey and organize to vote out politicians that pander to the soft on crime crowd.
20
I had never heard of this group of people until this attack. What did they hope to prove/gain? Are they jealous of the true Jewish heritage of orthodox Jews?
Black Hebrew Israelites are groups of Black Americans who believe that they are the descendants of the ancient Israelites. To varying degrees, Black Hebrews adhere to the religious beliefs and practices of both Christianity and Judaism.
African Hebrew Israelites, often referred to as Black Hebrews, are the largest organized group of African-American expatriates living anywhere in the world. The Black Hebrew Israelites’s claims of Jewish heritage provoked substantial debate in Israel. Israeli law offers citizenship for all Jews throughout the world, but the Black Hebrew Israelites could produce no evidence to substantiate their Jewish heritage.
After much investigation, the Chief Rabbinate of Israel thus decided that the Black Hebrew Israelites were not really Jewish and were not entitled to citizenship.
The Southern Poverty Law Center currently lists 144 Black Hebrew Israelite organizations as black separatist hate groups because of their anti-semitic and racist beliefs. According to research by the SPLC’s Intelligence Project, anti-law enforcement sentiment is not a core tenet of the Black Hebrew Israelite ideology.
16
@Peyton Collier-Kerr The majority of present day Jews are European converts to Judaism. In all honesty, there is no way of proving who the "chosen" people are. I am familiar with the DNA studies, but the reality is, anyone can create whatever narrative they want, especially when they own the companies conducting the DNA studies and "research."
1
Your reporters inappropriately use the word bystanders to refer to the people who were murdered in the kosher grocery. A targeted innocent victim is not a bystander. Otherwise one could say there were 6 million Jewish bystanders in the Second World War. A bystander is one who is accidentally hurt/killed in a confrontation with none of the protagonists wishing him or her harm.
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@MenachemP
When a wife is murdered, who is usually the prime suspect?
Hate speech and murderous assaults directed toward Jews does not, sadly, kindle the same outrage from people who identify as Leftists as does hatred and assaults targeting other groups. I suspect this reflects in part the anti-Semitism which has permeated Christian culture since the time of the first Crusade. And, yes, the United States is a Christian country, albeit one that has provided a safe haven for many Jews. Even individuals who do not consider themselves Christian breathe the air of this culture, assimilate some of its values, and display all too many of the same blind spots.
It always disturbs me to see comments after Jews are murdered that pivot immediately to Trump, other targeted groups, or gun laws. When people are not willing to simply denounce violence and hatred against Jews, without introducing other points that have meaning on their own, they make it sound as if Jewish victims do not really matter. Perhaps they do not mean to convey such a message, but that is how such statements come across.
59
What does calling it "terror" add? Black Hebrew Israelites have been around for a long time. They always seemed a bit fringy and aggressive but I do not recall another incidence of outright violence or "terror". I doubt that focusing on this group is going to be terribly fruitful. We seem to be having incidents like this every few days, and the perpetrators seem to be quite diverse in every respect, from national origin to ideological affiliation. What they all have in common is some flavor of crazy and access to guns. This is what happens when a society fosters alienation, isolation, and tribalism while making it easier to get guns than to obtain basic healthcare.
16
@The F.A.D. they are as fringy and aggressive as Westboro Baptist Church who has been condemned all the way to the UN, the president of the United States, Congress, and the Senate.
18
NJ, the garden state needs a governor like Chris Christie. During his terms as governor all the hate groups in NJ were not operational. The "Dot busters", anti-semitic groups the anti-law enforcement groups, al-qaeda, ISIS and other terrorist groups were prevented from committing any terrorist activitiesInterfaith harmony and protection of minority religions has to remain a top priority for all states in the US.
6
@Girish Kotwal
Where did you get your information that the hate groups in New Jersey weren't operational during Chris Christie's tenure? Do you think they magically disappeared while he was governor, and then reappeared when Murphy was elected eight years later? You seem to be caught up in a fantasy.
12
The NJ state AG to the governor is soft on crime and anti police. They love to crucify cops with glee but let a recidivist criminal out over and over. How did this person get out of jail with a criminal record like that ?, Blame guns or whatever you like to make you feel better but when you eliminate bail and let serious criminals out this is the result
4
I'm having trouble thinking of the best way to use this tragedy to promote my own personal pet issues.
32
@Donald good
2
@Donald
It is unfortunate that it takes a tragedy for people to talk about the rise in anti-Semitism and hate. Let’s talk about it and take positive action anyway.
1
White supremacists, black supremacists, Muslim extremists. What’s a non-supremacist to do?
Do you know why you never hear of Latino supremacists? Because we simply know we’re better and don’t have to go out and try to prove it to the world. It’s a quiet confidence.
15
@Covfefe
Change "better" to "equally good as any other identity group" and I'm on board with your post.
11
I would recommend the following article: The Political Inconvenience of the Jersey City Shooting by Yascha Mounk.
His response to the Jersey City shooting argues for the need to go beyond a narrow, structural definition of racism in coming to terms with the racial animus that appears to have driven this heinous act. Sociological definitions can illuminate, or they can strangulate the process of coming to terms with racial and ethnic hatred -- a distortion of our humanity from which none of us is immune.
25
@Jane Doe Thank you.
5
Yes this attack is serious and should be fully investigated. I just wish the same vigor was applied to the Saudi Arabian citizen who shot three Americans. Somehow Saudi Arabia is never held to account for their terrorism. People may recall 15 of the 9/11 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia and yet we do not hold them accountable. Outrageous.
57
@Nancy Banks We wouldn't want to alienate the biggest consumers of our weapons manufacturers, would we? Imagine our politicians getting angry phone calls from companies like Harris or Lockheed.
22
@Ancient Or, tic off the "Fraud Squad", Cortez, et al, as those women will spring into aggressive twiiter action if the investigations show that "beauty and peace" is not true, nor the norm.
5
Why is every criminal act 'terrorism' these days? I'd say we overuse the term but it's done so deliberately. Orwellian Newspeak designed to reinforce our 'War on Terror' is designed to shape our perceptions and keep us on edge.
Events that in the past would have been called 'crimes' are now elevated to 'terrorist acts'. This way we can group completely unrelated crimes into our larger national crusade.
This was a tragic crime committed by a group of thugs. The fact that some of them had expressed prejudiced remarks makes them prejudiced, not 'terrorists'
7
Please keep in mind that one of the murdered people wasn't a police officer or Jewish. Douglas Miguel Rodriguez, who worked in the store, was a married man who has a young daughter. He deserves to be remembered, and his family also deserves support.
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@Linda
True, it's still an anti-Semitic crime because that was the motive. But yes, everyone (except the killers) should be mourned.
33
@Linda
The hatred of the two murderers was for police and Jews, of which Mr. Rodriguez was neither. I wonder if the final report will show that he died a hero, trying to save the others.
3
They were known for hateful posts, but yet they still had access to a ton of firepower. I hope the NRA is proud of themselves.
That said, Phil Murphy was wrong: No none was killed because of their beliefs, nor due to being a police officer. They were killed because of prejudice. Let's put the blame where it belongs.
11
“They had a tremendous amount of firepower..”
Haters are going to hate, but it takes the NRA to ensure they have plenty of weapons for their assaults.
55
@CW Bingo!
10
@Sam Katz Yes, because killing near 3000 people on 9/11 only required box cutters. Where is the demand for box cutter control, box cutter red flags, box cutter training and box cutter licensing?
3
@Carlos R. Rivera
There are some compelling arguments against gun control. Comparing the use of box cutters to the proliferation of guns is not one of them.
12
Any so-called religious group that dogmatically refers to certain populations as "devils" should not enjoy the freedom of religion as covered in the first amendment. The right to freely exercise ones religion is based on the assumption that all faiths are moral and benevolent in nature.
The Black Hebrew Israelites should be classified as a domestic terrorist group.
44
When targeted populations, police, religious and racial minorities finally tell NRA/GOP lawmakers that enough is enough, maybe we'll get some relief from the US's unique problem with firearms. The current president, with its embrace of armed, violent racists is serving itself and Putin, not the American people.
14
It is with sadness that we are watching the decline of humanity throughout the world, the advent of Trump, Miller and so many other White Supremacists, Nationalists throughout the world has increased in such fashion that one cannot discern which nation, area will next be targetted. Instead of being able to make available the proper funding so that Municipalities first and foremost are able to detect, monitor then police these individuals Government is making it difficult through someone like Bill Barr who is more intent on being Trump's private attorney than being the Attorney General to all people, this in itself constitutes derelict of duty. In closing, I can only say to the victims family and friends that though I do not understand the pain you are presently going thru, that it will never go away, it will, however, become easier to deal with on daily basis and you will remember their smile, their strength, their laughter and that will help get you through this significant loss.
2
@Rachel Quesnel
Oh, Rachel, reading your comment I am convinced that the world was such a peaceful place before Trump and those white supremacists you mentioned. You have made me forget the holocaust.
The first year of Obama's presidency (2008) had approximately 16400 murders in the US. The last year of his presidency(2016) saw 17400 murders. The first year of Trump's presidency (2017) saw 17300 murders and 2018 saw 16200.
Both Obama and Trump saw murders decline in the early years of their terms. In Obama's case, after year 5 they turned back higher and rose during his last 3 years to a point higher than when his term began. So far, Trump is seeing the same phenomenon but it remains to be seen if Obama's upward reversal will repeat for Trump.
22
@Rachel Quesnel
What in the world does this have to do with Trump? These far-left fanatics were motivated by Trump? I doubt there exists a single comment section in the NYT the last three years on any topic which does not contain at least one letter blaming Trump... and I'm not even a Trump supporter.
11
Domestic terrorism crimes and hate crimes punish people solely for their opinions and thoughts, not their actions. The actions of these people were already criminal (murder and a multitude of other criminal offenses). The only thing done by domestic terrorism crime legislation or hate crime legislation is add punishment for the opinions and thoughts of the perpetrators.
Punishing opinions and thought is an effort at mind control, a big brother tactic. There was not the slightest bit of harm done to anyone by the perpetrators thoughts and opinions. That was done solely by their actions, actions which would be identical regardless of the thoughts and opinions of the perpetrators. If they had survived, then they should have been vigorously prosecuted for murder and the other acts that they actually did, but not their thoughts and opinions.
3
I'm not following you here. Thoughts and opinions that incite violence like killing Jews in their shops or murdering African-Americans in their churches don't live in a vacuum. These acts are explicitly criminalized in the Civil Rights Act and the Supreme Court has also made it clear that free speech is not limitless and does not override incitement to lawlessness.
Do you think lynchings or the Holocaust would have happened without being accompanied by racial or religious bias? These same types of thoughts and opinions are the motives behind large-scale human rights crimes like slavery, torture, and genocide. Motives are central to prosecution, how we assess punishment and develop deterrents. And how else do we uphold the rule of law to ensure that minorities and other protected classes in this country live freely and without fear of violence?
13
@MRR9
I am a staunch defender of freedom of speech. But I do not assert that it should be absolutely limitless. Nevertheless, there is too much tolerance of and desire for even more limitations on freedom of speech.
You argument about criminalization of speech which is incitement is irrelevant to this issue, even to the extent that your arguments have merit. Hate crimes and domestic terrorism crimes do not criminalize speech at all. They criminalize and punish thoughts and opinions when accompanied by acts. But the acts are already otherwise criminal. Therefore, the only effect of it being called a hate crime is greater punishment based solely on the defendant's thoughts and opinions. That is what I am getting at.
Generally, motive has not been an element of a crime. Motive was important only because the absence of one can give rise to doubt that the accused is really the actual perpetrator of the crime. But with hate crimes and domestic terrorism, motive has been criminalized since the punishment is greater would be the punishment for the accompanying acts.
Would the victims in this horrific crime would be less dead if the killers were motivated by anger at the victims politics, or by the desire to rob them, or because the killers thought they had been overcharged?
1
@MRR9
More re just above
There is one situation in which civil rights laws, hate crimes, and domestic terrorism criminalize acts that are sort of not otherwise criminal.
Most people falsely believe that in the US you cannot be tried twice for the same act. That is absolutely false. The Supreme Court held that you can be charged twice so long a one prosecution is by a state court and the other by a federal court, that then there is no violation of the 5th Amendment ""[N]or shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb..."
I think the Court's reasoning is absurd but the Justices didn't ask my opinion :-)
Nevertheless, these Jersey City murders (and many acts that violate civil rights laws) are violations of state laws but there is no other federal law violated. Therefore, civil rights laws or domestic terrorism laws would allow federal prosecution that otherwise would not be permitted when no other federal law was violated by the killing.
Examples of people being tried twice for the same act: 1) the 4 cops who mercilessly beat Rodney King were acquitted in California state court then tried and convicted in federal court for violating federal civil rights laws by beating him motivated by racial prejudice. 2) Terry Nichols (Okla bombing) was convicted in federal court but not given death sentence, then tried in OK state court seeking death sentence. He was convicted again but jury didn't agree to death sentence.
1
And people really wonder why I pack heat?
Now you know!
Don't count on 5-0.
They are 15 mins away when you need them now.
They can't be every place.
2
Guess what kind of people were going to vote for mob-boss president? These two stiffs.
8
The anti-racist and social justice community sure isn't condemning this the same way they would as if the demographics of perpetrator and victim were reversed. If that isn't racist than nothing is.
96
Sadly, I expect more of this as the president whips up division and dismisses lawfulness and law enforcement.
15
All hate crimes are acts of terrorism. When our citizens are victimized over and over again in their churches, schools, markets, and no place is safe, we have to admit something is deeply wrong. No other civilized country in the world has this problem. They would not stand for it! So why do we? The answer is simple: Our government is virtually controlled by the NRA, which has roughly 5 million members out of a population of over 300 million. We are the MAJORITY! How can we let this continue? Unless we hold our elected officials responsible, these acts of domestic terrorism against our people will only get worse. This trend is already massively apparent. When any law of the land ceases to be in the interest and safety of the people and the common good, it MUST be changed. No law should be allowed to remain in force that allows and perpetrates violence on its citizens. We, the People, are a mighty force. But we have become far too complacent, which is the greatest threat to our democracy today. We must fire those we've appointed and elect new leaders that we hold accountable for enforcing our political will, not theirs. When will the 97% of us who don't belong to the NRA rise and fight for our Constitutional rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? Today, under the constant threat of gun violence and terrorism, these fundamental rights are under daily siege, and our lives are being held hostage by a terrifying minority of armed and dangerous people. It must end.
16
This seems to me a hate crime. I wonder, however, if distinctions made in the article between targeting those in a kosher market and law enforcement officers, as opposed to the general public present at the scene relate to the legal definition of hate crime. It seems to me that murder of people because of hatred of humanity as a whole is clearly hate crime that should be taken very seriously. If law does not reflect that, law should be changed.
12
This is such a tragedy for every family directly affected. And the repercussions will go on for Jersey City, the police department, the Hasidic Jewish community, and our society as a whole.
I am at a loss for words when thinking about Detective Seals’ children. But after seeing what happened to another local officer some years ago in a similar situation, I sincerely hope that this will be a reminder to all police that, when confronted with such a scenario as the detective faced, officers will be extra cautious and call for backup before approaching. There likely would have been a firefight, but the responding officers would have prevented the van from going to the supermarket.
Sad to say but hindsight is always a good teacher. Detective Seals deserves our utmost respect and gratitude for doing his job. Thanks to our weak gun laws, criminals are more heavily armed than our police. This is what a family man in law enforcement has to face on a daily basis.
42
Two years ago, The Intercept was reporting on the fact that when Janet Napolitano was in office, she bowed to pressure and relented from implementing the recommendations in a report that warned against infiltration of radical white supremacist groups. Ten years later and after the advent of Trump, here we are, with a president who encourages white supremacists to take violent action and an FBI whose leadership has its hands tied when it comes to cleaning up the mess of armed hate groups we've had proliferate just over the last decade.
I blame this mass murder on the speech Trump gave last week.
We need to be far more explicit in how we talk about white supremacist groups and their activities. We need to see far more investigative reporting. The New York Times should pair up with The Intercept and ProPublica and do a big report.
We need to talk about this. We need to talk about guns. We need to talk about white supremacy in the context of the insane proliferation of guns.
We need to talk about what it will take to put an end to this.
31
@Rima Regas What are you talking about? There's no doubt that white supremacists are a problem, and that right-wing terrorism, anti-Semitic and otherwise, has been an underplayed threat -- for obvious reasons -- in this country. But none of that has anything to do with what happened in Jersey City, as the Black Hebrew Israelites, assuming this connection exists, are quite the opposite of white supremacists.
What needs to be discussed now by people on the Left, but isn't -- and as with the above, the reasons why it isn't are obvious -- is the fact of anti-Semitism on the Left and its manifestations in violence and killing. Not that the killings were political, but there've been, of late, several attacks on Brooklynite Jews perpetrated by young black men; and the Left's silence in its wake is disturbing -- and that is because the perpetrators make uncomfortable targets for criticism.
I'm very sorry that the real world is messy, and that neat ideologies are bound to run up against uncomfortable facts, but that's just the way it is. And one of the biggest problems in this country right now, and perhaps always, is an inability to come to grips with that. Even at a moment like this, all you want to do is make your cherished quotidian claims about how evil anyone not on the political Left is. Here is something you should understand: There is evil, too, on the Left, no matter how much you wish not to see it.
87
@Rima Regas
THESE WERE NOT WHITE SUPREMACISTS! They were non-white and in fact are an anti-white group...Maybe you should try to learn a few facts before spouting completely inaccurate fantasies. Of course I guess that doesn't fit the narrative many people in this country seem to have in regard to guns. In fact your claim of links between white supremacists and gun crime is wholly inaccurate as well. If the people committing gun violence are analysed it would show that non-whites lead the nation in gun violence in this country.
66
@Rima Regas
Excellent point, but in this case, wasn’t it a “Black Supremacy group” that was the culprit?
47
I think I've just about had enough of this. I grew up here in America and my parents are Israeli. To me, America has always come first. I love this country for everything it is. However, the past few years the climate here has changed. I have no idea what side a Jewish person is supposed to be on. I look at trump and see him passing laws to help protect the Jewish community yet be supported by the same people who usually perpetuate crimes against Jewish people (and he allowed these people to come out of their little rat holes and be more vocal about their opinions).
I'm traditionally left, believe Trump is destroying this country and believe Americans have a right to proper medical care and education. However, I see that more and more people on the left pull the same "I'm not anti-semitic, I'm anti-zionist"
I'm sorry but if you believe this line then you are blind. There is a reason Macron in France passed a law labelling anti-zionism to anti-semitism. This is because he's seen what direction the "anti-zionist" have taken their ideology and it leads straight to anti-semitism in France. It seems paradoxical to be against the concept of a Jewish homeland (the only one in the world for a diminishing population) yet say you have nothing against Jews.
As an Israeli-American who supports equality and helping the oppressed (and yes this includes the Palestinians), I'm confused at this point. Thanks to extreme opinions on both sides I have no idea where to turn to.
75
@Gal
Many Americans strictly interpret our nation's Founders belief in a Separation of Church and State, i.e., Religion and State. This could perhaps account for some of anti-Zionist logic as well as similar attitudes toward some of the Islamic nations in which a strong mix of religion and state affairs is present (e.g., Taliban controlled Afghanistan). It also might explain much of the opposition in this country to the admix of Trumpism and Christian Evangelism that is currently in vogue.
10
@Gal, I sympathize with you. Learn to do multiple factors and how to handle data. This will help clear your confusion.
2
@Gal I sympathize with you. I suggest that you learn to handle multiple factors and how to interpret data. Best.
2
The guy was is in prison multiple times for all kinds of offenses and should never been able to purchase firearms of any type, anywhere in the country. The fact that he could is outrageous. Overall I'm not sure why this story isn't bigger news. If it was a White Nationalist it would be everywhere. Very little mention of the frequent animosity between the Orthodox and the neighboring African American community.
90
@kazolar
"Very little mention of the frequent animosity between the Orthodox and the neighboring African American community."
The violence is almost entirely a one way street. Labeling a demographic racist to make it seem they deserve it/brought it upon themselves is a sad norm.
47
As a Christian, I quietly approached a Hasidic woman in our kids’ doctors’ office. I told her how deeply sorry I was that there is so much violence and anti-Semitism. I said that I believe there are many more good people than evil, and we must stand together. She said she believed that, too. We wept together in the pediatricians’ waiting room in Rockland County.
92
I don't wonder why there seems to be so much of this............
4
The killers will never know how badly they set back their cause.
5
I expect, then, that Black Hebrew Israelite will be designated as terrorists by the State Department, and its members and supporters tried for federal crime under the USA PATRIOT Act.
19
@Austin Liberal The article states that those groups do not advocate violence. Your suggestion would be like declaring Any of the various Christian denominations as terrorist.
2
@civiletti -- not advocating violence? I've read articles to the contrary.
6
@civiletti
That is an absurd equivalence. Some Black Hebrew Israelite groups do find common cause with traditional Judaism, but a majority see themselves as the direct descendants of Biblical Judaism and historical Jews as "imposters." Anti-semitism is not an incidental part of the movement.
11
waiting for DJT and Jared to speak out....
5
@jbc
Well the SQUAD has spoken out in the person of Rashda Tliab.
She shared a ifnotnow tweet on Thursday listing the names of the dead. Ms. Tliab added her own commentary:
"White supremacy kills".
She deleted her tweet when informed of the race of the murderers. There was no mention in her original tweet of condolences to the families of the victims or sorrow at the event.
OTH President Trump has spoken eloquently and has expressed his prayers for the families involved two days ago.
27
@jbc - How about a replay of the infamous "There are good people on both sides!"
4
Given the apparent screeds of the pepetrators in social media prior to the shootings, I wonder if, how, and when were they ever on "the radar" of law enforcement? Isn't this exctly the sort of domestic (gun) violence which is the most difficult to predict? What ARE the efforts of the police, etc., in "following" such folk?
9
Jersey City has been a magnet for immigrants just like NYC throughout the centuries. A thorough investigation must be undertaken to determine if in fact this was a targeted location and if anti-Semitism payed a role. J C has had it share of racial differences, and ethnic migration in the past 4 decades fueled by the skyrocketing costs of living in NYC, have displaced many minorities out of both Hoboken, J C and nearby cities. That too could contribute to hatred, but it should never lead to the horrific violence on innocent people.
17
@Alf Canine What's to investigate any further? The videos clearly showed that they drove there ON PURPOSE, ran in and killed Jews ON PURPOSE, and then shot at police when the law enforcement response was so fast. The anti-semitic posts online are merely further proof that this was a targeted hate crime.
Don't try to paint anti-semitism as anything but anti-semitism. More than half of the hate crimes in the U.S. last year were aimed at Jews, who are a much smaller percentage of the population than, for instance, LGBTQ people, or people of color. Anti-semitism is the number one hate crime now, and it doesn't help improve things by denying it.
104