In the early 90’s Rodney King, the man whose brutal police beating was caught on tape and sparked national racial debate, asked “Can’t we all just get along?” asking for calm and peace during the climax of the Los Angeles riots.
It seems that now more than ever, we need to not only ask ourselves this same question, but also put it into action especially under the presidency of a president who builds his political base and power by dividing our country through racially-induced hate.
Just in the month of October we have seen our president send thousands of military soldiers to await the caravan of Central American refugees making their way to our border. On that same subject our president has been spreading unproven rhetoric about middle eastern terrorist sneaking in through the caravan and has continued to spread his xenophobic rhetoric of criminalizing latino migrants referring to them as violent gang members, rapists, and murderers.
“They’re focusing on a caravan of tired and hungry Central Americans seeking safety in America still a thousand miles away, and there’s multiple domestic terrorist attacks actively being directed at Americans,” Frank Sharry, America’s Voice executive director told BuzzFeed News. “People are committing political violence because they’re following [Trump’s] lead and the only thing that can stop them are the voters. … He’s making a horrible incredibly dangerous situation worse.”
There is no doubt that this increase in his already known hate-based rhetoric is being used to build political support leading to the midterm elections. The price we are paying for the Trump administration’s racist political rhetoric is an increase in domestic right-wing terrorist attacks that his administration doesn’t seem to worry too much about.
Just last week, pipe bombs were sent to at least 13 Democratic critics of Donald Trump. This past weekend, a gunman entered and shot 11 people dead and left six injured in a Pittsburgh synagogue.
Also last week, a black man and woman were shot to death by a white male at a Kroger supermarket store in Kentucky. According to police, the man had tried to enter a predominantly black church minutes earlier before the Kroger shootings occured. One can only imagine what would of happened had he been able to get into the church.
Telemundo recently reported that groups of ranchers who live along the U.S.-Mexico border and white supremacists say they are willing to use their guns to prevent immigrants from the refugee caravan from crossing.
As you can see, it is pretty clear what Donald Trump’s rhetoric is doing to this country. All for political power.