It is extremely difficult to find any kind of explanation for the terrorist attack suffered by the community of El Paso, Texas. The attack left 22 people dead and 25 injured, including young children, in the worst firearms incident that has occurred since . Minutes before the tragic incident, the alleged attacker posted a hateful manifesto against immigrants on the internet. This kind of meaningless hatred transcends any trace of logic and is a terrifying message that inaction will lead to new tragedies.
This crime was motivated by the alienating ideas of hatred against immigrants, which have multiplied over the last three years. If you read the text of the attacker, you can see phrases from recent political speeches. He talked about a Latino invasion
in Texas and warned that immigrants were taking the place
of white people.
Sadly, this is another tragedy that adds to the horrific list of massacres that the United States has suffered in recent years. What have we done as a nation to address this problem? The answer is nothing.
The White House lamented this shooting and another that occurred hours later in Dayton, Ohio, and rushed to declare that this shooting was caused by mental health problems.
Then President Donald Trump wrote that the media was to blame. There were also those who wanted to blame video games. There was no talk about the problems of hate, divisiveness, and in many cases violence, which are being promoted in electoral speeches.
Later there was a change of tone, and the president suggested that legislation be implemented that would allow regulations regarding the sale of assault weapons and background checks. He added that he would like to see immigration reform added to this legislation.
The staunch defenders of the right
to bear arms do not want any kind of control, not even something as basic as checking the criminal history of a buyer. This is because of their paranoid idea that the federal government is going to take their weapons away and they are not going to be able to defend themselves. This point is loaded with prejudices rather than common sense.
During this period of racial tensions, when rhetoric against vulnerable groups such as immigrants has spread across the country, it is necessary to assess who are the promoters of hate and the preachers of prejudice.
Hate and prejudice are not mental illnesses. They are social diseases, which in many cases, as happened in El Paso, can end in tragedy.
We must address this evil at its roots. We must not lend our ears to promoters of hate and prejudice so that they can spread their poisonous words. We must denounce the actions of these people. Under no circumstances can we allow these individuals to hold public office. If we really want to prevent another tragedy like El Paso or Dayton from happening again, we must show the promoters of hate that they are alone and that they are outnumbered by those of us who believe in the dignity of all human beings, regardless of their immigration status.