Leftist politicians waste no time declaring 'bigotry,' 'white supremacy' as motives for mass killing in Asian-majority community. Then a pesky fact emerges.
Leftist politicians wasted no time blaming "bigotry" and "white supremacy" for Saturday's mass killing in the predominantly Asian community of Monterey Park, California — and before the facts came out about the shooter.
Democrat Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (New York) on Sunday tweeted that he was "heartbroken" over the tragedy and that America "must stand up to bigotry and hate wherever they rear their ugly heads ..."
\u201cI'm heartbroken by the news of the shooting in Monterey Park amid Lunar New Year celebrations\n\nI'm praying for the victims, their families, the 1st responders\n\nWe must stand up to bigotry and hate wherever they rear their ugly heads, and we must keep working to stop gun violence\u201d— Chuck Schumer (@Chuck Schumer) 1674410280
Democrat U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff of California highlighted "bigotry toward [Asian American and Pacific Islander] individuals as a possible motive."
\u201cTen dead in Monterey Park. I am sickened.\n\nA horrific example of needless gun violence. With bigotry toward AAPI individuals as a possible motive. \n\nThe families are in my prayers as we seek information by law enforcement.\n\nWe\u2019ll never quit demanding real action on gun safety.\u201d— Adam Schiff (@Adam Schiff) 1674403899
Democrat Francesca Hong of the Wisconsin State Assembly tweeted: "This tragedy is beyond hate. We are broken as a nation to have mass shootings and white supremacy reign terror."
\u201cHeart is beyond heavy for the victims and their loved ones. \n\nLunar New Year is a time of togetherness, celebration and love. \n\nThis tragedy is beyond hate. \nWe are broken as a nation to have mass shootings and white supremacy reign terror.\n\nOur community is shattered.\u201d— Francesca Hong \ud64d\uc724\uc815 (@Francesca Hong \ud64d\uc724\uc815) 1674380577
Police on Sunday night identified the alleged shooter as Huu Can Tran — a "72-year-old male Asian," according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna.
You'd think the facts about the suspected shooter would crush the "bigotry" and "white supremacy" theories floated by Schumer, Schiff, and Hong — but their tweets on the subject were still posted as of Tuesday morning.
Unfortunately for the trio, that opened the door for a just a few critiques. Such as:
\u201c@SenSchumer -@chuckschumer logic\n\nAll white people should be ashamed of this Asian guy who killed 10 Asian people.\u201d— Chuck Schumer (@Chuck Schumer) 1674410280
\u201c@RepAdamSchiff It was ASIAN on ASIAN CRIME. \n\nNice try bigot!\u201d— Adam Schiff (@Adam Schiff) 1674403899
\u201c@FrancescaHongWI The shooter was an Asian male. Guess he's a white supremacist! \ud83d\ude02\u201d— Francesca Hong \ud64d\uc724\uc815 (@Francesca Hong \ud64d\uc724\uc815) 1674380577
Not to be outdone, the Los Angeles Times on Sunday published the following headline: "Lunar New Year massacre raises fears of anti-Asian hate even as detectives seek motive." The story's second paragraph even says, "Authorities said based on a preliminary description that the gunman was an Asian male."
As you might guess, folks on Twitter took notice of the headline and let the Times have it:
- "Even though the person of interest is Asian?" one commenter wondered.
- "You do know that the shooter is also Asian?" another user asked. "But [of] course you do. You are just engaged in fear mongering."
- "It is so irresponsible for you to dream out a motive," another commenter said, before adding an "LAntifaTimes" hashtag.
- "The authorities are stating the suspect is an Asian male," another user noted. "Reporting a hate crime won’t help."
Moving the goalposts
Amy Tan — a medical doctor and "scholar/activist" whose tweets are protected — apparently posted the following to Twitter on Sunday, the day police identified the Monterey Park shooter as an Asian male: "Collective grief & trauma is real. The San Gabriel Valley is a beautiful Asian-majority ethnic community. Misogyny & internalized racism are part of white supremacy. [People] don't have to be white to uphold white supremacy. I hate that I have to tweet this on Lunar New Year's [Day]."
\u201c.@AmyTanMD\u2019s profile brags about San Gabriel being a \u201cmajority-minority\u201d community. So \u201cdiversity\u201ddoesn\u2019t mean much if you\u2019re in the majority. But to exploit a mass murder this way is really sick & of course, Asian on Asian crime is the fault of whites. She\u2019s a repulsive racist.\u201d— Josh Namm (@Josh Namm) 1674560057
Left-wing mouthpiece Media Matters for America on Monday posted a story with the following headline: "Right-wing media are exploiting the ethnicity of the Monterey Park shooter to downplay dangers of white supremacy and anti-Asian hate." Uh-huh.
Oh, and not that it matters to the left, but beyond the suspected shooter's Asian ethnicity, KABC-TV said a "prominent member of the community with the Chinese Chamber of Commerce believes the suspect's possible motive may be related to a domestic dispute."
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