These shootings are but a few numerous high-profile shootings targeting racial, social, sexual, and religious minorities in the United States over the past few years. The shooter, who obtained his guns legally and modified at least one of them into an illegal assault weapon, live streamed the massacre. Prior to the shooting, the killer published a screed claiming that “critical race theory”-a recent right-wing talking point that has come to generally encompass teaching about race in school-is part of a Jewish plot and a reason to justify mass killings of Jews. Thirteen people- 11 of whom were Black- were shot while grocery shopping. Just a few days after the shooting in Dallas, on May 14, an 18-year-old white man radicalized by far-right extremism drove several hours to a predominately Black neighborhood to commit a bigoted act of domestic terrorism. Hate crimes against AAPI individuals have skyrocketed since 2020, when former President Trump began espousing rhetoric that Asian people caused the virus. Just over a year later, on May 11, 2022-during Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month- three Asian women were shot at a hair salon in Dallas, Texas, a shooting which investigators think may be connected to other recent shootings at Asian-owned businesses in the area. The very next day, six Asian women and two other individuals were shot and killed at three different spas in the Atlanta area in targeted acts of hate. SPLC officials, however, said Wednesday they believe the rhetoric will continue as long as it is gaining acceptance in American society.Īnd they called upon Congress to enact the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act (S.964/H.R 350) to establish offices within the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, and the FBI to monitor, investigate and prosecute cases of domestic terrorism – and require regular reports from these offices.On March 15, 2021, Giffords Law Center first released this report examining the rise of hate-fueled extremism in the United States. “We’ve experienced significant disruption to our operations and terrible distractions from our core mission, which remains environmental education and conservation for the benefit of butterflies,” Glassberg said. “We look forward to returning to business as usual, so we may continue to share the wonder of butterflies and the beauty of this place with our members, visitors and community.” And he said the prolonged closure has been tough on staff and the eco-community that enjoys the sanctuary. On Wednesday, NABA President and Founder Jeffrey Glassberg told Border Report in a written statement that they are trying to find safe ways to reopen to the public. (Sandra Sanchez/Border Report File Photo) The National Butterfly Center sits on the banks of the Rio Grande south of Mission, Texas. The SPLC report, “The Year in Hate & Extremism 2021,” says there were 733 hate groups across the United States in 2021, including 72 chapters of the white nationalist all-male group The Proud Boys, which supported President Donald Trump. The Butterfly Center is just but one victim of what the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) says in a new report is a nationwide “rise in the radical right.” The National Butterfly Center in Mission, Texas, draws thousands of nature enthusiasts to the South Texas border every year. Meantime, the Mission Police Department has set up a mobile surveillance tower inside the property as a deterrent. On Wednesday, the gates remained locked and National Butterfly Center Executive Director Marianna Treviño-Wright said they were beefing up security and hiring experts to evaluate the facility to try to figure out if, and when, it will be safe to reopen to the public. National Butterfly Center closes indefinitely citing ongoing threats from far-right agitators
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