“Did you see that mass shooting today in New York?”
It was the first I heard about the shooting in Buffalo on Saturday. I was (am) still recuperating from my heart attack at mother’s house. She had just walked through the front door when she dropped the unsettling news.
“When? Today,” I asked.
“You have some really evil people out here.”
I didn’t jump to that conclusion. I immediately waved off her assertion with “some people are just broken.”
As soon as I tapered my mother’s indictment, I went online and learned the shooting was racially motivated. With the story in the “developing” phase and information trickling in, it didn’t take long before I learned the victims were mostly Black, and the suspect, an 18-year-old, was White.
The early details were jarring.
My stomach swirled with disgust. Not because I didn’t see this coming… or you for that matter, but because Black America appears to be entering another stage of terrorism that our neighborhoods and communities know too well. And the outrage is as loud as the calls for action. That says too much. The Charleston church shooting in 2009 (which has disturbing parallels with the Buffalo mass shooting) was the most recent act of terrorism on Black America in a well-documented history we can trace back over the last century during the height of segregation, and prior. (Tulsa and Rosewood came to mind.)
Authorities have said the shooter had a manifesto, which included an asinine race replacement theory. As ludicrous as these conspiracy theories are to us level-headed folks, we have a large segment of the nation that eats up conspiracy theories… and those in the right-wing media are dishing them out around the clock. It’s not only irresponsible, it makes them complicit in attacks like Buffalo.
When will enough be enough?
The shooter’s name doesn’t matter. Nor the names of the White media talking heads who spew volatile rhetoric and conspiracies that embolden racists. (I refuse to feed infamy.) On any given day, depending who is producing, their networks air stories about “White Nationalism” being deemed a threat to our country’s safety and stability, only to pivot moments later into segments dedicated to intentionally spreading lies and disinformation. They remain insulated from the consequences of their actions because these corporate media companies — and some independent outlets — thrive on their greatest strength: White Fear.
With an election season upon us, the vitriol has skyrocketed in mass media, and that does not bode well for us.
White Fear drives ratings. White Fear mobilizes voters. White Fear elects politicians. And there is a handshake involved in this nasty cycle — none of those powers operate in silos. They knowingly place Black communities in danger because they believe since we have always been their prime target, we can stay that way.
White Fear is used to dehumanize Blacks and perpetuate White supremacy. If the federal government is truly serious about protecting the integrity of the U.S. and the safety it promises its citizens, the FCC and Congress need to take action without compromising First Amendment rights.
Something can be done.
As reasonable as my suggestion may be considered, the glib reality is nothing of the sort is, or will be, on the horizon. Not yet. And another city or town will be the next Buffalo because those who can do better by us will look the other way.
I hate to imagine how devastating the next attack could be, or the prospect I will just have to concede: there really are some evil people out there.
Corey Arvin is Editor of BLK News Now! His journalism experience includes Television, Newspapers, and Digital Media as a Writer, Reporter, Content Producer, and Digital Producer. Some of those media outlets include CBS Phoenix (KPHO), NBC4 Los Angeles, ABC7 Los Angeles, California Black Media, SCNG, and more. He can be reached at Corey@BLKNewsNow.com.