Officials: More needs to be done to combat white supremacy terrorism

Officials across the country are calling for more to be done to combat white supremacy terrorism in the United States in the wake of a mass shooting in Texas that left at least 22 people dead.

News 12 Staff

Aug 5, 2019, 8:49 PM

Updated 1,970 days ago

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Officials across the country are calling for more to be done to combat white supremacy terrorism in the United States in the wake of a mass shooting in Texas that left at least 22 people dead.
This weekend saw two deadly mass shootings in less than 24 hours in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio.
President Donald Trump addressed a grieving nation Monday morning. He said the shooter in El Paso posted "a manifesto online consumed by racist hate." The manifesto was allegedly posted on the website 8Chan, a site that has been previously linked to other mass shooting incidents, including a mass shooting a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Federal authorities have suggested that they will pursue domestic terrorism charges against the suspect in the El Paso shooting.
“In one voice, our nation must condemn racism, bigotry and white supremacy,” the president said, adding that he has asked the FBI to “identify all further resources they need to investigate hate crimes and disrupt domestic terrorism.”
But some are blaming Trump for empowering individuals such as the El Paso shooter with some of the words he uses on Twitter and in his rallies.
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Cory Booker said the president's words and tweets since 2015, talking of invasions and infestations of migrants, are stoking the fires of hatred.
“Presidents take responsibly and he is shifting blame to others. He is responsible,” Booker says. “His rhetoric is inflaming racial tensions he is dividing Americans against themselves.”
Even some Republican lawmakers say that sometimes they feel that the president contributes to the division in the country.
“I've called the president out on that, and I will continue to do that and I'll call others out as well: Democrats, Republicans, Cory Booker, tell me how we're going to solve the problem as opposed to pointing the finger,” says Republican state Assembly Minority Leader Jon Bramnick.
Bramnick says that the United States does have a white supremacy problem. He says that he wants law enforcement to monitor white supremacist radicalization online.
“Domestic terrorism and involving white supremacist groups are a threat to our society, no question about it,” Bramnick says.
Bramnick said he's contacted Gov. Phil Murphy to ask that state leaders - from both parties - gather together in Trenton for a show of unity.
So far there is no indication that the shooting in Dayton was racially or politically motivated.