Consider This from NPR - The Latest Mass Shooting in Florida Was Racist. What Role Do State Politics Play?

Episode Date: August 28, 2023

The latest mass shooting in Jacksonville, Florida left three people dead.All of the victims were Black and the white gunman left behind racist, hate-filled letters.The Justice Department is now investigating this shooting as a hate crime.A big part of the conversation now is what role state politics play in crimes like this. Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has loosened gun laws in recent years and put restrictions on how race is taught in public schools.NPR's Juana Summers talks with Mutaqee Akbar, president of the Tallahassee branch of the NAACP, about how much responsibility lies with politicians. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [e-mail] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This message comes from Indiana University. Indiana University is committed to moving the world forward, working to tackle some of society's biggest challenges. Nine campuses, one purpose. Creating tomorrow, today. More at iu.edu. This isn't political. Pastors already said it's not about Democrats, it's not about Republicans, but we have three people that are dead. A.J. Laguerre Jr., 19. Gerald Deshaun Gallon, 29. And Angela Michelle Carr, 52. These were the three people who were killed in a mass shooting at a Dollar General in Jacksonville, Florida on Saturday. On Sunday, Democratic Florida Senator Tracy Davis spoke to a crowd at St. Paul AME Church for a vigil. Dead because they are Black. Shopping in their community. Gunned down because they were black. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office identified the shooter as a 21-year-old white man who left behind racist, hate-filled letters.

Sheriff T.K. Waters said the gunman texted his father and told him to use a screwdriver to enter his bedroom, where the father found a suicide note and other writings on his computer. The manifesto was, quite frankly, the diary of a madman. He was, I mean, he was just completely irrational. The gunman attempted to drive through Edward Waters University, a nearby historically black university, before targeting the Dollar General. But campus security confronted the gunman and escorted him out of school grounds, according to the school's president. After this, he drove to the Dollar General and barricaded himself inside. Plainly put, this shooting was racially motivated, and he hated Black people. The Justice Department is now investigating this shooting as a hate crime. President Biden issued a statement on Sunday

saying, quote, as we continue searching for answers, we must say clearly and forcefully that white supremacy has no place in America. Meanwhile, in Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis addressed the community as they gathered for a prayer vigil. As DeSantis approached the podium, some in the crowd prepared to boo. We're going to ask the governor to come back. Consider this. Are these booze justified? Is linking state policy to violent mass shootings fair? We'll take a look after the break. From NPR, I'm Juana Somers. It's Monday, August 28th. at the real-time mid-market exchange rate with no hidden fees. Download the WISE app today or visit WISE.com. T's and C's apply. This message comes from Indiana University. Indiana University drives discovery, innovation, and creative endeavors to solve some of society's

greatest challenges. Groundbreaking investments in neuroscience, climate change, Alzheimer's research, and cybersecurity mean IU sets new standards to move the world forward, unlocking cures and solutions that lead to a better future for all. More at iu.edu forward. it's consider this from npr not everyone who saw de santa speak in jacksonville was booing let me let me tell you we finna put parties aside because it ain't it ain't about parties today a bullet don't know a party so don't get me me started. At the vigil, Jacoby Pittman, a Jacksonville City Councilwoman who represents the neighborhood where the shooting happened, took the mic to ask the crowd to listen to DeSantis. If the governor wanted to come here and he bringing gifts to my community, y'all know I'm taking the gifts because we've been through enough already

and I don't want to go through no more. Now y'all, y'all just be quiet just a minute and let the governor say what he gonna say and we gonna get this party started. You hear me? Okay, let's do it. What he did is totally unacceptable in the state of Florida. It was a racist. We are not going to let people be targeted based on their race. We are going to stand up. Mutaki Akbar is president of the Tallahassee branch of the NAACP. We spoke to him about the weekend's events and how much responsibility lies with politicians. Welcome back.

Thank you for having me. I appreciate it. So I just want to start with your reaction to the shooting. What have you been hearing from those around you as more details have come to light here? The reaction is sad. It's troubling, and it brings on a sense of anger also that these types of heinous acts are still happening in 2023. Of course, everybody around is concerned about this happening and concerned, of course, that it's not isolated necessarily, especially around the fact that he initially targeted Edward Waters College, the HBCU, with there being so many other HBCUs throughout this state. As we mentioned earlier, Governor DeSantis was booed at that prayer vigil on Sunday,

and people in the crowd were putting blame on his policies. And we should just point out here, as Governor DeSantis has loosened state gun laws in Florida. He's curbed efforts to teach Black history in the state's public schools. And when he was being booed at that vigil, Councilwoman Jacoby Pittman stepped in to stop the crowd, essentially saying that a bullet doesn't know a party. What were your reactions to that moment and Councilwoman Pittman's response there? I'm not, and I saw her response. I'm not sure where she was coming from when she said, you know, if he's here to bring gifts, we're here to accept those gifts. I think that the boos that were heard is the sentiment of a lot of the community that, you know, what's been going on for the last six years almost of what they call these culture wars and these these the woke laws and everything has been an assault on minority know, kind of emboldened those people like this shooter to claim that Black people are taking jobs, that Black people are getting special treatment, whether it's DEI

legislation or, you know, other types of legislation. And what we've been saying all along when it comes to teaching Black history, when it comes to the importance of diversity, equity, inclusion, all of those things to fight against them kind of lessens our worth and also causes people to have the type of hate that can go into a Dollar General and shoot people here because in the wake of this shooting, we heard Governor DeSantis call this gunman's actions absolutely unacceptable. And we heard him say that people in the state of Florida should not be targeted based on their race. He's come out against this. And given that, is it fair to link curricula in schools to a violent mass shooting like the one that we saw over this weekend. Rhetoric is rhetoric. Whether you're spewing rhetoric as the governor or you're spewing rhetoric as somebody who is a gun-toting racist, it's the same rhetoric. It's the same what we feel like hate and racism. And we've seen it throughout the state. We have Nazis holding up flags saying that this is DeSantis' country. We have Nazis protesting outside of Disney because DeSantis is making claims against Disney. He's called out those people who have these racist thoughts,

this violent behavior. He's called them out. So, of course, he's going to show up at a press conference and make those statements, especially as running for president. But there have been a number of times throughout the years that he should have called out their racist behavior. He should have called out the fact that they were holding up Nazi flags outside of Disney and throughout the state of Florida in support of him. And he never called it out until, you know, this weekend when he was pretty much forced to. And even then, he couldn't muster up the language to call this person a racist. He said he called him a scumbag, which is, you know, okay, but like,

let's call it what it is. Let's call it racist. Let's call it racism. Let's call it hate. And let's teach what's going on the real way in these schools so we can't repeat history. Otherwise, we will repeat history. And that's a part of what we saw this weekend. I mean, when we have, this is unfortunately a sad ritual where we have conversations with folks like yourself after tragic shootings like the one over the weekend. From your view, what can be done to address a shooting such as this one in which we have seen these racist writings from the shooter, three Black victims killed. What's the solution here? That's a difficult question because it's trying to put a rational thought to irrational behavior. And that's the same thing we've been dealing with, I think, with this legislation and

this whole idea of being woke and everything. It's trying to rationalize irrational policies, irrational laws, things that just, we should be focusing on so much more to build our community up. Instead, we're doing the opposite. So I do think we need to stop the rhetoric, stop the hate, stop this idea of being woke. All of a sudden means division. And let's move towards community. Let's move towards unity. And at the same time, discuss the realities of history, at the same time, discuss these ideas and policies that need to be put in place that put Black people in the Black community at equal footing as everybody else,

because of all that we've endured and still enduring. So I think moving forward with rational policies, moving forward with equality, all the things that people that came before me fought for, all the things that people that came before me saw important, they're still important. And we need to move forward with positive policies. We've been speaking with Mutaki Akbar, president of the Tallahassee branch of the NAACP. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you for having me. It's Consider This from NPR. I'm Juana Summers. Support for NPR and the following message come from the Kauffman Foundation, providing access to opportunities that help people achieve financial stability,

upward mobility, and economic prosperity, regardless of race, gender, or geography. Kauffman.org.