Just a couple of days ago I wrote on this page about some thoughts on gun violence and NC law. Then last night the worse case scenario took place in Charleston, SC. in my native state.
I was glad that the alleged shooter was arrested and will be brought to justice without further loss of life. But as I was glued to my Twitter feed today, I was reminded over and over of South Carolina's, and the Deep South's. long history of racism and related violence.
It's not a pretty sight to see the Confederate Battle Flag still flying on the grounds of the Capitol in Columbia, just blocks from my alma mater at the University of Sourth Carolina.
I am posting from another Daily Kos dairy today:
The Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's office and FBI have already begun investigating the shooting in Charleston, South Carolina, as a hate crime. Some local authorities agree with that assessment.
“There is no doubt in my mind that this is a hate crime,” Charleston Police Chief Greg Mullen told the Post and Courier.
But state officials won't have the option of conducting their own hate crime investigation because South Carolina is one of only several states that still lacks a hate crimes law. Aviva Shen has the details
--
Kerry Eleveld on Daily Kos
There is little constructive to be done as individuals other than to pray for the victims and their families and friends in Charleston. But here are a couple of suggestions for those like me who want to do something--anything--to express our sincere condolences.
One is to sign the petition Kery Eleveld has created: 'Sign the petition: South Carolina, take down the Confederate flag!' If Gov. Nikki Haley would expedite this, it would be a show of concern for the still racist folks in SC, which she seems determined to defend.
The other way to contribute would be to donate to the fund created to help the victims's families. Charleston's veteran mayor Joe Riley is working to raise funds for the families. I will post more on this as I find direct links for this fundraising.
4:44 PM PT: Washington (CNN)Rep. Mark Sanford declined to weigh in on whether or not South Carolina should reconsider the place of the Confederate flag -- either on license plates or at a memorial on the Statehouse grounds -- in the wake of the massacre of nine African-Americans in a church, allegedly by a white man in a hate crime.
The former Republican governor told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on "The Situation Room" that "for some folks that represents heritage, for others of us it represents hate. --- http://www.cnn.com/...
5:09 PM PT: http://www.msnbc.com/...
“If we’re not safe in the church, God, you tell us where we are safe!” Pastor Thomas Ravenel, wearing a purple shirt that read ‘Empowerment Missionary Baptist Church,’ screamed into the night air as he gripped his fellow South Carolinians’ hands tight.
At a press conference announcing Roof’s capture, Charleston Mayor Joe Riley acknowledged that the arrest was only the prerequisite to a less certain battle. With it, he said, they could “begin the process of our healing together.”
Fri Jun 19, 2015 at 7:09 PM PT: In interview on MSNBC State Rep.from Spartanburg County, Doug Brannon, said he would introduce a bill in next legislative session to take down the Confederate Battle Flag that flies on capitol grounds in Columbia.. He was a personal friend of Sen. Pinckney who died. I think this is the right thing for all of SC, black and white alike.