The “Trump effect” is becoming an alarming phenomenon around the United States and it should have us all concerned. It most definitely has the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) concerned. The organization coined the term to refer to the increased violence and hate crimes spurred on by Donald Trump’s xenophobic rhetoric—perpetuated by those who identify with white supremacy and white nationalism. And the data shows that hate crimes are on the rise and people have been emboldened by this toxic presidency with last week in particular culminating in a series of deadly hate crimes.
Last Friday in Portland, Oregon, two men were killed and a third was injured after they came to the defense of two girls (one of whom was wearing a hijab) who were being yelled at by a man yelling racial and ethnic slurs on a commuter train. And in Washington state on Saturday, in a lesser reported story, two Native American men who were members of the Quinault Tribe, were run over by a man driving a pickup truck allegedly yelling racial slurs while they were celebrating a birthday party at a campground. One man died of his injuries, while the other remains hospitalized. And in a third story emerging from California, also occurring on Saturday, yet another person of color was attacked by someone screaming racial slurs.
On Saturday, Anthony Robert Hammond, a 34-year-old white man, was arrested after violently stabbing an African American man with a machete in Clearlake, California. According to Hammond’s victim, whose identity has not been released, his attacker screamed racial slurs before going into an apartment building and returning with the weapon — at which point, the victim says, Hammond began to strike him. Police summoned to the scene faced a stand-off with Hammond, who surrendered only after several hours. While en route to Lake County Jail, Hammond also reportedly threatened to kill the transporting officer along with his family.
Now if you are a Muslim (or a person perceived to be Muslim) or a person of color in America right now, imagine what must be going through your mind. Imagine the concern for your sense of safety and well-being you have at every waking moment when you wake up to the news that this has happened and keeps happening—back to back, day after day. It’s really hard to imagine that these are isolated, random incidents. Especially because quite often the attackers are revealed to have connections to white nationalist groups.
Earlier this month, a black college student was stabbed to death at the University of Maryland in what investigators suspect could also be a possible hate crime. The person charged with his murder was a member of the Alt-Reich Nation Facebook group, which contained anti-Semitic posts as well as posts against women, Latinos and blacks. And likewise, the reported Portland attacker has a history of this behavior and participation in white supremacist groups.
A closer inspection of Christian’s Facebook page later revealed a history of extremism and white supremacist sympathies. In April, he attended an “alt-right” free speech rally, where he was filmed giving a Nazi salute and saying “Die Muslims!” [...]
In another post he ranted, “If Donald Trump is the Next Hitler then I am joining his SS to put an end to Monotheist Question. All Zionist Jews, All Christians who do not follow Christ’s teaching of Love, Charity, and Forgiveness And All Jihadi Muslims are going to Madagascar or the Ovens/FEMA Camps!!! Does this make me a fascist!!!”
Several organizations, like the SPLC and Think Progress have been documenting the increase in hate crimes since the election. And, according to Think Progress’ findings, the targets of increased hate crimes following Trump’s election have unsurprisingly been people of color, immigrants, Muslims, queer people and religious minorities—the very same groups he targeted on the campaign trail. What’s worse, it doesn’t look like the “Trump effect” will be subsiding anytime soon.