Yesterday, an explosion occurred at?the NAACP building in Colorado Springs.
Here is what we know. The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is investigating this matter and the FBI says that the explosion was deliberate. The device detonated on the “exterior wall” of the NAACP building in Colorado Springs around 10:45 am ?local time. Minor damage was suffered to the building and sidewalk. The building also houses a barbershop but mainly serves as a meeting space for the local NAACP chapter. The suspect has been described as a man of around 40 who may be driving a white pickup truck.. Others have claimed that the man is a white male, who is balding.
There are numerous things astounding about this case, but what is so alarming is the lack of coverage from the mainstream media. The explosion was caused by an IED, or improvised explosive device. This detonating on the wall of a building that serves the NAACP already seems racially motivated. However, reports say that a gas can was nearby but failed to ignite. Some say that the lack of media coverage is because no one was injured. But what about the intent? The gas can shows that this suspect likely wanted to cause a lot of damage. Doesn’t the intent to blow up an NAACP building matter?
Let’s flip the script and say someone had placed explosives near/on a police station building. We could expect every major media outlet to be covering that, multiple times per hour, at least. Yes one is a government space and one is not, but hate crimes cannot and should not be tolerated. The threats to destroy something of such racial significance seems like an incident out of a 1950’s horror movie. But this is 2015 and this is real.
I did not see any mention of the NAACP bombing personally yesterday when it actually occurred. I watched CNN, FOX, and MSNBC and saw nothing. They may have showed a little clip and I just missed it. So, I took to social media to ask if anyone else had seen anything from major outlets on this issue. Most had not. One lady sent me a?clip from CNN.
Here are some interesting comments I have found on social media regarding this issue:
@drumbeats4peace Scoured news this am-nothing. HLN:Mrs Doubtfire house-fire set on porch, panda in snow, etc. Not a word abt #NAACPBombing.
? AC Martin (@ACwishes) January 7, 2015
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@AutumnNAlston CNN broadcasted a interview with KKK member about recruitment of klansman now. Haven’t covered the bombing, white terrorism
? FN (@AdamFerdinand10) January 7, 2015
@AutumnNAlston @DanteB4u The Today Show mentioned it. It wasn’t a top news story though.
? Empress of Egypt (@__Krisssyy) January 7, 2015
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Instead of putting the #NAACPBombing on their front pages: FOX NEWS: “Sasquatch family sighting” a joke CNN: Lotto misprint loses man $500K
? JRehling (@JRehling) January 7, 2015
I don’t think the fact that no one died is enough reason to say that this story doesn’t deserve major news coverage. We beat many news stories like a dead horse that involve no deaths or no threats of violence at all. How much did we talk about the Royals visiting NYC? Or Justin Bieber’s court appearance last year? These are just some examples.
It is?also?important to note how the suspect’s race has not been?included in CNN’s story or others I have found like the LA Times piece. Why have media outlets like CNN been so scared to call the suspect a white terrorist? This is another interesting aspect to this case and the coverage surrounding it. Why isn’t?Fox News blaming a larger organization or movement for this attack, the way they do when minorities are the suspects and the victims/targets are white? Because white people never get blamed as a whole. This is an example of privilege and supremacy. I have not found one major media outlet that has labeled the suspect as a terrorist. But if wanting to blow up a building based off racial hatred isn’t domestic terrorism, what is? The media has been dominated today by the egregious killing spree in Paris, France. This is a horrible act that should be reported on, but it is still crazy how acts of terrorism overseas will get more coverage than an act of terrorism here. Unless, of course, the suspect is a minority.
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