I went to Planet Fitness this morning to begin the New Year on the right foot. For those not familiar, in a row in front of the exercise machines, about ten television sets are hanging down from the ceiling. More sophisticated people than I could use earbuds to listen to the channel of their choice. My location has two sets fixed on CNN, two on Fox News, two on ESPN, and four on other channels like TMZ, HGTV, the Weather Channel, and a local station that would eventually show afternoon soap operas. While I own earbuds (a gift), I use old-fashioned headsets, which I plugged into my stationary bike.
For whatever reason, the headset only works on Fox News, ESPN, and sometimes HGTV. It was too early for live sports, and I saw Fox News was covering the New Orleans attack, where a man drove a truck into a crowd, killing at least fifteen and injuring dozens of others. After the vehicle stopped, the driver got out, shooting and wounding two police officers before being killed himself. I say all this to explain how I came to be watching Fox News, which isn’t typically my channel of choice.
The Fox panel was arguing about whether the Mayor of New Orleans, a woman of color, should have commented that the incident was an “act of terror.” They spent a great deal of time saying she was “premature” and in conflict with a low-level FBI employee who said it wasn’t a terrorist attack. While I was watching, the Department of Justice issued a statement saying it was being investigated as a terror attack. One of the Fox people chimed in that until the investigation was complete, it couldn’t be called a terror attack and portrayed the DOJ statement as a rebuke of the Mayor.
The whole conversation sounded familiar as it’s the same type of conversation often had after a school shooting or a hate crime. Fox News, in particular, and frequently the rest of the media, have established rules that frequently keep them from focusing on the main things. They direct the focus on the intent as opposed to the result. A terrorist attack is something that would have to be dealt with, whereas someone suffering from mental health issues only requires thoughts and prayers for the family.
The same rationale extends to mass shootings. The mental health of the shooter is called into question as a diversion from the perpetual inaction on gun control or mandatory background checks. Racism cannot be addressed unless it can be proven there was an intent to be racist. The Supreme Court has specifically allowed voter suppression where the racial impact is documented, but nobody specifically claimed that the purpose was to suppress Black or brown votes.
At the time I was watching, no information had been released about the identity of the shooter or his motivation. It was later revealed the driver/shooter was 42-year-old Shamsud Din Jabbar. Jabbar was a U.S. citizen from Texas and had served in the military for ten years. He had a flag from the terrorist group Isis in his truck, and improvised explosives were found in his vehicle and the area. Jabbar is believed to have been working with others, and a search is ongoing.
Mayor Latoya Cantrell was correct in identifying what happened as a terrorist attack. The Sugar Bowl football game has been delayed a day while security protocols are reviewed and enhanced. Though the driver was a native of Texas, this will be used as an excuse to crack down further on immigrants. His brown skin will be enough to justify planned deportations and ramp up the hatred of people of color and those of Middle Eastern descent or who have Muslim-sounding names.
I haven’t been to New Orleans just before the Sugar Bowl, but I have been there before and after a few Super Bowls, Mardi Gras, and the Bayou Classic. During all those events, there was a considerable police presence in the French Quarter and on Bourbon Street, where this attack occurred. There was always an officer on every corner. It wasn’t a surprise that when Jabbar exited his truck shooting, officers were nearby to return fire.
I’ve been to several events in the Superdome where the Sugar Bowl is to be held and gone through the post-Iraq War security protocols there. Now that it’s officially a terrorist attack, there will be no stone unturned in identifying and capturing any coconspirators. My question is, in what universe would someone intentionally drive into a crowd and come out shooting, not have been a terrorist?
We need to eliminate the fake delineations that make some terrorist attacks more or less severe than others. White supremacists commit the largest number of attacks in this country, yet those organizations come under the least scrutiny. We make heroes out of some terrorists; several J-6 terrorists are soon expecting to get pardons. There might be ticker tape parades in their honor.
Too often, whether or not someone is named a terrorist is dictated by the color of their skin and who they choose to kill. When it wasn’t known the shooter was named Shamsud Din Jabbar and that he had brown skin every effort was made not to declare him a terrorist without absolute proof. I want him prosecuted and for all his accomplices to be captured as well. I also want some of the so-called patriots who make terrorist threats and commit assaults and murders in the name of their causes to meet the same fate. That includes some police officers.
This article originally appeared on Medium and is edited and republished with author's permission. Read more of William Spivey's work on Medium.