Let's unpack the federal government’s response to attacks on Tesla vehicles. The car company has become unpopular because of its CEO, Elon Musk, a senior Trump advisor. Musk’s guidance has contributed to thousands of federal workers losing their jobs. And proposed plans to limit or reduce Social Security and Medicaid triggered public backlash. The Tesla stock plummeted, another sign of widespread discontent. Some citizens responded by attacking any vehicles that brandished the Tesla logo. Incidents have ranged in severity from spraying graffiti to throwing Molotov cocktails. FBI director Kash Patel characterized this behavior as “domestic terrorism.” He vowed to pursue those responsible and bring them to justice. Yet, his response seemed to paint all these actions with a broad brush. And the irony wasn’t lost on Black Americans. That officials branded attacks on Tesla “terrorism,” but not attacks on racial minorities.
The vast majority of hate crimes committed in America target individuals based on race. FBI crime data indicate that anti-Black or African American hate crimes are the most prevalent. This violence reflects the nation’s legacy of anti-Black racism. Some believe that past atrocities play no role in the lives of Black people today. However, a study in the Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency dispels that notion, stating, “Racial discrimination inherent in slavery has manifested in modern-day anti-Black hate crimes.” Their findings suggest that, contrary to popular belief, past racism continues to affect the lives of Black people. Research in the American Sociological Review sheds further light on the matter. One study’s findings revealed that past lynchings impact areas with a sizable Black population. These factors, when combined, suppress “police compliance with federal hate crime law,” as well as their willingness to complete police reports of hate crimes against Black people and the likelihood of prosecuting a hate crime case. Property damage is unpleasant, but violence against Black people is a tragedy. Referring to attacks on Teslas or other property as “terrorism” seems to bypass the standard held when protecting citizens.
Bishop Talbert Swan, the NAACP president of Springfield, called out the irony. “You can mass murder Black people in churches and supermarkets and not be called a terrorist. But all bets are off if you vandalize a Tesla.” He referenced this skewed standard upheld by law enforcement, one that prioritizes the value of property over Black lives. In 2022, an 18-year-old White man, Payton Gendron, targeted and killed 10 Black individuals in Buffalo, New York. He opened fire in a grocery store, specifically seeking out his victims based on their race. Prosecutors pursued first-degree murder charges, but at no point did the Department of Justice or FBI label him a terrorist. Similarly, Dylan Roof, a 22-year-old white man, killed 9 Black individuals in Charleston, S.C., in 2009, targeting them for their race. Officials charged him with murder, not terrorism. If held to the same standard, attacks on Tesla would be considered criminal property damage, not terrorism.
Part of the problem has been the politicization of law enforcement priorities. Far from the neutral façade often portrayed, their objectives usually reflect the whims of the most powerful. Throughout this nation’s history, this has frequently involved protecting the interests of white men. As a result, safeguarding the most marginalized is rarely prioritized equally. Over the past few years, hate crimes targeting racial minorities have risen. However, the FBI has not displayed the same urgency in pursuing assailants for these crimes as it has for those damaging Tesla vehicles or in publicizing the domestic threat that racial violence poses. American society stereotypes Black Americans as more criminal than other groups. The implication is that those who break the law should face punishment. Yet, when Black individuals are victims, that same standard seems to vanish. This is not to suggest that those convicted of anti-Black hate crimes don’t face consequences; indeed, they do. However, it is also true that these crimes are underreported, and not all prosecutors demonstrate due diligence in prosecuting racial hate crimes.
Domestic terrorism generally refers to activities that endanger human life and “intimidate or coerce” a civilian population or government officials. This doesn’t mean that law enforcement cannot consider widespread damage to private property as terrorism. However, it seems like a stretch, particularly in sporadic, nonviolent property damage cases. Dr. Rabea M. Khan, a lecturer in international relations, suggested that the term “terrorism” is not neutral. They noted that it is a construct that carries racial, gendered, and colonial implications, and that the mere utterance of the term “constitutes a form of violence.” As a result, Khan recommends that scholars abandon the term altogether. Often, law enforcement uses the term “terrorism” to describe crimes committed by Muslims or racial minorities. In contrast, they rarely describe hate crimes committed by White people against racial minorities in the same way.
In this case, Elon Musk, the white South African CEO of Tesla, has courted controversy. Since taking control of Twitter and renaming the platform X, hate speech has increased on the platform. While he claimed to prioritize “free speech,” the company has yet to reconcile this ideal with protecting Black people and other marginalized groups from harassment. At the Trump inauguration rally, Musk made what many citizens described as a Nazi salute. He, along with other Republicans, denied these allegations, claiming it was merely an awkward hand motion. However, Musk has made statements that appear aligned with white nationalists, such as calling diversity, equity, and inclusion programs “racism,” a tactic that detracts from their true purpose. His role as a top advisor to Trump has raised eyebrows because some members of the administration have espoused white nationalist ideas. For instance, Darren Beattie from the State Department suggested, “Competent white men must be in charge if you want things to work.” This, of course, implies that racial minorities cannot be competent.
Let’s revisit one of the examples provided by Bishop Swan for a moment. If intimidating citizens through violence constitutes terrorism, then these hate crimes would undoubtedly qualify. For instance, Gendron killed ten Black individuals in Buffalo, New York, in 2022 at a grocery store. This attack was directed not only at those present but also at the Black community as a whole. A poll illustrated the lasting impact of this incident. “Three-quarters of Black Americans are worried that they or someone they love will be attacked because of their race.” Seventy percent of Black people felt sad, 62% felt angry, and 52% felt troubled two years after the Buffalo attack. The manifesto Gendron wrote lamented the declining birth rate among white people. Many subscribe to a racist conspiracy theory known as The Great Replacement Theory, which posits that foreign racial minorities and Black people are replacing White people in America. Research indicates that those who endorse GRR are more likely to engage in violence targeting racial minorities. And yet, no one is labeling the person responsible for these crimes as a terrorist.
The recent uproar over citizens damaging Tesla vehicles highlights the uneven application of the term “terrorist.” This word is rarely used in cases where individuals commit deliberate hate crimes targeting Black Americans, even when their actions instill fear among citizens or leave a lasting, harmful impact on the affected community. That’s why, for some Black individuals, invoking the standard of terrorism to protect a car brand favored by the administration reflects a skewed set of priorities. Why do some citizens feel more comfortable condemning attacks on vehicles than those aimed at their fellow citizens? A Current Biology study found that racial bias reduces empathetic neural responses. The study explained that this is not permanent or inevitable, but rather the byproduct of “acquired prejudice.” Their findings suggest that racism skews the empathetic lens through which we view the world. However, it’s startling to see anti-Black racism manifest in policy, whether intentional or not, declaring attacks on Tesla vehicles “terrorism” while failing to raise the alarm over hate crimes targeting Black Americans sends a message that protecting private property takes precedence over their lives.
This post originally appeared on Medium and is edited and republished with author's permission. Read more of Dr. Allison Gaines' work on Medium.