The above title would be the headline if crimes committed by White people were presented with the same level of alarm and fear as crimes committed by Black people. Nine men were killed in a gang fight involving knives and guns and what I find disturbingly not surprising is how the media downplayed this overt act of violence. Nine men were killed in cold blood. Nine. Yet, the horror of this event is quite muted as can be seen on the front page of CNN’s website pictured above.
The culprits and guilty parties didn’t appear to receive the swift escalation of police, the National Guard, SWAT, etc. or any kind of extreme response when notified of the violence before it happened. The police were tipped off of the gangs’ potential activity. Police were even attacked and no one was killed or beaten by police in response. No one seemed worried about the frequencies and presence of this crime in their communities. I mean, the gangs were as subtle as a gun and no alarms or government action played out. No interruption of broadcasts occurred. Nothing happened. I had no knowledge of the massacre until I meandered onto Twitter.
Despite the obvious double standard overtones of American media displayed in this story, I found solace and hilarity in Black Twitter. I was not alone in my confusion at how mum this story was. My feelings were validated and shared among many: Black and White. Black Twitter revealed the hypocrisy of our nation through pictures, laughter and sarcasm and below were just a few of my favorites.
Why won’t America’s biker gangs be more like Dr. Martin Luther King? #TheyTooHaveADream
— Ta-Nehisi Coates (@tanehisicoates) May 18, 2015
9 dead. 18 injured. 100+ weapons recovered. & the gang is literally hanging out at the scene. #TwinPeaksShooting pic.twitter.com/FfSs24CK5Z — deray mckesson (@deray) May 18, 2015
Note that TX will hear expanded open carry bill (& try 2 sneak campus carry legislation in, too) at #txlege 2morrow https://t.co/ZKjtijBUNQ
— MamaAintHappy (@ThisIsItYall) May 17, 2015
No plastic hog tied suspects, no tear gas, no paddy wagons, no beatings. …OH WAIT…white bad guys pic.twitter.com/AcGLHF3pSv — Jeff Gauvin (@JeffersonObama) May 18, 2015
seriously, how does this happen? RT @andrewmastin: Stay inside, Waco. This was taken in Bellmead. pic.twitter.com/UztAcgcr6q
— Bomani Jones (@bomani_jones) May 17, 2015
— Δx Δp ≥ h/2π (@HeckPhilly) May 17, 2015
America loves white criminals, if not love, “admiration” Billy the Kid, Al Capone, Bonnie and Clyde. — Ferrari Sheppard (@stopbeingfamous) May 17, 2015
Ronald Reagan would be very disappointed with the violence in Waco. He fought so hard for whites to live in peace. #StopWhiteOnWhiteCrime
— Question Everything (@SankofaBrown) May 17, 2015
Why are they ruining their own communities?! Where are the father figures?!? #TwinPeaksShooting https://t.co/cvmyfIBvFm — Carlos A. Martinez (@cmartinezTX) May 17, 2015
And they’re still alive. https://t.co/PxFJnrPiIB
— Ferrari Sheppard (@stopbeingfamous) May 17, 2015
@deray when will the white community speak out on this? — Wayne Douglas (@WayneDouglas82) May 17, 2015
If someone starts killing white males indiscriminately and justifies it based on white on white biker violence, I’ll know unicorns are real.
— Ferrari Sheppard (@stopbeingfamous) May 17, 2015
Thugs. WHERE ARE THE FATHERS?! https://t.co/ZLpDCUqsrT — Kirsten West Savali (@KWestSavali) May 17, 2015
*tragedy https://t.co/BC6RoXKW4v
— Ferrari Sheppard (@stopbeingfamous) May 17, 2015
So will CNN be having panel discussions on this white on white crime though? — Nancy Drew (@sliknikington) May 17, 2015
[…] She started reading them and I started to shake my head in a sort of sad resolve. I told her she should create a blog post with a representative sample of the tweets and a few thoughts. She purposefully gave it the provocative title “White on White Crime Terrorizes Waco in Twin Peaks Massacre.” Check it out here. […]