The bare facts of what is likely to be one of the most shocking hate Crime in recent memory are known. Four African Americans in Chicago kidnapped and held a white special needs man, tied and gagged him, and beat, kicked, and cut him for hours while screaming, “F--- white people! F--- Donald Trump!” In a macabre twist, the perpetrators live streamed the torture on Facebook. The four are in custody, and their victim has been treated at a hospital and is being questioned by detectives. He is said to be disoriented and traumatized.
The incident presents a particular problem for the media.
If the racial identities had been reversed, say four white people torturing a special needs black man for hours and pleasure, the story would be a familiar one and would be easy to feel outraged about. Dylann Roof’s slaughter of eight black Church parishioners elicited universal revulsion. However, because of the identities of the criminals and the victim, the media has a problem. The political class has a problem.
Of course, evil is not restricted to any particular race. Chicago has become a war zone of black on black crime with a murder rate rivaling war-torn regions in the Middle East. Thus far law enforcement has been helpless to put a stop to it. President Elect Trump tweeted recently that Chicago might require federal assistance to end the war taking place in gang-ridden neighborhoods.
The other aspect of the hate crime that has the media and political class queasy is the political dimension. The perpetrators seemed to be exercised about the election of Donald Trump as president and took their ire out on the bleeding, helpless body of their victim. This aspect runs counter to the narrative of violent Trump supporters.
Much of the political violence that has taken place in the wake of the election has been committed by Trump opponents. Back in November a man was dragged out of his car and beaten by four people while a mob chanted, “Don’t vote for Trump!” The perpetrators of this crime, which took place in Chicago, were taken into custody.
The Obama administration has been reticent about pursuing black on white hate crimes, mostly because the incidents run counter to the comfortable narrative that racism only goes one way. How the incoming Trump administration will view matters has yet to be determined.
