The Buffalo shooting is the latest example of something that’s been part of U.S. history since the beginning: targeted racial violence. For many Black Americans, it is stirring up the same feelings they faced after previous racist attacks.
Democratic Florida state Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, who is gay and of Peruvian descent, immediately had flashbacks to the Pulse nightclub shooting that left 49 victims dead. The shooter targeted gay patrons in what was a largely Latino crowd.
Experiencing violence of any kind is obviously traumatic, but the impact of targeted violence like this has ripples on a broader level. Hate crime laws are on the books in recognition of that reality. The effect of events like these is “you’ve increased the vulnerability of everyone who looks like the target,” said Jeannine Bell, a professor at Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law. “This is a different type of crime because it impacts not just the victims, but also the community.
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