The white gunman who killed three black people in Jacksonville, FL, had many manifestos littered with hatred towards minorities.
From The New York Post:
The unidentified shooter was earlier seen lurking around the campus of a nearby historically black college before the attack— and he detailed his hatred of black people in one of “several manifestos,” law enforcement said.“This shooting was racially motivated, and he hated Black people,” Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters told a press conference.“He wanted to kill n——.”The “maniac,” who was in his early 20s, stormed the store with a tactical vest, Glock and an “AR-15 style” rifle, with swastikas painted on it.Despite the Nazi symbols, police said “there is absolutely no evidence that the shooter is part of any larger group.”“This was, quite frankly, a maniac who decided he wanted to take lives,” Waters said. “He targeted a certain group a people, and that’s Black people, that’s what he said he wanted to kill. And that’s very clear.“Any member of that race at that time was in danger — of the Black race.”According to cops, the shooter was involuntarily institutionalized in 2017 through a state law called the “Baker Act.”The year prior, he was involved in a domestic call that ended with no arrests.Police offered little details about his identity, but said he lived in neighboring Clay County with his parents.
Important detail: The shooter is dead.
Interesting, right? He’s 100% correct.
Important detail: The Nashville shooter is dead.
The Nashville police said that the department would release the manifesto when they finish the investigation, which could take a year.
However.
We learned in May that legal battles hindered the release of Aubrey Hale’s manifesto. The transgender killed three 9-year-olds and three adults at The Covenant School in Nashville, TN, earlier this year.
In June, Hale’s parents gave the manifesto to the school parents, who strangely do not want it released:
In the 18-page document, the parents explain they don’t want any of the shooter’s writings or documents to be released, nor do they want any photos or information of the children themselves released.“There is no compelling state interest in giving voice to a horrendous criminal,” the parents’ attorneys wrote in the documents.Anything related to the safety of the school or church, like plans, drawings, and security protocols, are also off limits at the parents’ request.“We are in ‘uncharted waters’ because we have a unique opportunity following a mass murder at an elementary school to prevent the shooter’s writings and anything else that is likely to inspire future attacks from being released and causing pain and suffering to the victims,” the lawyers write.
Deborah Fisher, executive director of the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government, recently told The New York Post that if the courts side with the parents, it could set a precedent we’ve never seen before:
Tennessee’s victims’ rights statute does not give individuals a “carte blanche” to veto other laws, such as the one that allows people the right to public records, said Deborah Fisher, executive director of the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government.“There’s nothing really to indicate that there would be this ability for victims to veto the release of otherwise public records and in, and in this case, crime records,” Fisher said Thursday.
Fisher pointed out that if Hale survived the shooting, then the manifesto would likely be part of the trial:
“In this case, the perpetrator is dead,” she went on, “but if the shooter had gone to trial, most likely the writings of the shooter would be part of the evidence in the case about motivation.”“I don’t think that in that situation, the victims could veto those being submitted in a public trial, and I don’t think that they can veto them being released as crime evidence in a case that doesn’t go to trial because the person is dead,” added Fisher, who is also director of the John Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies at Middle Tennessee State University.
I think it’s crap to use the parents as an excuse not to release Hale’s manifesto.
Fisher’s group knows the litigation outcome could have major implications if the writings are allowed to remain hidden.
Gun control groups and politicians are still trying to use the Nashville shooting to pass gun control laws and regulations.
Gun rights groups and politicians want the manifesto released before anything happens:
Several politicians, a newspaper and gun-rights groups are seeking the release of Hale’s writings, arguing any potential changes to firearm regulations based on the shooting would not be fair without knowing more about Hale’s motives and mental state.Gov. Bill Lee had cited the Covenant School shooting when urging new gun-control legislation, which would include background checks on mental health.Under the proposed law, people deemed risks to others or themselves would have their firearms taken for up to 180 days.
No matter what, the Nashville police have control of the manifesto. The department won’t release the manifesto.
Easy fix: redact privacy information and release the writings.
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