St. Louis Church Arsons: A Suspect Is Nabbed
Officials said they arrested David Lopez Jackson, a 35-year-old black man, and charged him with two of the fires.
"David A. Love, a prominent journalist and commenter on African American topics, told Hatewatch today that the “arson of five black churches in St. Louis in 10 days is both alarming and not surprising.
“This is alarming because domestic terrorism is alive and well,” Love said. “It is such a problem that the U.S. Department of Justice recently predicted increases in violent acts by white extremists who are responding to a new reality in which people of color will become a majority in America.’
“At the same time,” Love said, “there is a vicious cycle created by rightwing politicians, the NRA and hate groups who stir up anger, fear and resentment over changing demographics and want their country back. Arson and other crimes are a natural outgrowth of that. These groups need a scapegoat, whether African Americans, Latino immigrants, the LGBTQ community or others.”
In a follow-up comment to Hatewatch, Love noted that, "It is interesting, and more than coincidence, that St. Louis has also witnessed a great deal of racial tension and violence, in light of the events in Ferguson. In an environment which fosters government sponsored racism -- police violence against black residents, racial profiling and economic exploitation through a system of court fees amounting to a black debtors' prisons -- it does not take such a stretch of the imagination to consider that some private citizens may feel emboldened to take matters in their own hands."
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