HateHate crimes expert fears that shootings like Pittsburgh could become more common
The gunman who killed 11 congregants at a Pittsburgh synagogue last Saturday could herald a new era of hate crimes, according to an expert who has tracked similar attacks since the 1990s. “We have more people drawn to white supremacist rhetoric who see themselves as on a mission to change the world,” said one criminologist. The Pittsburgh shooter’s online activity distinguished him from the majority of people who commit hate crimes. He was a deeply committed white supremacist who steeped himself in anti-Semitic and xenophobic propaganda.
The gunman who killed 11 congregants at a Pittsburgh synagogue last Saturday could herald a new era of hate crimes, according to an expert who has tracked similar attacks since the 1990s.
“We have more people drawn to white supremacist rhetoric who see themselves as on a mission to change the world,” said criminologist Jack McDevitt, the director of the Northeastern University Institute for Race and Justice. “That’s going to change the character of hate crimes in America.”
The Pittsburgh shooter’s online activity distinguished him from the majority of people who commit hate crimes. He was a deeply committed white supremacist who steeped himself in anti-Semitic and xenophobic propaganda. He attacked the Tree of Life synagogue with a clear purpose: It was not only a Jewish house of worship, but was also associated with activists who worked to welcome refugees in America.
McDevitt said that, historically, the most typical bias crime is an impulsive act of intimidation. “Since at least the 1990s, hate crimes have mostly been committed by groups of teens or young men who want a thrill,” he said. “So they decide to go out on a Friday night and find a gay person, a black person, or some other minority to beat up.” If these kinds of attacks involve weapons, the perpetrators typically use what McDevitt calls “situationally available” weapons like bricks, rocks, or glass bottles.
The Pittsburgh shooting was different because it was a premeditated act that served a larger political purpose of punishing Jews who help refugees. McDevitt said these kinds of attacks, perpetrated by people he calls “mission offenders,” are both comparatively rare and more likely to involve guns. Deliberately choosing a target like a synagogue and assembling an arsenal implies a rare degree of ideologically committed racism and planning. Very few people will be motivated to carry out such an attack, but those who do will want to inflict the most damage, so they will use the most lethal weapon they can get. That’s usually a gun.
