Islamophobic Men With Baseball Bats Kill Teen Girl In Hijab #NabraHassanen

RIP Nabra Hassanen #Justice4Habra

The news that a 17 year old hijabi had been kidnapped and beaten to death by a man yelling Islamophobic slurs is gnawing at me. Because it's Ramadan, Muslims gather after sundown for prayers and the eating they cannot do during the daylight hour fast. As Nabra and a group of friend returned from a meal at IHOP they were accosted outside the Dulles Area Muslim Society mosque in Virginia; the group scattered, but Nabra didn't make it inside to safety.

Her body was found twelve hours later on Father's Day lying dead near a baseball bat. Nabra may have been raped as well as killed, and one suspect is in custody.

Her name was #NabraHassanen. Tonight in New York City, communities showed up in love and solidarity to demand #Justice4Nabra. pic.twitter.com/oXsWXNzcBh

— Women's March (@womensmarch) June 21, 2017

Fairfax Virginia County Police tweeted "Detectives believe road rage incident led to Reston teen's murder." If, like me, you don't believe that, you can sign a petition here along with tens of thousands of others demanding her murder be investigated as a hate crime. 

There's no need for a yellow star this time around to identify potential victims of the thugs encouraged by the hateful rhetoric of the current regime.

Girls and women who cover are particular targets of the vigilantes too cowardly to attack other men. Their highly visible symbol of faith -- the hijab -- has been promoted for years by right wing propaganda as a signal for violence.

Something else I shared yesterday resonated with me and a lot of other people. It's a chilling history-minded cartoon from The Nib by Maia Kobabe about what fascism looked like to a child growing up in Mussolini's Italy. The cartoon ends like this:

I don't have much more time this morning but I think that is enough for all of us to ponder. Will we stick our heads in the sand and ignore this new normal filled with hate crimes against people of color, women wearing the hijab, and people exercising their 1st amendment right to practice their religion?

Or will we stand up against the rise of fascism?

Do You Have To Talk To A Beloved 8 Year Old About How Not To Get Shot By Police? #WhitePrivilege

Image: Say Her Name

I am going to keep sharing the video below until it no longer makes me cry. So, probably for the rest of my life. 

As the demagogue with bad hair yesterday announced a ramped up "war on drugs" -- white supremacist code for ramping up violence on black people -- it's worth remembering that blacks are no more likely to use or sell drugs than whites. In some cases, less likely.

Despite the facts, this is how loving parents feel they must educate their children. For survival.



When I try to explain white privilege to whites who claim they are not and never were privileged, I almost always use some example of how their children are dealt with by police when said children do something illegal. Or even don't do something illegal, but are driving a car or walking or skateboarding. One of my children did a lot of dumb things that drew the attention of police, but as an articulate white boy he never experienced their violence and never went to jail.

I'm aware that police also target and harass white people who are visibly poor, especially the homeless. That does not change the fact that EVERY parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle or cousin of a young man of color worries that their loved one will end up dead after a routine encounter with law enforcement. 

Graphic: MappingPoliceViolence.org

And statistically speaking, they are quite right to worry.

Graphic: MappingPoliceViolence.org

Black and brown women and girls also face disproportionate levels of violence from police, often sexual violence. Many have died in custody. Say Her Name is a resource that helps us remember who they were and how they died.

I do not have a good feeling about the safety of innocent black and brown children in the U.S. under the new regime. 

Police who are not held accountable for extrajudicial execution of 12 year olds like Tamir Rice are likely to go on killing. If you also fear this deadly trend, please join me in sharing the video. Until the madness stops.