This report from Leslie Salzillo @ The Daily Kos is heartbreaking:
New York volunteer Firefighter Kenneth Walker received a threatening letter on Monday telling him to resign form the North Tonawanda fire department or “regret it.” The short letter made clear it was mean to be read as a hate-filled racist attack. Walker who has been volunteering for two years is the only black volunteer at the department. He found the threatening letter in his mailbox at home.
On Wednesday, only two days later, Walker’s home was burned down while the family was out. No one hurt physically, but they lost their two cats and all of their possessions. The fear and psychological damage cannot be underestimated. [sic]
Leslie clearly wants to blame it on the Trump campaign:
Racism has existed in America for centuries, but there is no doubt that we are seeing a new surge ever since Republican nominee Donald Trump began his campaign in 2015. The candidate seems to legitimize hatred, racism, mysogyny [sic], and xenophobia… He brings out the darkest of souls while being praised by the likes of KKK and white supremacists.
HuffPo reports the neighbor might be responsible:
North Tonawanda police arrested [neighbor Matthew] Jurado within 24 hours of the blaze, the North Tonawanda Times reports. They claimed that Jurado admitted to starting the fire, but he said it wasn’t racially motivated and that he did not write the threatening letter.
Regardless of whether or not this guy torched the house for racial reasons or for something else, this is an opportunity for Trump, if he & his advisors can see it. He should dip into his wallet and make Walker whole again.
Why? Because it’s a message to two communities. First, it’s a message to the racist community that Donald Trump has no room for such attitudes in his campaign. By helping out where he can, he raises consciousness about his support for all races in the American dream.
Second, the same message goes to the independents who will help decide the upcoming election. While the racist community should be discouraged at the rejection, for the independents it’s a positive message of generosity and display of the sort of attitudes which advance America – not cause it to self-destruct.
I would be extremely surprised if Trump even discussed the opportunity, much less took advantage of it. He comes from the private sector and has made it abundantly clear the Wealth is King, not good citizenship or a belief in justice and rewarding those who make sacrifices.
