BLACK LIVES MATTER

Black Lives Matter Poster Illustration by Seth Herald | Photo Courtesy of BET

The recent 2021 Hate Crime Statistics found that reported hate crime incidents increased by over 11%, — from 8,210 in 2020 to 9,065 in 2021. According to the report, over 63% of single-bias hate crime incidents were motivated by the offenders’ prejudice toward a victim’s race or ethnicity.

Of the reported 11% increase, the majority of incidents were motivated by bias against African Americans. However, as anti-Black hate crimes increased over time, only 100 incidents between January 2010 and July 2018 have been federally pursued nationwide.

Moreover, anti-Black hate crimes remain the largest bias incident category of all racial groups; — accounting for over 30% of all hate crime incidents in 2021. For a minority-populated demographic, African Americans remain disproportionately overrepresented among hate crimes in America.

Of course, hate crime victims were targeted due to other significant factors such as sexual orientation or religion. However, anti-Black violence has long persisted as a common hate crime in America. And no matter how hate crimes are said to have no place in our country, they always prove to find their way, nevertheless. And more often than not, hate crimes emerge with the blood of the Black community on its hands.

On August 26th, 2023, three African Americans were shot and killed at a Dollar General store by 21-year-old gunman, Ryan Palmeter in a mass shooting that took place in my hometown, Jacksonville, Florida.

The victims were identified as:

• Angela Michelle Carr, age 52: an Uber driver dropping off a passenger at the Dollar General.
• Jerrald Gallion, age 29: a customer inside the Dollar General. Gallion’s girlfriend who accompanied him, survived the incident.
• Anolt Joseph Laguerre Jr., age 19: a new employee at the Dollar General.

Afterward, Palmeter barricaded himself inside an office and took his life. At least three manifestos were found addressed to his…