DETROIT (WXYZ) — Friends Ashley and Vernie are from the metro Detroit area and even though the Tops supermarket shooting in Buffalo has left them horrified, both feel that racism has only increased over the years.
"You are in fear, you look over your shoulder, but that’s not the way you should be living, especially as a Black man — that even more harder, it's just tough," said Ashley, a concerned Michigander.
As for what's fueling the hate in this day and age? Vernie says, "I want to say people don’t love themselves. If you don’t love yourself, that’s why you hate other people."
FBI’s national stats show that in 2020 hate crime was the highest in 12 years. Sixty-two percent of the recorded hate crimes were motivated by a bias against race or ethnicity, followed by sexual orientation and religion. The data is not surprising to Anti-Defamation League's Carolyn Normandin.
"Movement that we have seen in these shootings — like the one in Buffalo or the one in Poway or the one in El Paso or the one in Pittsburgh — all of these things have one thing in common. They are propagated by people who believe in the ideology of hate and vile, disgusting white supremacy," said Normandin, the regional director of the Detroit/Michigan Office of the Anti-Defamation League.
FBI data shows that in 2020, 55% of the known offenders were white.
Meanwhile in Michigan, the ADL recorded 57 incidents of white supremacy propaganda across the state, an increase of 36% from 2019. Police investigators say the Buffalo gunman was motivated by white replacement theory, a conspiracy that white Americans are being replaced by people of color. And the ADL says because of social media, it's starting to spread.
"People running for office, people who are influencers, being very vocal about the fact that they want to keep their community white. And that is very dangerous and very troubling and we can’t have it in Michigan," Normandin said.
Normandin says groups like Patriot Front, Folksfront, Nationalist Social Club, New Order and the Loyal White Knights, have all spread white supremacy propaganda across Michigan.
"This is a scourge on our state, our country and across the world. This is happening globally as well," Normandin said.
Meanwhile back on the street, Deanna Zapico feels racism has changed Michigan.
"You sense the tension among people, among friends," said Zapico, another concerned Michigander.
So what can we do to fight this hate?
"Be more selective with politicians and people that represent us — that would be a good place to start. But I think more attention has to be put on mental health," Zapico said.
Normandin says other things folks can do to fight racism are to create awareness, stand up to hate and report it.
