Hate in Gilroy, California
“Read ‘Might Is Right' by Ragnar Redbeard. Why overcrowd towns and pave more open space to make room for hordes of mestizos and Silicon Valley white twats?”
Police identified the shooter who is believed to have opened fire at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in Gilroy, California, killing three and wounding 12, as Santino William Legan, a 19-year-old from Gilroy. William Legan, who identified himself on Instagram as an Italian-Iranian, held white supremacist views. As additional information becomes available, it seems his motives may constitute a hate-crime.
An act of terror.
By now, many Americans are learning of the contents of the book, Might is Right, the white supremacist, anti-Semitic manifesto. The book was authored under the pseudonym Ragnar Redbeard in 1890 which, among other things, advocates for women as property.
Suggesting that folks read the manifesto while referring to Latin Americans using a slur for people of mixed race speaks for itself. Sure, he was upset with Silicon Valley.
Which far-right extremist isn’t?
As the pieces of the puzzle begin to come together, it becomes increasingly difficult to avoid the conclusion that this mass-murder was driven by hate. The actions of William Legan follow the rhetoric of Donald Trump and his white supremacist cohorts such as Stephen Miller - the architect behind most of Trump’s rhetoric. His rhetoric becomes increasingly more alarming with each day. His attacks on people of color growing more dangerous.
While far-right conservatives try to spin this as: “he was Muslim.” and he: “hated white people.” his words and actions clearly indicate that he was not, and no he didn’t.
Saying the words “Silicon Valley white twats” doesn’t make him anti-white, as many would like to suggest. Instead, he’s referring to them as traitors to the cause - much like Donald Trump has done. Calling out white folks from Silicon Valley indicates a sense of betrayal and animosity, not anti-whiteness.
The fact that this attack occurred in a majority Latin American community with many who commute to work in Silicon Valley every day, is not lost on me. When someone shouted to William Lagan: “Why are you doing this?” he replied: “Because I’m really angry.”
A response that showed his anger was reflective of the community where he lived. Speaking out against Latin American “mestizos” and Silicon Valley “white twats” makes this abundantly clear.
The population of Gilroy, CA is 60.6% Hispanic or Latino, 29.3% White Alone, and 6.62% Asian Alone. 46.8% of the people in Gilroy, CA speak a non-English language, and 84.7% are U.S. citizens.
It’s safe to say that Gilroy is a largely Latin American community. Is this why he targeted the Garlic Festival? Absent a manifesto, that appears to be the case.
Suggesting Might is Right as recommended reading is something typically found on sites such as 4chan and 8chan. Many extremist books are popularized by far-right extremists in "anonymous" online forums. Paving the way for hate to spread faster and to plan attacks more efficiently.
Meanwhile, the dangerous rhetoric we’ve been hearing from the most divisive president in over a century, isn’t helping. Instead, it’s driving people to commit acts of hate. These attacks will only continue to occur as long as Trump willingly continues to foment that hate between conservative white voters and people of color. There are thousands of Santino William Lagans out there just waiting for the right coded language triggering them to commit acts of terror.
Regardless of the motivations behind his ultimately deciding to commit this atrocity, one thing has become clear:
Santino William Lagan, was a terrorist with white supremacist views.
May the victims rest in peace…
