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Maybe it is because news travels faster these days, but it seems as though the amount of hate-motivated violence is increasing lately. Tensions are at a boiling point.
A couple of Ohio incidents include Darrin Johnson, 26, of Cincinnati, who was recently charged with a federal hate crime after he allegedly assaulted an Asian-American college student, blamed the student for COVID-19, and threatened to kill him.
Austin Combs, also 26, of Okeana, is accused of having shot and killed a neighbor because he thought the man was a Democrat.
"He's come over like four times confronting my husband because he thought he was a Democrat," the victim's wife told dispatchers. "Why? Why? Please, I don't understand."
Nationally, we're still talking about what happened to Paul Pelosi, who was reportedly attacked inside his own home by David DePape, 42. DePape, we are told, wasn't looking for Paul. He was looking for Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
As we head toward the new year, it is essential we do better. Political disagreements are as old as humanity. Inciting people to violence over them is, too. But we're supposed to be better than that. In fact, we've all got a responsibility to act like adults, listen to one another, and work toward a common good. And we've got to pay attention to early warning signs that someone is capable of such violence, that they are in need of help before they become a danger to themselves and others.
After the attack on Paul Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he was "horrified and disgusted," and rightly so. We've got to be horrified and disgusted by the kind of rhetoric that inspires these people to violent action, too.