A White Man Murdered Charlie Kirk
Take an uncomfortable journey with me and pretend for a moment we're in an alternate reality
Authorities have identified a 22-year-old white man named Tyler Robinson as the suspect who murdered Charlie Kirk. I want you to take an uncomfortable journey with me and imagine what the conversation would look like if media and politicians spoke of Robinson as if he were Black, brown, trans, an immigrant, or a Muslim? This is an uncomfortable exercise in empathy because I am asking you to put yourself in the shoes of minority communities in the United States. The below questions I ask are absurd, nonsensical—and also verbatim the questions asked when the crime suspect is of a minority community. So, if you have the stomach for it, Let’s Address This.
The Questions We Must Ask
Authorities have detained Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old white man, as the lead suspect in the murder of Charlie Kirk. Robinson’s arrest forces us to ask questions that the American people deserve to know. We cannot expect to stop such violence if we don’t understand the culture of the people committing such violence. The facts tell us that white men commit more school shootings than any demographic in America. With that in mind, when will we get answers to the following questions?
1. Where was Robinson radicalized?
We must investigate every aspect of his life. Who did he hang out with at school? Did other white kids put him up to this? We must tackle the out of control phenomenon of white on white violence. Did you know that according to the Department of Justice, 83% of white people are murdered by fellow white people? What is it about white culture that drives young white men to commit such horrible crimes against their own people? Who or what is radicalizing them? This is why I support Donald Trump’s recent press release in which he said:
Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of white men entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what the hell is going on. According to Pew Research, among others, there is great hatred towards Americans by large segments of the white male population.
Given that the data shows that white men are killing white men at exponential rates, and that they commit more school shootings than all other demographics combined, Donald Trump makes a compelling point.
2. What happened in his church that taught him killing innocent people was ok?
Rumor has it that Robinson is a Christian, and as we know, the history of Christianity in this country is such that the Bible was used to justify the enslavement of Africans, the genocide of Native Americans, the suppression of women, and the dehumanization of LGBTQ people. What message was Robinson getting from his religious scriptures? Is Robinson reviving the radical Christianist teachings that his ancestors used to justify murdering innocent people? Again, this is why President Trump courageously said:
Yes, we have to look at churches. Because something is happening in there. Man, there's anger, and we have to know about it. Without looking at the various polling data, it is obvious to anybody the hatred is beyond comprehension. Where this hatred comes from and why we will have to determine. Until we are able to determine and understand this problem and the dangerous threat it poses, our country cannot be the victims of horrendous attacks by people that believe only in Crusades, and have no sense of reason or respect for human life.
The other question is who was Robinson’s pastor? Because we know that Christianist ideology isn’t dead. Many people are asking when the FBI will investigate Robinson’s pastor for ties to radical Christianist groups like the KKK, who have a 160 year history of committing murderous terrorism. And don’t let the KKK fool you into thinking they only hate Black people and Jewish people. The KKK also hates white people who don’t adhere to their extremist Christianist views. Never forget that the KKK killed two young white men named Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman, and a Black man named James Chaney—because they worked to advance civil rights for Black people. So, what do we really know about Robinson’s pastor and why aren’t more white Christians denouncing this radical Christianist extremist? Does their silence mean they secretly approve of this murder? Are we next?
3. Are fatherless homes contributing to the anger of young white men?
Finally, where were Tyler Robinson’s parents? Were they even active in his life? And if they were active, why didn’t they report that their son was being radicalized to commit murder and terrorism? Did you know that a five year study by the CDC found that white fathers were least involved in helping their young children? The CDC reported that:
A larger percentage of black fathers (41%) had helped their children with homework every day compared with Hispanic (29%) or white (28%) fathers.
How else do we explain why white boys commit three times the number of school shootings as compared to Black boys? Clearly, the lack of father figures in white families is contributing to this, and white fathers need to step up. How can anyone look at this data and disagree with Donald Trump when he said:
When Europe sends its people, they’re not sending their best. […] They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people
Perhaps the good white fathers should take a lesson from Black fathers, and learn how to be present in the lives of their children. Otherwise, to protect all children, we should be ready to take vital action to protect ourselves. And yes, that may violate some civil rights, but if it means protecting our security from the dangers posed by white men then we need to do what we need to do. Not one more innocent person needs to be killed. We should follow Donald Trump’s lead and update the Laken Riley act, which denies due process to Latino immigrants, and apply that same rule to white men in America.
Conclusion
The parody above seems absurd—and that’s exactly the point. Because while the questions I ask seem ridiculous, the data I cite is accurate. And while the quotes from Donald Trump are unhinged, they are also not made up—they were just originally said about Muslims, Mexicans, and immigrants. This further demonstrates how easily people with malicious intent can drive xenophobic narratives. These are the kinds of racist, Islamophobic, xenophobic, and anti-immigrant questions that are asked of Black, brown, Muslim, immigrant, and LGBTQ suspects every time a tragedy occurs. When a white man commits violence, the story is individualized—he’s a “lone wolf,” “mentally ill,” or just “troubled.” But when the suspect is from a marginalized community, the story becomes about all of us—our culture, our faith, our families, our very existence.
Let us take the opportunity this week to reject this double standard. Reject a media and political culture that normalizes scapegoating entire communities when they are already struggling under systemic injustice. Because this isn’t just about one crime, or one suspect—it’s about whether we choose to build a society rooted in truth and dignity, or one that constantly looks for excuses to strip Black and brown people of our humanity.
The next time you see this kind of narrative, call it out. Refuse to let these smears stand. Whether the violence happens in Minneapolis or Gaza, Charleston or Buffalo, Parkland or Palestine, Congo or Colorado, Sudan or Sutherland Springs, remember that the children are ours—all of them. And justice requires we confront hatred not with more scapegoating, but with honesty, courage, and a demand for equality.
