The Daily Moth 8-5-2019

El Paso and Dayton mass shootings; President Trump makes statement; political responses and criticism; 59 people shot, 7 killed in Chicago weekend violence; Deaf woman says judge refused to provide interpreters

———

Hello, welcome to The Daily Moth! It is Monday, August 5. Ready for news?

———

It has been a terrible 24 hours from Saturday to Sunday in America with two mass shootings that killed a total of 31 people in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio.

I did a news video on the El Paso shooting and posted it on Moth Facebook on Saturday night. I will show it now, then give updates and also talk about the Dayton, Ohio shooting.

—

This morning there was a mass shooting in El Paso, Texas at a Walmart near a mall that killed 20 people and injured 26 people.

Most of those who died were Americans, but at least three were Mexican citizens. El Paso is a border town that is popular with Mexican shoppers.

The suspect is a 21-year-old man from Allen, Texas — near Dallas. His name is Patrick Crusius. He was arrested without incident. He used what appears to be an AK-47 type rifle.

There is a manifesto that seems to be written by him that shows hatred towards Hispanic people by saying they are invading America. He also said he supports the terrorist who opened fire in two New Zealand mosques several months ago.

Law enforcement said there may be a hate crime investigation, but said it was too early to say and that they are still investigating on what his motive is.

The state of Texas plans to charge him with capital murder, which can bring the death penalty.

The shooting started at 10:39 a.m. It took police six minutes to arrive. The shooting was mostly at the Walmart, but there were shots fired around an adjacent mall, the Cielo Vista Mall. The suspect was in custody about noon.

Reports say the Walmart store was full of shoppers this morning and that the shooter shot at everyone aisle by aisle with rage. Pictures and videos show victims both outside and inside of the store. It is possible that he stopped shooting because he ran out of ammo.

There were early reports of more than one suspect, but police said it is just the one suspect.

Walmart said on Twitter that they are in shock and are praying for the victims and others.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said today was one of the most deadliest days in the history of Texas.

President Trump tweeted that today’s shooting was an act of cowardice and a hateful act.

This is the deadliest mass shooting since October 1, 2017 — the Las Vegas shooting. This is also the second deadly shooting at a Walmart in a week — on Tuesday a disgruntled Walmart employee in Mississippi shot and killed two other workers.

It also might be the second deadly white supremacist shooting this week, with the first one at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in California. Three people died when a 19-year-old shooter opened fire. He has been linked to social media postings that had references to a white supremacist book.

The El Paso Police Department asked people to donate blood, and there were hundreds of people who showed up to donate.

There were vigils and moments of silence across Texas and the nation to honor the victims.

The Mexican president also gave out condolences for those who died.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/active-shooter-near-el-paso-mall-police-responding-n1039001

https://www.wsj.com/articles/police-warn-of-active-shooter-near-el-paso-texas-mall-11564855363?mod=hp_lead_pos1

https://heavy.com/news/2019/08/patrick-crusius/

———

02 Dayton mass shooting; El Paso shooting classified as terrorism

On Sunday about 1 a.m., a gunman opened fire at a popular nightlife area in Dayton, Ohio, killing nine people and injuring 27.

It was the second mass shooting targeting innocent civilians in less than 24 hours with the El Paso Walmart shooting happening 10:39 a.m. on Saturday.

The Dayton gunman’s name is Connor Betts (24). Police said he went to the nightlife area, which is called the Oregon district, with his sister and someone else. He then left by himself and returned with a semi-automatic rifle with a high-capacity magazine while wearing a mask, body armor, and hearing protection.

He killed 9 people at the front/outdoor area of the Ned Peppers bar, including his 22-year-old sister, Megan K. Betts, and wounded 27 people in less than a minute. Police officers said they shot and killed Betts within 30 seconds. They released a video that showed at least two officers shooting and downing Betts as he tried to run into a bar full of people.

Police said the other 8 victims’ ages ranged from 25 to 57. Six of them were black individuals, while the other three, including the sister, were white.

There were questions on whether this was a hate motivated attack, and police said right now it seems unlikely that the gunman was targeting specific people because the shooting was so quick.

Witnesses said it was like a war zone with people bleeding and dead on the floor.

It is not known what Betts’ motive was. People who knew him in high school said he made threats to kill and rape people and was suspended for an entire school year. Betts lived with his parents in Dayton.

Now here are updates on the El Paso Walmart shooting.

The death toll is now 22 after two people who were injured died in the hospital.

Federal authorities have classified it as domestic terrorism case with potential hate crime charges. The gunman, Patrick Crusius (21), appears to have made several internet postings on 8chan that railed against Hispanic people in the U.S. He traveled to El Paso, a border town, from the Dallas area.

Not all of the names and identities of the victims have been released.

There is a very sad story of a young married couple, Jordan and Andre Anchondo, who went to the Walmart with their 2-month-old baby. Both of them were killed protecting the baby, who survived with two broken fingers. The mother had two other children, a 1-year old and a 6-year old, who was not at the store.

An elderly bus driver and a U.S. Army veteran, Arturo Benavides, was killed as he stood in a line at the register.

Seven Mexican citizens died in the shooting. Previous reports said there were three citizens, but that number has been updated to seven.

The Mexican government said they would look into pursuing terrorism charges in the U.S. legal system and suing the person or business who sold the gun used in the Walmart shooting.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/04/us/dayton-ohio-shooting.html

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dayton-ohio-shooting-city-officials-to-hold-press-conference-live-updates-today-2018-08-05/

https://wapo.st/31nlMC3

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/aug/04/mexico-legal-action-us-terrorism-amlo

———

03 President Trump makes statement on mass shootings; political responses and criticism

President Trump gave an address to the nation from the White House this morning in response to the two mass shootings in Texas and Ohio that killed 31 people.

Trump said our nation must condemn racism, bigotry and white supremacy. He said hate has no place in America.

He said he wants federal and local agencies to work closer together and work with social media companies to detect potential mass shooters, do something about violent video games, reforming mental health laws, and pass laws that would prevent “dangerous” people from obtaining guns.

He said, “mental illness and hate pull the trigger, not the gun.” He also spelled out the wrong Ohio city — he said Toledo when he meant Dayton.

Before the speech, Trump tweeted that lawmakers need to come together to pass strong background checks and “marry” the legislation with immigration reform. He also blamed media and “fake news” for causing anger and rage in this country.

Several Democratic lawmakers and presidential candidates said President Trump is responsible for causing racism and hatred in the country.

Former U.S. representative Beto O’Rourke, who is from El Paso, said Trump incites this violence by calling Mexican immigrants rapists and criminals. A reporter asked him if Trump could do anything to make this any better. Beto said, “members of the press, what the f—-?” He said media should already connect the dots that Trump is promoting racism.

Former HUD Secretary Julian Castro said Trump’s words were hollow and that he is morally bankrupt.

Sen. Kamala Harris said Trump has used words that sell hate and division among us.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar said there is mental illness and hate in the world, but the U.S. has a very high rate of gun violence because it is easy to buy guns.

Sen. Cory Booker said white supremacy is not a mental illness.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren said Republicans won’t act because gun lobbyists are signing their checks.

Former Vice President Joe Biden said immigration isn’t the problem, but that white nationalism is the problem. Mayor Pete Buttigieg said the same, that this was white nationalism terrorism.

Sen. Bernie Sanders told Trump to stop the racist anti-immigrant rhetoric.

Former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein tweeted that there is a “white terrorist” problem. He said many of the (previous mass shooters) are lone-wolf losers who are indoctrinated to hate through the internet, just like Islamic terrorists.

In separate but related news, an Ohio State Representative, Candice Keller, who is from Middletown — near Dayton — posted on Facebook a statement that blamed mass shootings on LGBTQ marriage and drag queen advocates, violent video games, open borders, recreational marijuana, President Obama’s disrespect for law enforcement, people who ignore God and church, and snowflakes who can’t accept Trump as president.

She later deleted the post, but many saw it and took screenshots of it. A sheriff from the same county that she is in said her posting was an embarrassment and that there are many who have called for her to resign.

https://www.axios.com/donald-trump-speech-mass-shootings-el-paso-dayton-4b1e04af-60a7-4557-bf3a-9a871b9c2ccd.html

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1158340095608610816

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-shootings-remarks

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49226573

https://wapo.st/2YrDyXu

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2019/08/05/mass-shootings-democratic-presidential-candidates-react-trump/1921422001/

https://twitter.com/RodRosenstein/status/1157866152653197312

https://nypost.com/2019/08/05/ohio-lawmaker-candice-keller-blames-gay-marriage-drag-queen-advocates-for-dayton-shooting/

———

04 59 people shot, 7 killed in Chicago weekend violence

ABC 7 News in Chicago reported that there were 59 people shot over the weekend in different incidents in Chicago. 7 people died.

A 21-year-old man was shot by two men while he sat in a parked car and died in a hospital.

There was a drive-by shooting that wounded seven people, then another drive-by shooting that killed one and wounded eight.

There was another shooting between two different groups that injured seven people.

One 23-year-old man was shot and killed outside of his home when someone in a car pulled up and shot at him. Another 23-year-old man was shot while he was in a car.

One 19-year-old man died when he was shot in the back near an alley.

Last weekend, 8 people died from gunfire with 40 others wounded.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said as a city we have to Stan up and do a hell of a lot more than we’ve done in a very long time. She said she visited some areas in the West Side and saw things that made her heartbroken, but that she is determined to make a difference and that law enforcement alone is not enough to solve the problems.

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said they would continue to push back against the proliferation of guns that cause the deaths. He said we have to come together, from police departments to the court systems to prosecutors to legislators to figure out solutions because too many of our citizens are being shot and killed.

A Chicago police spokesperson said it has been a tragic 24 hours for our country.

https://abc7chicago.com/53-shot-7-fatally-in-chicago-weekend-shootings/5443785/

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/people-shot-gun-chicago-weekend_n_5d47baade4b0aca3411ffcb7

———

05 Deaf woman says judge refused to provide interpreters

On November 6, 2018, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, during a civil hearing, a deaf woman was denied an interpreter. The court requires for those who need accommodations to contact the American Disabilities Act coordinator 48 hours before the court date. Selene Alverio said she contacted the ADA coordinator two weeks before, but her request was denied. So, she showed up on her court date and told Judge Daniel Ramczyk that she needed an interpreter. It was still denied.

The Daily Moth reached out to Alverio to explain what happened.

SELENE ALVERIO:

I went to court where I realized they didn’t have an interpreter available for me. I then requested an emergency interpreter. I said that I tried to get an interpreter two weeks ago, but I was not allowed to fill out the relevant paperwork. They said, “Oh, okay…” They checked with others, but there were no interpreter available for a last minute assignment. At that point, I had no choice but to inform the court clerk that I would not have an interpreter present and asked what I needed to do. The clerk said she would inform the judge. I agreed to this and waited until the hearing began. The judge never swore me in. The judge just proceeded to start the hearing. We notified the judge that I was deaf. The judge remarked that she thought I could still understand, but it was insufficient for me. I could not understand. Because there was a woman five feet away from me and I couldn’t lipread her. I asked the judge for an explanation on how the process could work with the way things were set up. The judge said that should any problems arise during the hearing, let him know. I went along with this, but the judge was speaking so fast and this made me really nervous. I couldn’t grasp what they were talking about. For the third time, I patiently raised my hand and requested for the judge to delay the hearing because I really needed an interpreter. I needed more time to find an interpreter, to move it to another day. The judge was just really rude, degrading, mean and just not nice. I felt really put down. The judge said, “You know what’s happening therefore we will be moving forward with the hearing.”

The judge spoke for a long time and I missed out on everything. I realized that this process wasn’t going to work for me and it felt so frustrating.

For the fourth time, I notified the judge that I was lost and I begged the judge to delay the hearing so that I would be assigned an ASL interpreter. That request was again denied. I had to swallow that one down.

Then it happened for the fifth time. I begged the judge again because I really was lost. I begged for help, but the judge kept speaking really fast, talking in a dehumanizing tone and denying my requests. The judge said the courtroom couldn’t help me and that I could understand what was going on. I said I could not lipread from where I was standing and it was far away from anyone else. I didn’t know how I could adapt to this setup. I did wear my cochlear implant, but I couldn’t keep up in this type of conversation. I again asked for the court to help me.

Then they threatened to charge me with contempt of the court. So, I gave up and sat down where I waited until I realized I wasn’t going to get my request for a delay of the hearing with an interpreter. They were not going to help me. I just gave up and waited because I was afraid that if I spoke up then they would put me into jail. So, I just gave up and waited until the hearing concluded.

Renca: Alverio explained that the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico (ACLU) and Alverio filed a discrimination complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice against Ramczyk and the court. She said the next step is ACLU will spread out more awareness about this situation because there needs to be more accommodations ready for all people with disabilities at all areas such as courts, social security offices, and so forth. The accommodations should include advanced technology for more access and have interpreters ready as well.

We asked what her tip or advice was for our Deaf community if some of us happen to face this similar situation.

ALVERIO: My suggestion is to never give up because it’s your right. I know that some people feel like, when they realize that their struggle is real, they will give up. But it’s your right. The reason being is it affects your life. For me, I was almost evicted from my apartment. I have 2 children. I’m a single mother. That judge basically told me that I would be evicted in 14 days. I didn’t understand why. I had everything, all the evidence, ready to support my case. I was there on time, earlier than any other person.

Yet this same person received no interpreting support. It’s a complete breakdown in communication.

Was that a fair trial? No, it was not. If you know that you did not receive a fair trial, don’t give up. Go to an attorney because you will need help. You will need your attorney if you want to file a complaint in order to not allow this injustice to occur to you as well.

It’s not fair. You have the right as a citizen of this country in receiving a fair trial. It doesn’t matter if you’re disabled. It doesn’t matter if what color of your skin is. It doesn’t matter if you’re a woman or a man. It doesn’t matter because you have the right to a fair trial.

Renca: Thank you Alverio for sharing.

We got a comment from ACLU’s Executive Director Peter Simonson about this situation.

Text: “When Judge Daniel Ramczyk refused to provide Ms. Alverio with an ASL interpreter, he not only denied her the ability to effectively represent herself, he also denied her basic respect and dignity. Such blatant demonstrations of discrimination and hostility undermine the integrity of the bench and have no place in our courts.”

Renca: Alverio did mention that Ramczyk got promoted as a district judge. So, ACLU and Alverio will continue to pursue this and spread more awareness about this discrimination so more accessibility can be provided.

https://www.chron.com/news/article/I-felt-belittled-Deaf-woman-files-complaint-14062203.php

https://www.aclu-nm.org/en/biographies/peter-simonson

———

That is all for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light!