Sadly, this Memorial Day weekend saw its share of chaos and tragedy as racists decided to take their hatred out on people of color in attacks around the country. In Portland, Oregon, two people were killed and a third injured when they stood up to a man yelling hateful slurs toward two women on a train. And in Washington state, one Native American man was killed and another hospitalized after they were run over by a white man in a monster pickup truck screaming racial slurs. Of course, this story didn’t seem to make the national news. Wonder why that is?
The victims were James “Jimmy” Kramer, 20, of Taholah and Harvey Anderson, 19, of Aberdeen. The driver of the truck, described as a Caucasian in his mid-30’s driving a truck described by witnesses as a mid-1990s Chevy with an extended cab and large tires, had been doing “doughnuts” at the site when the two Quinaults and other campers tried to make him stop.
The driver was screaming racial slurs and war whoops when he ran over the two tribal members. A woman passenger in the truck, also described as a Caucasian in her 30’s was screaming at the driver trying to make him stop.
The police are actively investigating this crime. They do not yet have a suspect in custody. We can never know what possesses a person to kill another. But we do know that hate crimes are on the rise—and the common denominator seems to be our hateful Xenophobe-In-Chief and the violent white supremacist rhetoric he has allowed to become mainstream. These incidents are not isolated to a particular group. Crimes against Jews, Muslims, Asians and LGBT persons have all accounted for the number of cases that have been reported. This is a hideous and shameful legacy that this presidency is leaving in its wake.
Since the investigation is ongoing, anyone with information is urged to contact the authorities and help get justice for these two young men and their community.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Det. Sgt. Darrin Wallace, or Deputy Eric Cowsert at 360-533-8765.
This is horrific. And sadly, this country becomes more unrecognizable and grotesque with each passing day.