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Las Vegas Is Only the Deadliest Shooting in US History Because They Dont Count Black Lives [View all]
Michael Harriot
Today 2:52pm
News reporters and anchors have repeatedly referred to the recent tragedy in Las Vegas as the “worst mass shooting in U.S. history.” Like all things that are constantly repeated, the proclamation has become fact.
In 2013 a report by the Congressional Research Service defined a public mass shooting (pdf) this way:
incidents occurring in relatively public places, involving four or more deaths—not including the shooter(s)—and gunmen who select victims somewhat indiscriminately. The violence in these cases is not a means to an end such as robbery or terrorism.
So, according to that broad definition, we wondered: Is 64-year-old Stephen Paddock the worst mass shooter in the long history of America? Does the Las Vegas incident qualify as the “deadliest” mass-shooting incident?
Only if you don’t count black people.
On Monday, The Root 100 honoree and data scientist Samuel Sinyangwe tweeted this:
He is right. The nearsightedness of America’s historical vision is not only hyperbolic, but that vision often has a blind spot when it comes to people of color. There are countless incidents in which black and brown people were killed in incidents far worse than what happened in Vegas.
https://www.theroot.com/this-is-only-the-deadliest-shooting-in-u-s-history-bec-1819112938
Today 2:52pm
News reporters and anchors have repeatedly referred to the recent tragedy in Las Vegas as the “worst mass shooting in U.S. history.” Like all things that are constantly repeated, the proclamation has become fact.
In 2013 a report by the Congressional Research Service defined a public mass shooting (pdf) this way:
incidents occurring in relatively public places, involving four or more deaths—not including the shooter(s)—and gunmen who select victims somewhat indiscriminately. The violence in these cases is not a means to an end such as robbery or terrorism.
So, according to that broad definition, we wondered: Is 64-year-old Stephen Paddock the worst mass shooter in the long history of America? Does the Las Vegas incident qualify as the “deadliest” mass-shooting incident?
Only if you don’t count black people.
On Monday, The Root 100 honoree and data scientist Samuel Sinyangwe tweeted this:
Link to tweet
He is right. The nearsightedness of America’s historical vision is not only hyperbolic, but that vision often has a blind spot when it comes to people of color. There are countless incidents in which black and brown people were killed in incidents far worse than what happened in Vegas.
https://www.theroot.com/this-is-only-the-deadliest-shooting-in-u-s-history-bec-1819112938
4 replies
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