You can see the scrawled and typewritten death threats here on Twitter. Local police are investigating. “WE WILL KILL THEM”, warned the first note. The second declared,
“We tolerated the latinos now you are going total black. This trash belong to Dorchester. We have reclaimed our country back by selecting Trump and you are messing up everything. Our kids and our pets are scared to death.”
This is not happening, however, in the deep South. It’s happening in the town of Natick, very close to Boston, MA.
Donald Trump has just chosen, as a top adviser, a figure associated with the promotion of white nationalism, Stephen Bannon. That sends exactly the wrong message at precisely the wrong time.
As the New York Times editorial board wrote on November 10th, in an op-ed titled “Denounce the Hate, Mr. Trump”,
“In his victory speech early Wednesday morning, Donald Trump pledged that he “will be president for all Americans,” and he asked those who did not support him “for your guidance and your help so that we can work together and unify our great country.”�
Here’s some guidance right off the bat, Mr. President-elect: Those sentiments will have more force if you immediately and unequivocally repudiate the outpouring of racist, sexist, xenophobic, anti-Semitic and homophobic insults, threats and attacks being associated with your name. Do this in a personal plea to people who supported your candidacy. Tell them this is not what you stand for, nor is it what your new administration will tolerate.”
Denounce the hate, president-elect Trump. Now.