A special thank you to all of those that attacked the Capital yesterday as racism attacked the fabric of our democracy again.
Hatred is spewing out of control and I am glad. At least it's out in the open. At least it's not hiding. Because none of this is new...it's just more visible.
A man woke up yesterday and wore a shirt that said "Camp Auschwitz" before storming our capital along with thousands of others engaged in an act of treason that I didn't think possible in America. A coach was fired in Tennessee today after a repulsive tweet attacking Stacy Abrams (his name is Chris Malone). And there are countless of other examples that we don't hear about happening every single day that are just as vile and just as damaging.
But for those of us in shock, just remember that this isn't new just like the obscene racism and violence that we all watched over the summer wasn't new. When we watched our family and friends gunned down at Tree of Life Synagogue on October 27th, 2018, it wasn't new. When George Floyd gasped for his last breath and begged for his mother, it wasn't new. I could go on with example after example and so could you - but one thing is clear...
NONE OF THIS IS NEW.
But what is new is the unmitigated gall that has emboldened and enabled such comfort and arrogance to make it so visible. That must be a wake-up call even though we shouldn't need a wake-up call...the alarm has been sounding for a very long time.
We're long, long, long overdue for change. We can't stand for this nonsense. RACISM MUST NOT BE TOLERATED and we need a better game plan than we have today.
But just like any other problem, the first step is admitting that one exists. So I'll end where I began - with a sincere thank you to the thousands of terrorists that made it much easier to admit. And I as one citizen, business leader and HUMAN, will do everything in my power to make a positive difference and support others with time, resources and care to create the change that we desperately need.
Paul Shapiro
