The planned attack at the Tops Market in Buffalo, NY, that resulted in 10 deaths, was driven by racism. This was also made possible by other variables that we, as psychologists, need to consider. We also need to consider the aftermath; when the media and police responded in ways that also raise questions.
This was a tragedy with at least two months of planning, within the context of several years of warning signals. As I read the timeline, along with the racism that drove the actions, I wonder about gun safety, access to a motor vehicle, the role of the family, the mental evaluation that this young adult had a year ago while in high school and wonder how did all the guardrails fail? I also wonder if it could happen here in Delaware, and I fear the answer is “yes.”
According to reports, this young adult made threats to kill himself and others over a year ago. He was taken to Binghamton General Hospital, where he was held in the emergency department for about 20 hours, had a mental health interview and was released. We don’t know anything about the mental health professional who interviewed him, their profession, their training or what exactly was done. The NY Times quotes several psychiatrists saying “it’s an inexact science”, when asked about assessment of danger. It is clear the target was missed, and more importantly, there was no follow up.
From the time of his discharge, he went back to school. He kept his hunting rifle, a present for his 16th birthday – but not used at the shooting, and over the year, acquired other weapons, body armor and ammunition. Could the family not have known? What were they thinking? Wouldn’t it have helped if there had been some mental health follow up at intervals to see how he was progressing? Could that be built into the system? He was evaluated once and dropped, that, in my mind, is the largest concern. In March, in the dead of winter for upstate NY, he drove at least once, or more, to Buffalo, 200 miles away, to case the store, to look at entry and exits, to look at other possible sites. He got a speeding ticket on the way home, and a follow up notice mailed to his house. What did the parents think? Apparently, they accepted his story that he made a 400-mile round trip to go hiking in a state park. Again, if someone reached out to them, would that have triggered some actions?
This murder was driven by racism. This racism was also fueled by a mainstream, no longer fringe, part of the media that pushes hatred in the form of ‘replacement theory’. This is driven by the demographic reality that whites will no longer be in the majority in a few years. It is the same racial hatred that pushes against classroom discussions of the role of racism in the development of America. That is the driving force, and we must push back against it. The following are enabling factors: the lack of follow up on an evaluation of a person at risk to himself and others; the lack of judgement by the family that knew he was travelling distances in the winter, in upstate NY, (why didn’t they ask more questions?); the lack of any reasonable gun safety in the home (any good hunter knows to lock up the guns). The lack of gun laws that allowed this young adult to buy more dangerous weapons and ammunition is another enabling factor. Why is the sale of body armor legal and who needs it other than those who will attack others?
At the end of the day, more Black and Brown people are lying dead and wounded. This young adult puts a gun to his throat and says he wants to die. A skilled police officer spends some time talking him out of it and takes him into custody. An officer did the same thing with Dylan Root after he murdered nine Black people in a church in Charleston a decade ago. These are brave, well trained, thoughtful officers who did this final act to end the violence. My only question is…would they have been as brave, thoughtful and careful if the shooter was Black?
One of my other concerns is the media. Following Sandy Hook, there was some commitment to not naming the shooters, to not make them famous, and that held for several years. That commitment has ended. We once again we know the names, details, and manifestos of these disturbed individuals. So, we have taken a step backwards.
As a psychologist, I have one major concern and that is how can we prevent this? What do we need in place in Delaware? Our colleague, Dewey Cornell at University of Virginia, has developed over the past 20 years a school threat assessment. He started after Columbine, based it on FBI threat assessment for adults and has worked on a multi-step protocol with many layers. This is not a one and done assessment conducted in the emergency department of a general hospital.
Perhaps we should consider implementing here in the First State:
I want to be clear. Racism was the driving force in this hate crime. The community of East Buffalo has been devastated. I am certain that many of their residents now live in a heightened level of fear, just as the residents of Charleston SC in 2014, or the families living near Tree of Life synagogue in 2018 experienced long-term trauma. Undoubtedly families of targeted groups who live here in Delaware will also experience fear, hypervigilance, and anxiety. We cannot eliminate the causes. We can help and support our fellow Delawareans who are going through this time of extraordinary stress.
The crime itself, was fueled by racism, but was enabled by a failure in the family, the mental health system and in gun control. If those all had not failed, the ten who lost their lives would still be with their families this week. As professionals we need to be on the forefront eradicating racism. We are responsible for building the guardrails in health and law. We are also responsible for public health messaging to families about safety to prevent this type of tragedy from happening again.
Doug Tynan, Ph.D., ABPP
President
Delaware Psychological Association
