We had a tragedy strike El Paso, Texas recently. The focus has become on gun control and mental illness. These are things to think about when it comes to the mass shootings in the US, however when it comes to El Paso, I think we are missing a huge point. It’s something that I read in a great article by Adrian Carrasquillo, “This Is What Latinos Think Everyone Got Wrong About El Paso”. This isn’t about gun control or mental illness. This was a hate crime against a people group. An intentional act of violence dedicated to end the lives of Latinos in a community, which is why I want to dissect this event in it’s entirety. The Shooter: Patrick Crusius Patrick grew up in a community where he saw the population of white people dwindle down from 80 percent to half due to Hispanics/Latinos moving into his neighborhood. He began to do research on a white supremacist theory called “The Great Replacement.” This theory states that the white population is being replaced by non-white outsiders through migration, which they call a genocide by substitution. He then wrote an anti-immigrant manifestó where he details that immigration “is detrimental to the future of America” and he was honored to fight to “reclaim his country.” This obviously is a man bent on killing to preserve his race. This act based on his belief was very hate filled and meant to be against a people group. The shooter was not someone who seemed to be mentally unstable by any standards, as detailed by interviews with his family. They all claim that he was very normal before the attack and showed no signs of being different in any way. He also kept all his views to himself. Making it difficult for his family to know where he stood. Lastly, he drove 10 hours to kill “Mexicans” to show his dedication and focus to accomplish this deathly task. The Effect: Latinos This event has had a traumatic effect on Latino/Hispanic communities around the US not just in Texas. Based off the article written by Adrian Carrasquillo, Latinos who were just living their lives were targeted to be killed for being Latinos. Due to this, they are afraid of being who they are, family members are telling each other to not speak Spanish in public. Others are sad because their kids may be persecuted because they are too dark. Others are glad and then ashamed of being able to be passed off as white. To make matters worse, overheard were white people saying they don’t agree with the killings but share in the sentiment because they don’t want the white race to disappear. These killings were done by someone with the same ideology of not wanting white people to diminish in population. White people seem to have a deep desire of self preservation and this tragedy reveals how deep it may go for some. Most may not be ready to kill, but they share that same sentiment which causes a subtle dislike which can easily turn into hate. How do we survive in America?