EL PASO

BALDWIN Trump who said ░░░░░░░░ he would uphold the ░░░░░░░░ Amendment once again pointed ░░░░░░░░ mental health as a ░░░░░░░░ in gun violence and ░░░░░░░░ say that stigmatizes mental ░░░░░░░░ All of that as ░░░░░░░░ police in three states ░░░░░░░░ with the FBI announced ░░░░░░░░ another round of shootings ░░░░░░░░ have been prevented They ░░░░░░░░ these three men allegedly ░░░░░░░░ interest in or threatened ░░░░░░░░ carry out mass shootings ░░░░░░░░ of the men making ░░░░░░░░ threats on Facebook and ░░░░░░░░ while the third sent ░░░░░░░░ series in a series ░░░░░░░░ text messages to his ░░░░░░░░ girlfriend And moments ago ░░░░░░░░ for the Ohio suspect ░░░░░░░░ here on video conference ░░░░░░░░ a not guilty plea ░░░░░░░░ he was accused of ░░░░░░░░ a Jewish community center ░░░░░░░░ for many Americans of ░░░░░░░░ and ethnic and religious ░░░░░░░░ this toxic mix of ░░░░░░░░ and violence that targets ░░░░░░░░ communities in 2019 is ░░░░░░░░ just a reminder of ░░░░░░░░ white supremacist rage that ░░░░░░░░ to the Equal Justice ░░░░░░░░ fueled more than 4 ░░░░░░░░ lynchings of African Americans ░░░░░░░░ 1877 and 1950 And ░░░░░░░░ Blake is a senior ░░░░░░░░ for CNN Digital and ░░░░░░░░ latest piece is titled ░░░░░░░░ El Paso and other ░░░░░░░░ attacks in the U ░░░░░░░░ are modern day lynchings ░░░░░░░░ thank you so much ░░░░░░░░ for being with me ░░░░░░░░ just this was an ░░░░░░░░ piece that you wrote ░░░░░░░░ I can imagine some ░░░░░░░░ are hearing the word ░░░░░░░░ and they re immediately ░░░░░░░░ it as something from ░░░░░░░░ s past and not ░░░░░░░░ now But you talk ░░░░░░░░ several experts who say ░░░░░░░░ really the core of ░░░░░░░░ is the idea that ░░░░░░░░ know African Americans and ░░░░░░░░ and Muslims and Jews ░░░░░░░░ others they all feel ░░░░░░░░ they are not safe ░░░░░░░░ BLAKE Yeah that was ░░░░░░░░ defining feature of the ░░░░░░░░ era That if you ░░░░░░░░ t considered white enough ░░░░░░░░ matter where you went ░░░░░░░░ matter where you were ░░░░░░░░ public even if you ░░░░░░░░ surrounded by law enforcement ░░░░░░░░ you could be killed ░░░░░░░░ any minute I have ░░░░░░░░ who grew up in ░░░░░░░░ lynching era And it ░░░░░░░░ me that a lot ░░░░░░░░ the fears that people ░░░░░░░░ express like Latino people ░░░░░░░░ I don t feel ░░░░░░░░ speaking Spanish in public ░░░░░░░░ s exactly how a ░░░░░░░░ of people felt in ░░░░░░░░ lynching era You felt ░░░░░░░░ wherever you went you ░░░░░░░░ get killed by random ░░░░░░░░ terror BALDWIN You go ░░░░░░░░ in your piece and ░░░░░░░░ draw these three parallels ░░░░░░░░ the racist violence we ░░░░░░░░ today and that from ░░░░░░░░ ago So you begin ░░░░░░░░ the first both are ░░░░░░░░ by the same fear ░░░░░░░░ do you mean BLAKE ░░░░░░░░ you had on the ░░░░░░░░ era in the late ░░░░░░░░ century in the early ░░░░░░░░ century you had all ░░░░░░░░ tremendous demographic and political ░░░░░░░░ in the United States ░░░░░░░░ lot of white supremacists ░░░░░░░░ very alarmed by that ░░░░░░░░ were for example you ░░░░░░░░ Reconstruction in the late ░░░░░░░░ century where you saw ░░░░░░░░ gaining all this political ░░░░░░░░ So some white supremacists ░░░░░░░░ the only way that ░░░░░░░░ could gain back that ░░░░░░░░ was through violence and ░░░░░░░░ terror And the sad ░░░░░░░░ is they were right ░░░░░░░░ s how they did ░░░░░░░░ power through groups like ░░░░░░░░ KKK You had those ░░░░░░░░ of demographic changes political ░░░░░░░░ then and now You ░░░░░░░░ political leaders at the ░░░░░░░░ who either ignored it ░░░░░░░░ used dehumanizing rhetoric to ░░░░░░░░ of render people as ░░░░░░░░ human that made lynchings ░░░░░░░░ more possible And you ░░░░░░░░ had a president in ░░░░░░░░ White House during the ░░░░░░░░ era who was considered ░░░░░░░░ racist who said things ░░░░░░░░ some people thought encouraged ░░░░░░░░ BALDWIN That was Woodrow ░░░░░░░░ BLAKE: “Correct.”