Washington Post op-ed asks if it's time for Black people to 'flee the country'
Jonathan Capehart was named associate editor of the Washington Post in March
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Washington Post columnist Jonathan Capehart explained that his fear of "crazy White people" could motivate him to leave the country in a new op-ed on Tuesday.
The article "Why Black people are afraid of ‘crazy’ White people" focused on how Capehart’s concern about the growing number of "crazy" White people is forcing him to consider fleeing.
"Let me try to explain. Things felt so dicey during the Trump years, I half-joked that my husband and I might have to reenact that scene from ‘The Sound of Music’ and flee the country. Now, an alarming new report from the Southern Poverty Law Center shows that my ‘Operation von Trapp’ might need to go live. The ranks of ‘crazy’ White people appear to be growing — and the rest of us don’t know what to do about it," he wrote.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He primarily cited the Buffalo mass shooting in May as a factor in his concern, referencing a WaPo poll that showed a majority of African Americans now fear White people to an extent.
The Washington Post (ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)
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"75 percent of African Americans worry they or a loved one will be physically attacked because they are Black," he cited. "70 percent of African Americans think at least half of White Americans hold white-supremacist beliefs. 75 percent of African Americans say white supremacists are a ‘major threat’ to Black Americans."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Despite the perceived threat, Capehart criticized the suggestion to arm himself, claiming that Second Amendment rights are not afforded to Black people.
"The right to self-protection, let alone the right to bear arms, doesn’t exactly apply to Black people," he wrote. "Think about it. Imagine I get a gun for self-protection (not that I ever would, but stay with me). A situation arises in which I use it to protect myself. But then the cops arrive, see a gun, ‘fear for their lives,’ and, well, the rest writes itself. Remember Philando Castile? We can’t win."
Panelists Meredith Talusan (L) and Jonathan Capehart discuss reporting on LGBTQ issues in Manhattan, New York, U.S., June 1, 2017. REUTERS/Bria Webb
"So, no, I won’t be getting a gun. Ever. But would I actually leave the country for my own protection? It’s a question many people of color have been pondering the past several years," he explained.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}MASSIVE INCREASE IN BLACK AMERICANS MURDERED WAS RESULT OF DEFUND POLICE MOVEMENT: EXPERTS
While he admitted that "crazy" White people are unlikely to convince him to leave the country, Capehart assured other marginalized people that it is not out of the ordinary to be "scared."
"Sure, we can vote and organize, and change hearts and minds and all that. And we must! But I don’t blame us marginalized people for being scared. The warnings of a potential loss of freedom, liberty and life are omnipresent and unrelenting, like being in the middle of Times Square with every sign flashing ‘You in danger!’" he wrote.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A person walks past the scene of a shooting at a supermarket, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
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Capehart has frequently warned about the threat of White people and conservatives in both the Washington Post and on his MSNBC program. In September, he claimed that "MAGA and the domestic threat" were more worrisome than ISIS or the Taliban 20 years after 9/11.