Gilroy Shooter promoted white supremacist book

[Liberty Belle]

The 19-year old shooter, Santino William Legan, identified himself as of Italian and Iranian descent on an Instagram post later deleted.
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-07-29/gilroy-garlic-festival

According to CNN, one of his last posts included a photo of Smokey the Bear holding a sign saying "Fire Danger High Today," stated: "Read Might is Right by Ragnar Redbeard. Why overcrowd towns and pave more open space to make room for hordes of mestizos and Silicon Valley white tw**s?"

A mestizo is a person of mixed descent, commonly white and Hispanic or white and American Indian.

"Right is Might," first published in the late 1800's, has been described as a white supremacist text that promotes anarchy while vilifying Christianity. The book calls Jesus the "true Prince of Evil" and says that the natural order is a world at war in which the strong must vanquish the weak and white men must rule over those of color.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/29/us/food-garlic-festival-shooting/index.html

I wonder if he was inspired by Trump to hate and kill people?

[underpants]

1. There were white supremacy books in the 19th century?

Was there some sort of confusion about who was in charge back then?

[SCantiGOP]

9. In 1801, "white" didn't include Spanish

The English and Spanish were still locked in a battle for supremacy in the New World.

Wouldn’t doubt the Anglo-Saxons wouldn’t include Germans, Poles, Middle Europeans, etc as white either.

[Igel]

10. Yes.

Hence the motivation of many that joined or founded organizations like the KKK.

[jcgoldie]

2. sorry what is "tw**s"?

I know its off topic but its driving me crazy.

[dalton99a]

3. See:

https://heavy.com/news/2019/07/santino-william-legan/

[jcgoldie]

5. thanks

what a mess.

[Moostache]

8. I know there is a morbid interest for everyone ...

But doesn't this kind of intensive background and family history give the shooter a posthumous memorial that is 100% undeserved?

I won't even type his name, let alone his family history and photos of his mother...maybe consider taking the link down in favor of making the curious really search it out without DU providing easy one-click access?

I could be over the top on this, so if I am, I mean no offense...thanks!

[Liberty Belle]

11. How else do we document potential motives, and the negative influence of Trump rhetoric

or that of other groups, if we don't discuss it using facts?

There is a difference between glorifying violence and reporting on it.

For all we knew until this came out, he could have simply been a disgruntled employee or someone with a grudge against the Garlic Festival. This makes it appear likely his motive was racial.

That said I do believe media should focus more on victims than on the name of the shooter. But we do need to acknowledge that white supremacists are the biggest threat of terrorism in our nation

If this guy had been a Muslim inspired by ISIS or Al Qaeda, we'd have no objection to publicizing his name and motives. Same should be the treatment of white supremacists, so that we can expose how many of these mass shootings they are committing.

Gun control should not be the only issue debated -- we need to talk about cracking down on white supremacist groups and hatemongers inciting unstable individuals to commit violence, just as ISIS inspires "lone wolf" followers.

[Moostache]

13. Like I said...I could be wrong...

My original point was not meant to imply discussion is off limits, just using real names - the act of giving the shooters fame and notoriety.

These depraved people, who callously take human life, deserve to die as nameless, forgotten people. They do not deserve to be discussed in terms of their real names or their family histories...just an opinion is all.

[TeamPooka]

16. knowing things from the article, like how his grandfather was tried for raping his eldest daughter

can point to some potential mental illness or tendency to violence that could run in his family.
I know many want to stick their heads in the sand when events like this happen but that is when you should not look away.
We need to confront this problem of mental illness and guns in our nation.

[Moostache]

18. Interesting points...but they are investigation points

I think of that information like evidence that should be collected but controlled by the DA.

It's not serving the public because we haven't even reached consensus on 'common sense' gun laws to apply that against yet...and we're really opening Pandora 's box...or maybe "Minority Report"-style "justice" if we start using behavioral profile of ancestors to limit one's rights.

I think guns should carry massive ownership liability. I think illegal possession of guns should carry even more massive criminal risk. But I can't ever see a time society should make access decisions to guns or books or films or music based in any way on one's grand parent's proclivities.

Anywho...I got into the weeds there...I think we should do more to make the shooter's identity disappear instead of allowing it any fame or infamy...

[TeamPooka]

20. "controlled by the DA" is asking for a police state. No thanks.

[maxsolomon]

4. twits or twats

prob the latter

[ailsagirl]

6. Will this carnage ever stop????

[Turbineguy]

12. It used to be

you weren't a real American until you'd been sued.

[Iliyah]

7. Racist rants shithole is doing . . . .

the answer is YES that he is inspiring White Supremacist all over the world that it is OK to kill.

[hunter]

14. Nobody could have predicted that...

[maryellen99]

15. I'm not shocked he targeted the festival

Foodie Festivals are full of liberals and minorities.

[watoos]

17. With all respect,

don't call him a shooter, please call him a murderer.

[LanternWaste]

19. And the idiots will reference his "Silicon Valley whites" to pretend he's not a racist.

Because (and only because) they've been staring into the abyss far too long, and need a juicy little justification to convince themselves that reflection they accurately see is something other than what it is.