‘Is she going to hug me?' The moment that brought a mass killer to tears
After a self-described white supremacist fatally shot nine people at a Black church in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015, several family members of the victims forgave the shooter. A similar scene played out in 2019, when the brother of Botham Jean hugged the police officer who had killed him, igniting fresh debate over expectations that people of colour forgive their aggressors.
Robert Moore, who founded El Paso Matters and previously reported on the El Paso shooting for The Washington Post, said Tinajero's embrace on Tuesday left the courtroom – 'the security personnel, the families, the media, the judge' – weeping.
'I've never been in the position of having to report a story while sobbing uncontrollably,' Moore told the Post. The hearing felt cathartic for the city, he said.
Tinajero told the defendant that he had been wrong about El Paso. She said there was no 'Hispanic invasion of Texas', as he had believed; the city was simply welcoming people who would have opened their doors to him and offered him a Mexican meal.
'Your ugly thoughts of us that have been instilled in you would have turned around' had they broken bread together, Tinajero said, according to Moore's dispatch.
Not everyone expressed mercy. Other family members of victims wished the defendant misery as he serves his life sentence in prison. Francisco Rodriguez, father of 15-year-old Javier Ramirez, the youngest person killed, repeatedly demanded that the defendant look at him and at his son's picture, Moore recalled.
'I wish I could just get five minutes with you – me and you – and get all of this, get it over with,' Rodriguez said during his victim impact statement, according to the Associated Press.
Fred Luskin, director of the Stanford Forgiveness Project, which studies the effects of forgiveness on health, said forgiveness is a response to 'unmerited suffering' that lets someone release resentment, blame and self-pity. But it's not a shortcut to avoiding pain, he added.
'Forgiveness often necessitates real pain and suffering before one releases it,' Luskin said.
People of colour are often not given the space to go through that, said Jemar Tisby, a history professor at Simmons College of Kentucky. Instead, he said, they're expected to quickly absolve those who have wronged them. That pressure, he said, denies their humanity by blocking the grieving process: sadness, anger, despair.
Tisby said that when he learnt that Tinajero had forgiven the man who murdered her brother, he thought of the outpouring of support for Botham Jean's brother, Brandt, when he hugged Amber Guyger. Senator Ted Cruz and former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley praised the embrace at the time as an act of 'Christian love' and an 'amazing example of faith, love and forgiveness'.
But Tisby saw it as another instance in a long history of Black people giving White people quick absolution for perpetrating horrific wrongs.
'People of colour are not often given space for those [negative] emotions,' Tisby said.
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Since the El Paso shooting, Moore, the journalist, said the victims' family members have expressed that 'the act of forgiveness meant that the gunman no longer had any power over their lives'.
Spencer, the defence lawyer, said that of the dozens of people who gave impact statements this week, 14 offered forgiveness to the defendant. Two asked to hug him.
'The graciousness that these victims showed, the forgiveness and the love – I'll be honest, if I were a victim I don't know if I'd be as gracious,' Spencer said. 'I pray to God that I would be. But I don't know.'
After Tinajero hugged the defendant, Adriana Zandri, whose husband Ivan Manzano was killed in the shooting, asked to do the same.
The defendant, Moore said, knew about Zandri's request in advance. When she reached for him he embraced her with his wrists in shackles.
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Minutes later the judge asked the bailiff to escort the defendant from the courtroom.
'To have the last act of the court process being this amazing act of mercy,' Moore said, 'it was just such an El Paso moment.'
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Sky News AU
12 hours ago
- Sky News AU
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The Advertiser
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- The Advertiser
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US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the Pentagon is prepared to mobilize active duty Marines "if violence continues" in Los Angeles. The Trump administration has already said it will deploy 2000 US National Guard troops as federal agents in Los Angeles faced off against demonstrators for a second day following immigration raids. The security agents confronted around 100 protesters in the Paramount area in southeast Los Angeles, on Saturday where some demonstrators displayed Mexican flags and others covered their mouths with respiratory masks. Hegseth issued the threat to use Marines on X, saying "The @DeptofDefense is mobilizing the National Guard IMMEDIATELY to support federal law enforcement in Los Angeles. And, if violence continues, active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton will also be mobilized — they are on high alert". Earlier Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, told Fox News that the National Guard would be deployed in Los Angeles on Saturday evening. California Governor Gavin Newsom called the decision "purposefully inflammatory". "If Governor Gavin Newscum, of California, and Mayor Karen Bass, of Los Angeles, can't do their jobs, which everyone knows they can't, then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!" Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. The protests pit Democratic-run Los Angeles, where a significant portion of the population is Hispanic and foreign-born, against Trump's Republican White House, which has made cracking down on immigration a hallmark of his second term. In the late afternoon, authorities began detaining some protesters, according to Reuters witnesses. There was no immediate official information of any arrests. Video footage showed dozens of green-uniformed security personnel with gas masks lined up on a road strewn with overturned shopping carts as small canisters exploded into gas clouds. "Now they know that they cannot go to anywhere in this country where our people are, and try to kidnap our workers, our people - they cannot do that without an organised and fierce resistance," said protester Ron Gochez, 44. A first round of protests kicked off on Friday night after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents conducted enforcement operations in the city and arrested at least 44 people on alleged immigration violations. Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner and the White House deputy chief of staff, wrote on X that Friday's demonstrations were "an insurrection against the laws and sovereignty of the United States." On Saturday, he described the day's protests as a "violent insurrection." The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement about Friday's protests that "1000 rioters surrounded a federal law enforcement building and assaulted ICE law enforcement officers, slashed tires, defaced buildings, and taxpayer funded property". Reuters could not verify DHS's accounts. Angelica Salas, executive director of immigrants' rights organisation Chirla, said lawyers had not had access to those detained on Friday, which she called "very worrying". Trump has pledged to deport record numbers of people in the country illegally and lock down the US.-Mexico border, with the White House setting a goal for ICE to arrest at least 3000 migrants per day. But the sweeping immigration crackdown has also caught up people legally residing in the country, including some with permanent residence, and has led to legal challenges. Television news footage on Friday showed unmarked vehicles resembling military transport and vans loaded with uniformed federal agents streaming through Los Angeles streets as part of the immigration enforcement operation. Raids occurred around Home Depot stores, where street vendors and day labourers were picked up, as well as at a garment factory and a warehouse, Salas of Chirla said. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the Pentagon is prepared to mobilize active duty Marines "if violence continues" in Los Angeles. The Trump administration has already said it will deploy 2000 US National Guard troops as federal agents in Los Angeles faced off against demonstrators for a second day following immigration raids. The security agents confronted around 100 protesters in the Paramount area in southeast Los Angeles, on Saturday where some demonstrators displayed Mexican flags and others covered their mouths with respiratory masks. Hegseth issued the threat to use Marines on X, saying "The @DeptofDefense is mobilizing the National Guard IMMEDIATELY to support federal law enforcement in Los Angeles. And, if violence continues, active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton will also be mobilized — they are on high alert". Earlier Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, told Fox News that the National Guard would be deployed in Los Angeles on Saturday evening. California Governor Gavin Newsom called the decision "purposefully inflammatory". "If Governor Gavin Newscum, of California, and Mayor Karen Bass, of Los Angeles, can't do their jobs, which everyone knows they can't, then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!" Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. The protests pit Democratic-run Los Angeles, where a significant portion of the population is Hispanic and foreign-born, against Trump's Republican White House, which has made cracking down on immigration a hallmark of his second term. In the late afternoon, authorities began detaining some protesters, according to Reuters witnesses. There was no immediate official information of any arrests. Video footage showed dozens of green-uniformed security personnel with gas masks lined up on a road strewn with overturned shopping carts as small canisters exploded into gas clouds. "Now they know that they cannot go to anywhere in this country where our people are, and try to kidnap our workers, our people - they cannot do that without an organised and fierce resistance," said protester Ron Gochez, 44. A first round of protests kicked off on Friday night after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents conducted enforcement operations in the city and arrested at least 44 people on alleged immigration violations. Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner and the White House deputy chief of staff, wrote on X that Friday's demonstrations were "an insurrection against the laws and sovereignty of the United States." On Saturday, he described the day's protests as a "violent insurrection." The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement about Friday's protests that "1000 rioters surrounded a federal law enforcement building and assaulted ICE law enforcement officers, slashed tires, defaced buildings, and taxpayer funded property". Reuters could not verify DHS's accounts. Angelica Salas, executive director of immigrants' rights organisation Chirla, said lawyers had not had access to those detained on Friday, which she called "very worrying". Trump has pledged to deport record numbers of people in the country illegally and lock down the US.-Mexico border, with the White House setting a goal for ICE to arrest at least 3000 migrants per day. But the sweeping immigration crackdown has also caught up people legally residing in the country, including some with permanent residence, and has led to legal challenges. Television news footage on Friday showed unmarked vehicles resembling military transport and vans loaded with uniformed federal agents streaming through Los Angeles streets as part of the immigration enforcement operation. Raids occurred around Home Depot stores, where street vendors and day labourers were picked up, as well as at a garment factory and a warehouse, Salas of Chirla said. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the Pentagon is prepared to mobilize active duty Marines "if violence continues" in Los Angeles. The Trump administration has already said it will deploy 2000 US National Guard troops as federal agents in Los Angeles faced off against demonstrators for a second day following immigration raids. The security agents confronted around 100 protesters in the Paramount area in southeast Los Angeles, on Saturday where some demonstrators displayed Mexican flags and others covered their mouths with respiratory masks. Hegseth issued the threat to use Marines on X, saying "The @DeptofDefense is mobilizing the National Guard IMMEDIATELY to support federal law enforcement in Los Angeles. And, if violence continues, active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton will also be mobilized — they are on high alert". Earlier Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, told Fox News that the National Guard would be deployed in Los Angeles on Saturday evening. California Governor Gavin Newsom called the decision "purposefully inflammatory". "If Governor Gavin Newscum, of California, and Mayor Karen Bass, of Los Angeles, can't do their jobs, which everyone knows they can't, then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!" Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. The protests pit Democratic-run Los Angeles, where a significant portion of the population is Hispanic and foreign-born, against Trump's Republican White House, which has made cracking down on immigration a hallmark of his second term. In the late afternoon, authorities began detaining some protesters, according to Reuters witnesses. There was no immediate official information of any arrests. Video footage showed dozens of green-uniformed security personnel with gas masks lined up on a road strewn with overturned shopping carts as small canisters exploded into gas clouds. "Now they know that they cannot go to anywhere in this country where our people are, and try to kidnap our workers, our people - they cannot do that without an organised and fierce resistance," said protester Ron Gochez, 44. A first round of protests kicked off on Friday night after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents conducted enforcement operations in the city and arrested at least 44 people on alleged immigration violations. Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner and the White House deputy chief of staff, wrote on X that Friday's demonstrations were "an insurrection against the laws and sovereignty of the United States." On Saturday, he described the day's protests as a "violent insurrection." The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement about Friday's protests that "1000 rioters surrounded a federal law enforcement building and assaulted ICE law enforcement officers, slashed tires, defaced buildings, and taxpayer funded property". 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West Australian
14 hours ago
- West Australian
Los Angeles riots: National Guard deployed as protesters and police clash after immigration raids
The White House will deploy its National Guard to intervene in the Los Angeles protests as furious demonstrators continue to clash with federal agents and riot police. 'President Trump has signed a Presidential Memorandum deploying 2,000 National Guardsmen to address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester,' White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced. This comes after US President Donald Trump addressed the extraordinary scenes on his Truth Social account. 'If Governor Gavin Newscum, of California, and Mayor Karen Bass, of Los Angeles, can't do their jobs, which everyone knows they can't, then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!,' Mr Trump wrote. Chaotic scenes erupted across seven locations on Friday night (local time) in response to raids led by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The sweep led to the arrests of at least 44 people on alleged immigration violations. Protests escalated on Saturday in the Paramount area in southeast Los Angeles, resulting in security agents engaging in a tense confrontation with demonstrators. It's been reported that one protester was seen waving a Mexican flag, and some covered their mouths with respiratory masks. The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that '1000 rioters surrounded a federal law enforcement building and assaulted ICE law enforcement officers, slashed tires, defaced buildings, and taxpayer funded property'. A senior White House aide Stephen Miller wrote on X that the demonstrations were 'an insurrection against the laws and sovereignty of the United States'. The protests pit Democratic-run Los Angeles, where a significant portion of the population is Hispanic and foreign-born, against Mr Trump's Republican White House, which has made cracking down on immigration a hallmark of his second term. Mr Trump has pledged to deport record numbers of people in the country illegally and lock down the US-Mexico border, with the White House setting a goal for ICE to arrest at least 3000 migrants per day. But the sweeping immigration crackdown has also included people legally in the country, including some with permanent residence and has led to legal challenges. Television news footage earlier on Friday showed unmarked vehicles resembling military transport and vans loaded with uniformed federal agents streaming through Los Angeles streets as part of the immigration enforcement operation. The Democratic mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, condemned the immigration raids. 'I am deeply angered by what has taken place,' Ms Bass said. 'These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city. We will not stand for this.' The LAPD did not take part in the immigration enforcement. It was deployed to quell civil unrest after crowds protesting the deportation raids spray-painted anti-ICE slogans on the walls of a federal court building and gathered outside a nearby jail where some of the detainees were reportedly being held. The Department of Homeland Security criticised Democratic politicians, saying their anti-ICE rhetoric was contributing to violence against immigration agents. 'From comparisons to the modern-day Nazi gestapo to glorifying rioters, the violent rhetoric of these sanctuary politicians is beyond the pale. This violence against ICE must end,' said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. - With AAP
