Buffalo Shooting is Deadly Outcome of a Bigoted Disease

In response to this weekend’s mass shooting in Buffalo, which was motivated by the racist “great replacement” conspiracy theory pushed for years by the white nationalist movement and more recently taken up by national GOP leaders, Voto Latino President and CEO Maria Teresa Kumar issued the following statement:

“Our hearts are broken for the families and community suffering in Buffalo today. This shooting is the latest in a long string of examples making it painfully clear that bigoted rhetoric and conspiracy theories have deadly real life consequences. These murders were encouraged and enabled by a rising tide of hate that has given rise to a toxic brew of racism, antisemitism and xenophobia. Just as we saw in El Paso in 2019 when a racist murderer targeted Latinos attempting to live their lives, the killer published an online creed laying out his thoughts in horrifying detail. Both killings were fueled by the right’s infatuation with the bigoted ‘great replacement’ conspiracy theory. Both devastated a community. Both were completely avoidable.

“This shooting is the deadly outcome of a bigoted disease being encouraged by politicians and media personalities who should be well aware that they’re putting people’s lives at risk. Republicans who have flirted with or embraced the white nationalist agenda to score political points should be horrified and ashamed by what they’ve helped make happen. Republican leadership, unless it takes a firm stand by passing reforms and holding even their own accountable, are otherwise complicit in these tragedies – their continued silence is deafening.”

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Voto Latino is a grassroots political organization focused on educating and empowering a new generation of Latinx voters, as well as creating a more robust and inclusive democracy. Through innovative digital campaigns, culturally relevant programs and authentic voices, we shepherd the Latinx community towards the full realization of its political power.