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The Student News Site of San Francisco State University

Golden Gate Xpress

The Student News Site of San Francisco State University

Golden Gate Xpress

Tomi Lahren’s silence speaks volume

Tomi+Lahrens+silence+speaks+volume

Editor’s note: this is an open letter in response to Tomi Lahren, host of TheBlaze’s commentary show “Tomi,” and her recent “Final Thoughts” segment regarding the Trump Presidency and the Black Lives Matter movement.

Dear Tomi Lahren,

I would like to begin by stating that this is not a letter of hate or complete scrutiny, but I feel a sense of urgency to address some inconsistencies following your social and political views that I find, for the most part, problematic.

I have followed your career for some time now and have taken a strong interest in your “Final Thoughts” segment, but not for the reasons you may think. I want to address your role in the outcome of Donald Trump’s election and how your blatant disregard for the violent repercussions of his election is upsetting.   

In sharing your final thoughts on the election, you have yet to use your platform to say something against the racist hate crimes and speech that have followed Trump’s election. I always seem to find you criticizing the Black Lives Matter movement which stems from you not admitting that in this country Black and Brown lives do not matter and criticizing Democrats who did not vote for Trump. I do not have an issue with you stating your opinion, but I find it deeply alarming and disturbing that you don’t use your platform to address racially motivated violence brought on by Trump’s election. You continue to only use your platform to fit one narrative a dangerous one.

Some White conservatives have taken Trump’s election as an opportunity to publicly and physically harm people of color and incite racially motivated violence, but you have been silent and I find this response troubling. My entire social media feed has been flooded with white supremacist Trump supporters writing and chanting racial slurs. Muslim women are calling their friends asking if they should remove their hijabs before they come to school or work, in fear of being harmed. People of color and members of the LGBTQ community are being publicly and physically attacked by some White people in Trump’s name. They are stating that it is now OK to rape, kill and brutalize people of color and members of the LGBTQ community.

I have yet to hear your final thoughts on this outcome. Why haven’t you spoken out against it? Trump’s election has unleashed racial, sexist and homophobic violence across our country and you have said nothing. I find that disgusting and hypocritical. If you continue to not speak out, then I will finally understand the type of person you are. Your silence will tell me that you are not just misunderstood, but that you simply do not care. You do not care about the lives of the people who have a skin color or gender preference different from yours. You do not care about racism and homophobia because it simply does not affect you and for that you should be ashamed of yourself.

[media-credit name=”Jessylyn Los Banos” align=”alignnone” width=”466″]tomi[/media-credit]

To be clear, I do not think all Trump supporters are racist, sexist and homophobic. I think some dislike Hillary Clinton to such an extreme extent that they would rather have him as president than her. That being said, many of those people like you have the luxury to set aside the problems of racism and homophobia, because it will not directly affect them or you. But for many of us who voted against Trump, it is because we do not have that luxury.

African Americans, Muslims, Latinos and LGBTQ people do not have the luxury that you have to ignore, forget, avoid and set aside racism and homophobia, because it will affect us. You have the audacity to ignore the pain of the Black community, criticize that pain and then profit from it. When a Black man is killed by law enforcement, you are quick to find a justification. You willfully denounced the actions of Beyoncé, Colin Kaepernick and the BLM movement who were all speaking about real issues, yet you are silent in the presence of such blatant hate. Why haven’t you done better? Your hypocrisy offends and disgusts me.

I blame the system for treating people of a different color, religion and gender preference as less than. But I blame you for not educating yourself. I blame you for not taking the time to hear the opinion of someone who is not afforded the experiences you have in this country as a privileged White  woman, and I blame you for not speaking out against the racist and homophobic violence that has occurred in favor of Trump’s election. I do not negate the fact that hate stems from both ends, and like you, I want to see vast changes happen in this country and see that everyone in this country feels safe and treated fairly. But if you continue to be silent, please know that you are only contributing to the problem.

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  • T

    Todd Elliott KogerDec 7, 2016 at 1:41 pm

    The November 28, 2016, Chicago Sun-Times, Fran Spielman article: “Black Politicians Unite After Murder of Congressman’s Grandson” outlined specifically the exact plan that Todd Elliott Koger has shared with the Congressional black leadership, the “Movement for Blacklivesmatter,” Rev. Jesse Jackson, private foundations, and the like. In fact, Mr. Koger had already complained that the Urban League also usurped this proposal.

    None of the black leadership named in the Chicago Sun-Times article had previously demonstrated any interest for the suggestion until apparently “word got out that Mr. Koger also shared the Plan with Donald Trump.” That is, the black leadership named in the Chicago Sun-Times’ article has always taken direct issue with Mr. Trump arguing that “BLACKS ARE NOT LIVING IN THE PRECARIOUS SITUATION OUTLINED.” Donald Trump was the only one willing to listen to Mr. Koger (blacks have been voting almost 50 years “straight” Democrat and our situation remained the same or worst).

    First Mr. Trump issued an online video that addressed our plight. Next he went to Michigan and then took the message to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Thereafter, Mr. Koger packaged the visual optics and shared Mr. Trump’s fight against the “status quo” with black America to grow an arsenal of black Trump supporters.

    When “sh*t hit the fan” in October 2016 and everyone started to run from Mr. Trump . . . Mr. Koger suggested the need for a new “writing” for black America to put things back on track. Thereafter, Mr. Trump almost immediately issued a “New Deal For Black America.”

    Donald Trump owes his victory to “predominately black Democratic strongholds of Pennsylvania” who were convinced to give Mr. Trump more votes than the previous Republican Party presidential candidate. African Americans like Todd Elliott Koger convinced hundreds of thousands blacks in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, and various other states to boycott the vote and/or the traditional “straight” Democratic Party vote.

    Mr. Trump’s “margin of victory” is realized when you combine this with an increase of “Obama white voters” in Wisconsin and Michigan voting Trump in 2016. Trump won Pennsylvania by 1.1 percentage points (68,236 votes), Wisconsin by 0.9 points (27,257 votes), and Michigan by 0.2 points (11,837 votes). If Hillary Clinton had won all three states, she would have won the Electoral College 278 to 260. She fell short in all three.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dieNd5h_qpw

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Tomi Lahren’s silence speaks volume