Why Prosecuting El Paso, Texas Walmart Shooting As A Hate Crime Matters

Patrick Crusius has just received 90 consecutive life sentences for the 2019 mass shooting inside an El Paso, Texas Walmart. It might sound like overkill, but it is important. It means he will certainly die in prison, even if he doesn't get the death penalty when he faces state charges. I am not usually pro-death penalty, but I'll make an exception here, and my money is on him getting the needle.

The federal government did not seek the death penalty because Crusius ultimately decided to plead guilty. He certainly committed the crime but may have attempted an insanity plea- Crusius's lawyer, Joe Spencer claimed that his client had, "lost all contact with reality." But that's a hard case to argue when your client drove 650 miles to be sure to "shoot as many Mexicans as possible." If that is not purposeful intent, I do not know what is.

If Crusius is certainly going to die in prison, perhaps sooner than later, why does it matter if we charge him with hate crimes? Because it isn't about him.

It is about our very soul as a state and as a nation. Yes, 23 murders are heinous no matter what the motive, be it personal or random, but racially-based murders must be especially condemned. There is no doubt, as per Crusius's own words, that this was a crime fueled by extremist hate, even if his brain was addled with mental illness.

As a lifelong Texan, I have always seen Mexican heritage as absolutely integral to Texas heritage. You cannot logically separate the two. To be blunt, Mexicans, and certainly native peoples were here long before whites. And how beautiful it is that we've formed an identity that has amalgamated multiple cultures into our own unique, thriving, beautiful culture of independence, liberty, and family values.

If you think that most of the victims were not American citizens, you are wrong. 13 were American citizens, and 2 had dual citizenship. One of the non-Americans was German. They were white, Latino, and black. El Paso is a border town, so there were some folks who drove up to shop at the Walmart. Not what I would call an "invasion" by any means.

We simply must stand up, and stand united to say loud and clear; "You will not hurt our Texans" no matter what their ethnic background may be. We are a people who protect our own. Let's do it now.