Suburban San Diego Synagogue Shootings
by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org – Home – Stephen Lendman)
Suburban San Diego Chabad of Poway orthodox Hasidic synagogue shootings left one dead, three others injured, including congregation rabbi Yisroel Goldstein.
The April 27 incident occurred at the end of the Jewish Passover holiday period. It was six months to the day of last year’s October 27 Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh Tree of Life synagogue massacre.
Both incidents occurred at locations well known to me. In the early to mid-1960s, I lived in Pittsburgh, blocks from where the shootings occurred — my former home a quiet violence free neighborhood any time day or night.
In the late 60s, I lived in suburban San Diego, around 23 miles from the Poway shootings. At the time, my community and Poway were violence free. I recall no incidents indicating otherwise.
Post-9/11, that’s no longer the case. Most of all, state-sponsored terror by the US and its imperial partners threatens everyone everywhere. US inner cities are battlegrounds nationwide.
In my downtown Streeterville Chicago neighborhood near its Magnificent Mile shopping area, it’s unsafe to be out alone late at night, what wasn’t the case half a century ago when I arrived in the city with my family.
Accused Poway shooter John Earnest reportedly shot synagogue worshipers with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle.
In recent years, it’s been the weapon of choice in every US mass shooting incident — including last October’s Pittsburgh massacre.
After fleeing the scene by car on Saturday, Earnest reported the shootings by 911, surrendering to police about two miles from the incident, according to San Diego Ppolice chief David Nisleit.
It occurred shortly before noon on Saturday, the Jewish sabbath for observers, four or five dozen worshipers in the Shabbat synagogue at the time.
During the shootings, Ernest’s gun reportedly jammed, preventing a possible massacre. He’s a 19-year-old white male from the suburban San Diego Rancho Penasquitos community, a California State University, San Marcos student.
According to local authorities, he has no criminal background, no known connection to white supremacist or other extremist groups.
Before the incident, he posted an anti-Semitic open letter on 8chan’s message board, saying in part:
“I sacrifice this for the sake of my people. OUR people. I would die a thousand times over to prevent the doomed fate that the Jews have planned for my race.”
“Every Jew is responsible for the meticulously planned genocide of the European race. They act as a unit, and every Jew plays his part to enslave the other races around him—whether consciously or subconsciously.”
“Their crimes are endless. For lying and deceiving the public through their exorbitant role in news media; for using usury and banks to enslave nations in debt and control all finances for the purpose of funding evil; for their role in starting wars on a foundation of lies which have costed millions of lives throughout history…”
The anti-Semitic rant includes lots more hate-mongering. It’s for trained professionals to judge why Earnest’s extremism led him to kill and wound individuals threatening no one.
He called the mid-March Christchurch, New Zealand mosque shootings a “catalyst for (him) personally.” He praised gunman Brenton Tarrant and Pittsburgh Tree of Life killer Robert Bowers.
In his anti-Semitic open letter, he claimed responsibility for an unsolved March 24 San Diego County Escondido mosque fire authorities called arson, causing minor damage, injuring no one.
Shortly before Saturday’s incident, San Diego sheriff William Gore tweeted the following:
“Be aware of increased law enforcement activity in the 16000 block of Chabad Way as @SDSOPoway Deputies investigate reports of a man with a gun. Please stay clear of the area and allow deputies to safely do their job.”
They failed to act in time to stop the shootings, occurring at 16934 Chabad Way.
Why remains unanswered when authorities knew of a gunman near the targeted synagogue. Prompt action might have prevented what happened.
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