For nearly a decade, Americans have witnessed mobs attacking our monuments, beheading statues, and vandalizing places of worship. They’ve threatened cherished figures and disturbed resting places. Churches have been bombed, set ablaze, or stoned, while activists, journalists, politicians, and judges face threats right at their homes. Families have dealt with harassment, students and speakers have been assaulted, and the public often found themselves encircled by inaction from the police.
Over these nine years, numerous warning signs were ignored. We’ve passed by countless flashing signals, reassured by what we believed to be America’s deep reservoir of tolerance for disruptive behaviors. We closed our eyes, perhaps hoping it would all just fade away.
It’s curious. We knew these events could lead to something alarming. Was it really shocking when it happened?
It’s not only statues and churches that are at risk. History teaches that destruction of cultural and faith symbols often precedes targeting individuals. Campus violence provided early warnings. By 2016 and 2017, speakers like Ben Shapiro and Milo Yiannopoulos required heavy police protection. Others faced outright violence.
A notable incident at San Francisco State University illustrated the growing corruption. A mob cut the lights and proceeded to chase down former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines. She described how the crowd demanded a ransom before they allowed her to leave, while police stood idly by.
Despite clear evidence, the university took no disciplinary actions against the perpetrators.
Victims of these attacks became criminals in the eyes of the mob. Campus leaders had indoctrinated students to treat words as weapons, fortifying campuses against perceived invasions by conservatives, Christians, or dissenting opinions.
More concerning tactics emerged. “Swatting”—where fake emergency calls trigger armed police responses—has become rampant. Targets have included elected officials like Senator Tommy Tuberville and others.
By 2025, conservative online personalities had become prime targets. That March alone saw 15 known swatting incidents directed at conservatives. The threat has reached a level where media organizations recommend that hosts provide their phone numbers to police, anticipating emergencies involving “shootings.”
Swatting isn’t a joke. It’s akin to attempted murder. Armed officers respond believing there’s an active shooter, entering homes where families are unaware of the chaos outside. In such tense situations, tragic outcomes are possible.
On September 10, 2025, that abstract threat morphed into a disturbing reality. Many leftist activists had turned to violence as a means to an end. We observed dissenters treated as contaminants in our communities, particularly in academic circles, while school officials turned a blind eye. Yet, the fear grew unbearable as friends and colleagues fell victim to gunfire in broad daylight.
Escalations have been evident for years: vandalism, arson, threats proliferating through social media, all encouraged by some influencers and officials. I’ve noted how mobs have targeted speakers and how universities have sheltered agitators while punishing those who criticize them. These weren’t exaggerations; they were genuine warnings. When rhetoric gains approval, violence often follows a predictable course.
Perhaps it wasn’t that we were surprised it happened on a bright September Wednesday. Maybe the shock stemmed from the fact that the victims weren’t just faceless “others.” They were people many of us knew and respected. That closeness made the fear, well, even more profound.
We all know it, and I think that’s why it resonates so deeply.
The narrative continues: Major universities have fired staff for celebrating the assassination of figures like Charlie Kirk. That’s merely the beginning of a troubling trend from the extreme left.
There are ongoing investigations into whether pro-trans activists had prior knowledge of assassination plots.
