Garland, NAACP president will meet on danger of white supremacy

Attorney General Merrick Garland will meet with NAACP President Derrick Johnson on Friday to discuss the danger of white supremacy and how it is being fed online.

The meeting comes after a gunman killed 10 people and wounded three at a supermarket in Buffalo, N.Y., in a predominantly Black neighborhood. The suspect arrested in the killings shared plans of his attack online before the shootings and made it clear he hoped others would follow him.

Payton Gendron, who faces 10 first-degree murder charges, had previously released a 180-page racist screed outlining his rationale for the killings.

It’s just the latest mass shooting in the United States targeting a minority group.

“President Johnson and the Attorney General will discuss the spread of white supremacy across social media platforms and hate crimes tearing through Black communities across America,” an NAACP statement announcing Friday’s meeting stated. 

No more details have been given and The Hill has contacted the Justice Department for comment. 

Eleven of the 13 victims in Buffalo were Black, and Gendron’s writings discussed a conspiracy theory that posits that white people are being intentionally replaced by minorities to take away their power.

Authorities said the killings will be investigated as a hate crime. 

“This is absolutely devastating. Our hearts are with the community and all who have been impacted by this terrible tragedy. Hate and racism have no place in America. We are shattered, extremely angered and praying for the victims’ families and loved ones,” the NAACP said after the shooting. 

The mass shooting has renewed the Democrats’ calls for tighter gun restrictions, while Republicans resist many of the gun reforms suggested. 

“It just doesn’t seem to be helpful to me to go after law-abiding citizens and our Second Amendment rights, so I’m going to continue to hold that position,” Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), a member of GOP leadership, said.