The United States has seen an incredible increase in attacks on Jewish communities, ranging from bomb threats to desecration of Jewish cemeteries. President Donald Trump spoke out against anti-Semitism and made it clear that it has no place in America. While the attacks continue to be investigated, Jewish communities across the country are still being terrorized.
The tension has been high and the investigations have turned federal. One man from St. Louis has been charged with making more than half a dozen bomb threats against the Jewish community, to include schools. Juan Thompson not only made the threats in his own name, he made them in the name of his ex-girlfriend. Apparently, she had broken up with him and he was feeling spiteful, so he decided to make terroristic threats in her name. The most shocking and disgusting aspect is—according to the complaint—Thompson claimed there were two bombs located in a school, and that he was excited for a Jewish version of the Newtown, Connecticut school massacre, where 20 students and six staff members were killed.
I can’t fathom that thought crossing my mind for any reason. It’s harder still to imagine someone invoking that horrific incident and threatening another school with it. Children had to be evacuated to safety and everyone involved was undoubtedly struck with immeasurable fear. Having to explain something like that to children and why it happened to their school is not something parents should be worried about dealing with.
We have seen a disturbing trend of hatred springing up in the United States since the election. Although Juan Thompson is not thought to be responsible for any other threats, the fact that he had his own agenda of revenge suggests that it’s very possible others had their own ideas as well. I wouldn’t put it past certain groups to continue making these threats towards the Jewish community in order to put political pressure on our nation’s leaders.
Juan Thompson was already suffering in his own personal life, aside from his failed relationship. He was recently fired from his job as a reporter for making up sources and quotes. Though Thompson set out to harass his ex-girlfriend, he ended up terrorizing innocent members of a community based on religion. He specifically targeted a group of people and took actions that directly instilled fear. Given the fact that these types crimes have already been taking place, he added fuel to the fire and created more terror for these Jewish communities.
To me, this is absolutely a hate crime. Thompson is accused of putting innocent people through traumatic circumstances. With the nationwide attention that has been brought to the scattered incidents of hatred towards Jewish communities, they’re already on high alert and most likely hyper vigilant. One can only imagine what it’s like to be targeted because of your religion, in this day and age. Unfortunately, there are still plenty of hateful people in this world. If convicted, Thompson will be among the most evil.
Angelina Newsom is an OpsLens Contributor and U.S. Army Veteran. She has ten years experience in the military, including a deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. She studies Criminal Justice and is still active within the military community.
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