Charleston Shooting, Churches Burned — Dylann Roof’s Inspiration Says More To Come

On June 17, 2015, Dylann Roof entered a church in Charleston, South Carolina. His purpose was to kill the people inside, and to start a race war. Roof cited a number of inspirations for his acts, including a group called the Northwest Front, run by one Harold Covington. Since Roof’s crime was carried out, further attacks on black churches appear to have been mounted, and Covington says this is just the beginning.

Since the day Dylann Roof carried out his mass murder, the Southern Poverty Law Center says there have been fires in at least six predominantly black churches. Three have already been declared arson, and others are still being investigated as suspicious.

Though no perpetrators have been located in the arsons yet, and as investigations progress, it may even turn out that not all are connected, there is little doubt that the “copycat effect,” as described here by Psychology Today, results in similar crimes appearing after a highly publicized crime like Roof’s.

As for Harold Covington, he has spoken against Dylann Roof’s actions, but not because Roof committed mass murder, or because it was a racially motivated hate crime. Instead, according to the Guardian, he says Roof went about it the wrong way. He calls Roof’s actions “flipping out with a gun lunacy” compared to what he wants — which he says is revolution.

In a message titled “Dear White People,” Harold Covington lays out what he wants.

“We need to create a country for White people alone. Considerations of history, economics, and logistics dictate that the best place for such a country is here in the Pacific Northwest.”

However, he also aired a new podcast episode, in which he explained why Dylann Roof matters, in his view. Specifically, he says, liberals are frightened, because they recognize Roof’s actions as “a preview of things yet to come.”

Meanwhile, there’s no question that Dylann Roof has succeeded in setting off a chain of events, both antagonistic and cooperative. While Roof may have inspired attacks on half a dozen black churches, it’s also because of him that people have come together in a call for the removal of the Confederate flag from the South Carolina State House — a movement that spans races and the political spectrum.

The racist attacks Roof carried out are not the first, and, unfortunately, it’s almost certainly true that they won’t be the last. It doesn’t take Harold Covington’s assurances to know that. However, Dylann Roof may have mobilized copycats, but he has also mobilized a portion of society to fight harder and more loudly for equality and for justice in the wake of racially-motivated attacks.

[Photo via: Pool / Getty Images]