Family Of Mollie Tibbetts Fight Back After White Supremacists Use Her Death For Racist Robocalls
Mollie Tibbetts’ father and family continue to speak out against the public using her death in the immigration rhetoric. Political leaders, including President Trump, stepped back from the debate after the family made it clear that they do not appreciate her death being used as a pawn in the political arena. However, it seems as if white supremacists think that they do not have to respect the wishes of the family members who actually knew and loved her.
Rob Tibbetts penned a letter to the Des Moines Register where he once again appealed to the public to stop using Mollie’s death in their various political agendas. He specifically calls out people who are propagating their racist viewpoints and using his daughter’s death as a vehicle to spout their ideologies.
“The person who is accused of taking Mollie’s life is no more a reflection of the Hispanic community as white supremacists are of all white people.”
Mollie and Rob Tibbetts were very close, and he writes that his daughter was his best friend. He said that now that Mollie can no longer speak for herself, he takes it upon himself to speak on behalf of her. He asked the public to leave them out of their debates and to allow the family the space to grieve privately. He also shares why the race debate is so personal to him.
“My stepdaughter, whom Mollie loved so dearly, is Latina. Her sons — Mollie’s cherished nephews and my grandchildren — are Latino … As an American, I have one tenet: to respect every citizen of the world and actively engage in the ongoing pursuit to form a more perfect union.”
According to The Hill, Tibbetts’ relatives have also spoken out about the racist narrative that has now attached itself to her murder. Samantha Lucas, a second cousin of the deceased, spoke out against her death being used as “fuel against undocumented immigrants.” Sandi Tibbetts Murphy also slammed those who “usurp Mollie and her legacy for your racist, false narrative.”
The Inquisitr also reported that Tibbetts’ aunt was one of the first to note that her niece’s death could devolve into a racist agenda. Mere hours after Tibbetts’ death was announced, Bill Jo Calderwood asked that her niece’s name should not be tied to the immigration debate.
“Please remember, Evil comes in EVERY color.”
Robocalls and graffiti after Mollie Tibbetts’ death worry Iowa Latinos https://t.co/fmHrDdYN6E pic.twitter.com/AbDqMSpa6d
— WTVR CBS 6 Richmond (@CBS6) September 2, 2018
Mollie Tibbetts was just 20-years-old when she went missing on July 18. Her body was found when her alleged murderer Christian Bahena Rivera, 24, pointed out her body in a cornfield southeast of Brooklyn. Rivera is an undocumented immigrant.
