I find it tragically ironic that the events that have taken place today have occurred while I have been working in my college library to preserve historical documents from the 1960’s Civil Rights Era. Earlier, I came across a few documents I wanted to share, specifically to talk about the change (or the lack of) in America. I suppose it is only an eerie coincidence that while I pondered this article, I came home to find news of the shooting at the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. on my television.

I have been to the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C., and the Holocaust Museum in Israel. I have been to Auschwitz and other concentration camps in Poland. Sometimes the memories of these places will creep up on me, but I honestly cannot describe any of them to anyone who doesn’t really understand. The only word I have to sum up my feelings for all these places is simply shoes. If you do not understand I’m sorry – I can’t help you. In any respect, I have been deeply vested in the history these monuments represent (because they are historical monuments), and that the museum in Washington D.C. was attacked by a hate-filled gunman is just horrifying.

Even more tragic, is the death of one of the security guards of the museum. 39-year-old Officer Stephen Tyrone Johns was reportedly killed by the gunman before other guards heroically returned fire. The gunman is still alive, who was identified as James Von Brunn – and guess what? He wrote a book. (now where have I heard that one before?) Sorry, I will not be posting links to his website, his book, or any other affiliations he might have like all the 24 hour news networks have been advertising (I wonder if his death was a marketing ploy…). James Von Brunn is still in the hospital in critical condition last I heard.

So who was oh, right (too soon), I mean “is” James Von Brunn? I have no idea, but apparently he was sentenced in 1983 to more than four years in prison. His non-white-supremest reason was to attempt to kidnap the Federal Reserve Board with a gun, knife and sawed-off shotgun. I guess in his old age those weapons get a little heavy (he was carrying a .22 rifle at the age of 88 when he attacked the museum today). Since then, he’s moved on from complaining about interest rates to strongly supporting his cause of white supremacy. (more…)