OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Federal authorities in Minnesota are currently investigating a suspected arson fire that caused significant damage to the offices of three conservative organizations in what they believe was a deliberate political attack.
Fox News reported that the fire occurred in the early hours of Sunday in Golden Valley, a suburb of Minneapolis. The offices of three conservative organizations — the Center for the American Experiment, the Upper Midwest Law Center, and TakeCharge — were located in the same building along with several other businesses.
As of now, no arrests have been made, and authorities have not disclosed a potential motive for the incident.
“The fires obviously were set by someone,” John Hinderaker, president of Center of the American Experiment, a conservative think tank, noted in a statement published by Fox. “They targeted conservative organizations. They didn’t firebomb the chiropractors or psychologists or the Manufacturers Alliance. We are cooperating with the FBI to try to identify the perpetrators.”
As noted by the American Experiment: “The fires occurred around 2:00 am on Sunday morning and were started outside the first-floor offices of American Experiment and TakeCharge, and in the third-floor offices of UMLC. The second floor has no visible fire damage. The three-story building houses a variety of small businesses in addition to the three conservative policy organizations.”
“It is extremely concerning that we may have been the target of an arson attack, constituting an act of domestic terrorism,” Kendall Qualls, president of TakeCharge, noted before he offered up a potential reason for the alleged attack.
“We were targeted because we are a conservative black organization disputing the narrative of systemic racism. If we were a left-leaning organization trumpeting the systemic racism mantra, throngs of media outlets would be at our door affirming that we are victims of racism,” he added.
“They can firebomb our offices, but we will never stop promoting the bold truth: The problem of racial disparities is not because of systemic racism. It’s because we have let the crisis of fatherless homes explode to 80+ percent in nearly every major city, including Minneapolis. We are the ONLY national organization promoting the return of the two-parent family and school choice in the [B]lack community. This heinous act emboldens us to be stronger and louder,” he said.
Upper Midwest Law Center Senior Counsel James Dickey offered a similar tone in a statement obtained by Fox.
“We will not be intimidated by this apparent act of domestic terrorism. Our resolve to uphold justice and protect the rights of Minnesotans remains unyielding. Despite the setback, the Upper Midwest Law Center will continue to champion the values of fairness, equality, and freedom for all,” Dickey said.
“We are thankful to local fire rescue for their swift action to put out the fire, and to the FBI, ATF, and local authorities for their quick response and dedication to finding the perpetrators. We hope those responsible are brought to justice for this heinous act of violence,” he added.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden is facing worse reelection prospects than any other incumbent president over the past three decades, according to a new report that dropped this week.
According to Gallup, fewer than 4 in 10 people surveyed want to see Biden get another term, according to the Washington Examiner, which is the lowest rating in 32 years, the pollster said, adding that is lower than his 41 percent approval rating.
“The gloomy results for the liberal president follow several other polls showing him losing to former President Donald Trump, though many of those polls show that voters don’t want either to return to the White House,” the Examiner added, citing the results.
“However, Gallup did offer a glimmer of hope for the incumbent. The survey firm made the case that a couple of other recent presidents who were underwater in polling leading to an election won, though none were as undeserving as Biden is,” the outlet added.
