by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright August 19, 1999
All Rights Reserved.

oing ballistic, alleged 'white supremacist' Buford O. Furrow unloaded his AR-15 on innocent children at North Valley Jewish Community Center, and then, revealing his true colors, riddled Filipino postal worker Joseph Ileto with a hail of bullets. When the melee ended, only letter carrier Joseph Ileto lost his life. Though Furrow referred to his rampage as a "wake-up call" to kill American Jews, the tenuous connection to the Aryan Nation or other white supremacist groups was becoming more evident. In case anyone’s wondered, Filipinos are low on the food chain to most white supremacist groups. Whether on the internet or elsewhere, Filipinos — and other minority groups — are not the usual targets of racist attacks. No, in the neo-Nazi world, Jews bring the highest bounty, since they were Adolf Hitler’s scapegoat in history’s most notorious genocide.

       Misanthropes, like Furrow, are drawn toward radical groups who promise a false restoration of white power, because they’re actually disenfranchised members of society. Sensitivities to violence run high in the Jewish community — rightfully so. "The people who outlived Adolf Hitler," said Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, "will surely outlive Buford Furrow." While it’s tempting to see Furrow’s actions as part of a wider anti-Semitic conspiracy, there’s scant evidence to support this claim — not even Furrow’s choice of a Jewish organization as a target. No individuals, groups, organizations or edifices can claim immunity to random or calculated acts of violence performed by deranged individuals. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see that Buford Furrow is a quart low in the mental health department.

       Violent individuals find many different targets at whom to direct their aggression. Regardless of Furrow’s own admissions, shooting the letter carrier 6 times doesn’t reflect a methodical attack by an avowed white supremacist. Thank God for the incompetence with which Furrow fired his AR-15 at helpless bystanders in the North Valley Jewish Community Center. Despite shooting at point blank range, it’s hard to imagine not one fatality. Columbine High should have been so lucky. Though luck and divine intervention might have played a role, a more plausible explanation is that Furrow was neither a serious survivalist nor crackerjack with an assault rifle.

       Buford’s story is not unlike many mentally ill patients, whose deterioration goes unnoticed and whose eventual violent eruption comes as a major surprise. How many times are neighbors and friends interviewed only to report, "He was a quiet sort of fella . . .?" When Furrow complained he was losing control, begged for hospitalization at Fairfax Psychiatric Hospital and pulled a knife on the staff, he wasn’t even detained on a routine 72 hour hold. Was this the tragic case of an uninsured patient? Or another casualty of an HMO not authorizing treatment? We’ve been spared these details, but questions remain how patients like Furrow manage to slip through the cracks.

       Now that the dialogue’s focused on the despicable nature of 'hate crimes' and gun control, it’s easy to lose sight over what really happened. While it’s heartwarming to see various religious and ethnic groups joining hands against 'hate crimes,' it’s also helpful to keep one’s eye on the ball. Shifting attention to peripheral matters and grandstanding about 'hate crimes' and gun control, doesn’t begin to deal with dangerous potholes in the current health care system where mental illness plays the role of the ugly stepchild. Where do the walking wounded go for help when today’s health care system slams the door in their face? It seems easier to write gun control or 'hate crime' legislation than deal with uninsured or HMO patients — like Buford Furrow — diagnosed as suicidal and homicidal. What’s more dangerous: Holding gun collectors’ swap-meets or allowing dangerous patients to walk the streets?

       Eclipsing poor Joesph Ileto’s misfortune is the tidal wave of headlines surrounding Buford Furrow’s attack at a Jewish community center. While the race issue makes good headlines, dealing with the ocean of anxiety and grief among the nations’ postal workers remains barely noticed. Like the law enforcement community, occupational hazards go with the territory. Though dog bites and traffic mishaps seem mild to some, postal workers are subjected to their own share of stresses. It’s more common to read about postal workers going ballistic rather than being targets of unprovoked attacks. But Joseph Ileto’s brutal murder raises anxiety among our nation’s dedicated postal service employees. Their story also deserves some attention.

       No one should discount racial or ethnic motivation in crimes or violence. But it’s also important to distinguish true 'hate crimes' from mentally deranged individuals who happen to affiliate with fringe groups or use racial slurs to lend 'legitimacy' to their actions. Shooting Ileto 6 times is a shocking exhibition of impulsive violence, but was probably not 'racially' motivated. Asking mentally ill patients, like Furrow, why they maimed or murdered doesn’t always tell the real story behind their violence. Rationally-minded beings prefer logical explanations, but with most ballistic episodes 'motivations' are often based on faulty neurochemistry, pent-up rage, deteriorated mental functioning and stressful life circumstances.

       "We are a long way from knowing all the facts about this case . . . but what we have heard about the suspect and his motives is deeply disturbing," said president Clinton pushing for stronger gun control legislation. Whether president Clinton made up his mind remains to be seen, but religious, racial or ethnic groups shouldn’t be whipped into a frenzy — one violent episode doesn’t signal a wider epidemic. Exploiting the right moments to lobby for political causes — like gun control — shouldn’t obscure the fact that dangerously mentally ill patients are walking the streets with no where to turn.

About the Author

John M. Curtis is director of a West Los Angeles think tank specializing in human behavior, health care and political research and media consultation. He’s a seminar trainer, columnist and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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