Humans
of New York creator and blogger Brandon Stanton who usually lets his
subjects do the talking has written an open letter to Donald Trump. In
the letter posted to social media on Monday,
32-year-old Stanton summed up the many issues he has with the
Republican presidential frontrunner, notably his controversial remarks
about Muslims, immigrants and refugees.
The post has since gone viral
garnering over a million Likes and thousands of Shares. Stanton said he
has tried to stay away from politics but he could no longer stand by and
not take a stand against "violence and prejudice"
"An Open Letter to Donald Trump:
Mr. Trump,
I try my hardest not to be political. I’ve refused to interview
several of your fellow candidates. I didn’t want to risk any personal
goodwill by appearing to take sides in a contentious election. I
thought: ‘Maybe the timing is not right.’ But I realize now that there
is no correct time to oppose violence and prejudice. The time is always
now. Because along with millions of Americans, I’ve come to realize
that opposing you is no longer a political decision. It is a moral one.
I’ve watched you retweet racist images. I’ve watched you retweet
racist lies. I’ve watched you take 48 hours to disavow white supremacy.
I’ve watched you joyfully encourage violence, and promise to ‘pay the
legal fees’ of those who commit violence on your behalf. I’ve watched
you advocate the use of torture and the murder of terrorists’ families.
I’ve watched you gleefully tell stories of executing Muslims with
bullets dipped in pig blood. I’ve watched you compare refugees to
‘snakes,’ and claim that ‘Islam hates us.’
I am a journalist,
Mr. Trump. And over the last two years I have conducted extensive
interviews with hundreds of Muslims, chosen at random, on the streets of
Iran, Iraq, and Pakistan. I’ve also interviewed hundreds of Syrian and
Iraqi refugees across seven different countries. And I can confirm—
the hateful one is you.
Those of us who have been paying
attention will not allow you to rebrand yourself. You are not a
‘unifier.’ You are not ‘presidential.’ You are not a ‘victim’ of the
very anger that you’ve joyfully enflamed for months. You are a man who
has encouraged prejudice and violence in the pursuit of personal power.
And though your words will no doubt change over the next few months,
you will always remain who you are.
Sincerely,
Brandon Stanton
Brandon Stanton
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