It is certainly right and proper that the president of the United States offered condolences to the family and friends of Kurt Cochran, the American murdered in a London terrorist act for which the Islamic State has claimed credit. The question is why the president has been silent about another terrorist attack—one also motivated by hate that was committed on our shores, and which also took the life of an innocent American. That failure to act speaks volumes.

People have noticed:

x @realDonaldTrump An American died here too, simply because he was black. His name was Timothy Caughman. https://t.co/QAElA68GEk — Laura Packard (@lpackard) March 23, 2017

The murder of Timothy Caughman was an act of terror. The killer sought to strike terror into the heart of every black man in this country—and everyone who loves them. This act had precisely the same purpose as the London attacks, yet only one merited a presidential tweet—and we know Trump isn’t exactly shy about firing up his Twitter account. The London terrorist was Muslim, and his victim was white. The New York terrorist was white, and his victim was black. As far as I can tell, those are the main differences between the two terrorist murders. Yet only one merited the attention of the president.

And on double standards, here’s one final thought. Imagine the outcry if, after a black man targeted police officers and committed murder—a terrorist act to be sure—a black president had said nothing. That never happened during Barack Obama’s presidency, because he understood that an act of terror is an act of terror, no matter who commits it.