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John Lewis shines spotlight on attempted Colorado violence

With a failed bomb detonating near an NAACP office this week, investigators consider this a possible act of domestic terrorism.
Colorado Springs police officers investigate the scene of an explosion Jan. 6, 2015, at Mr. G's Hair Salon at 603 S. El Paso Street in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Colorado Springs police officers investigate the scene of an explosion Jan. 6, 2015, at Mr. G's Hair Salon at 603 S. El Paso Street in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The investigation continues this week into the failed detonation of an improvised explosive device in Colorado Springs, and yesterday, Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) made a point to shine a spotlight on the incident.

Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), a leader during the civil rights movement, said he was "deeply troubled" by the Tuesday detonation of an explosive device outside of a building in Colorado that houses a local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). "It reminds me of another period. These stories cannot be swept under the rug," he said in a tweet.

The FBI has taken the lead in the investigation and is reportedly looking for "a balding white man in his 40s who may be driving a dirty pickup truck which could have an open tailgate or a missing or covered license plate."
 
As KUSA, Denver's NBC affiliate, reported last night, investigators consider this a possible act of domestic terrorism, but they have not yet determined whether the NAACP offices were specifically targeted.
 
The same report noted that the explosive device "was placed next to a gasoline can and detonated, but the gas didn't ignite and the explosion caused only 'minimal' damage."
 
This is obviously a story worth watching closely, and if there's reason to believe the NAACP was targeted for by a domestic terrorist, a serious public conversation should ensue.
 
As for msnbc's coverage, our pals at "The Ed Show" had a good segment on this yesterday, as did the fine folks at "All In with Chris Hayes."