Over this past Labor Day weekend, a gunman went on a shooting spree through Odessa and Midland, Texas killing seven people and injuring 22.

The tragedy happened four weeks after a deadly shooting in El Paso that left 22 dead and more than two dozen wounded.

Both shooting tragedies, as well as the shootings in Dayton, where nine were killed and 27 wounded, received instant national attention and near wall to wall coverage.

Over the same Labor Day weekend in Chicago, 34 people were shot and seven were killed in gun violence. Over the Fourth of July weekend, 68 people were shot, five fatally, and, on Memorial Day weekend, 41 people were shot, seven fatally. And, over one weekend in early August 59 people were shot, 7 fatally.

As a result of the Texas shootings, Democrats in the Texas House have called on Republican Governor Greg Abbott to convene a special legislative session to address gun violence.

Democrat presidential candidates were quick to respond to the Texas shootings.

• Senator Kamala Harris: “Keeping the Midland and Odessa community and the victims in my thoughts and prayers… America is sick of this. We need to act.”

• Senator Elizabeth Warren: We’ve already lost far too many to gun violence—Congress must act now.” • South Bend (Ind.) Mayor Pete Buttigieg: “Texas, my heart is with you.

America, we must act.” • Andrew Yang: “My heart goes out to the families of the dead and wounded… We must do all we can to curb…gun violence in this country.”

• Beto O’Rourke: “Our hearts are with Midland, Odessa, and everyone in West Texas…We need to end this epidemic.” • Julian Castro: “Heartbreaking news out of Odessa and Midland, Texas.”

And let’s not forget candidate Cory Booker, D-N-J., whose response to the El Paso shootings was to blame President Trump for “sowing seeds of hatred in our country.”

Given the rush to express sympathy and condemn gun violence after the violence in Texas, you would think that these same presidential candidates would also condemn the gun violence in Chicago where there have been over 200 shootings with 26 fatalities in just a few short months as noted above.

As far as I know, none of them have had any comments on the violence in Chicago and other urban areas — not even the two black candidates — Booker and Harris.

Also, to the best of my knowledge, Democrats in the Illinois legislature have not, like Texas Democrat state legislators referenced above, asked the Illinois Governor to convene a special legislative session to address gun violence in Chicago.

Could it be that the lack of concern and silence is because of the color of the Chicago victims — mostly from “poor, black neighborhoods?”

According to Heather Mac Donald , Manhattan Institute fellow and author of “The War on Cops” and “The Diversity Delusion,” the answer is yes.

Speaking on Fox News’ “The Story” she told host Martha McCallum that the media doesn’t care about black-onblack violence because it doesn’t “fit their narrative about a racist society.”

She went on to state that “for the media and Democratic party, white lives matter more than black lives unless a white police officer is involved.”

Mac Donald’s views are reflected by Tamar Manasseh, founder of Chicagobased anti-gun violence initiative Mothers/Men Against Senseless Killings (MASK) as a way to “put eyes on the streets, interrupt violence and crime.”

According to USA Today, “Manasseh said in an interview that the media too often treats gun violence differently based on the race of those involved.

While black-on-black violence is considered ‘normal,’ white-on-white crime is believed to be ‘something that shouldn’t happen,’ Manasseh said.”

Mac Donald and Manasseh are both correct!

As I pointed out in this space last month, most of the Democrat candidates reflect an “anti-police theme” and are only sympathetic to black victims if a white cop is the alleged attacker.

Does anyone really believe that if 200 whites had been shot and 26 killed in Chicago in recent months that the same media, presidential candidates, and black politicians would have been silent?

Of course not. Why?

Because, as noted above, the sad truth is that white lives matter more than black lives to the media and most black and white progressives unless the loss of the black life can be blamed on racism.

Clarence V. McKee is president of McKee Communications, Inc., a government, political, and media relations consulting firm in Florida.