On the morning of Saturday, November 19th, Zenais Community Center in Raleigh, North Carolina was a thriving, hosting a weekly food drive. Twenty-four hours later, the building is no more and instead is the sight of a mass tragedy.
The center was packed due to several events. A potluck was being held and a viewing party for the current World Cup game. Children were using the indoor and outdoor basketball courts. The centers popularity sustained despite what local law enforcement described as an increasingly unsafe environment. Accusations of "alien activity" began to arise as community members and members of Raleigh Parks and Rec were accused of being aliens or of being under alien mind control. Evidence supporting these accusations has yet to be found.
Children playing on the basketball court right outside the center noticed a van pull around to the other side of the building. Survivors from inside the building reported hearing sounds on the roof around 7pm, attributing it to weather. A few minutes later, calls to the Raleigh Fire Department began coming in.
Within a few minutes, the building was engulfed in flames. Witnesses and survivors described the fire as spreading "unnaturally fast", and a separate investigation is being launched to see if the building was complying to fire codes. Out of the 104 preople in attendance, 33 lost their lives and 57 had to be treated for injuries. Arson is suspected due to the increase in threats made against the center. The driver of the van, who is currently unknown, is a leading suspect.
Support for the victims and their families have outpoured nationwide. In a now-deleted Tweet, Republican Congressman Wilford Williamson called the fire a "neccessary evil in order to scare off future indoctrination." Williamson faced heavy scrutiny for this, and the hashtag #AliensOverWilliamson, started by politician Angela Abramo, went viral.
Despite the pushback, Williamson's alien inspection policy is expected to roll out in the coming weeks[1].
UPDATE 11/28/2022: An official fundraiser for those effected by the Raleigh tragedy can be found here.
UPDATE 11/29/2022: The fundraiser has been taken down due to harassment.
1. Hughes, Denise. Ohio Representative's Alien Inspection Rolls Out In Certain Places. The Global Observer. 20 November 2022.