On June 23, 2014, Moore drove from his home in the Dallas suburb of
Allen, Texas, to
Grand Saline, about 75 miles east of Dallas. He parked his car in a shopping center parking lot on the far eastern part of the city. He then proceeded to pour gasoline on himself and
set himself ablaze. Bystanders retrieved a store fire extinguisher and put out the blaze. He was taken by helicopter to
Parkland Hospital in Dallas, and died there later that night. on his car stating he was born in Grand Saline and grew up around
racial discrimination. The note explained that his act was a protest of what he saw as Grand Saline's long-standing racist culture. Moore himself predicted that some would judge him insane. His papers and personal notes were released to the media, revealing his thinking and intentions. In the weeks leading up to his death, he wrote that his mental and physical health were good, but he was frustrated that he had been unable to bring about the social change he felt was so urgent. In the notes, Moore sometimes criticizes himself harshly for not acting more decisively on social justice issues. He wanted the act of his death to get more people to care about
gay rights, the death penalty,
civil rights, and racism. Initially he had planned his self-immolation on the SMU campus on June 19, the annual
Juneteenth commemoration, because of the decision by SMU to house the
George W. Bush Presidential Center. He changed his mind and went to Grand Saline four days later to carry out his plan. After reading Moore's notes, family members concluded that his final act was an extension of his lifelong commitment to social justice. ==References==