Alert from the North Carolina Human Relations Commission
Submitted by Jerimee on Wed, 11/19/2008 - 6:04pm
figured I would pass this along:
HIGH ALERT!
Date: Tuesday, November 18, 2008
To: Hate Against Violence Information (HAVIN) Affiliates, Friends and Supporters of the North Carolina Human Relations Commission
Since January of 2008, the Community Relations Staff of North Carolina Human Relations Commission has been on alert in monitoring the hate groups, hate crime and hate bias incidents in North Carolina. The staff has noticed since the heated debate concerning immigration reform, since the announcement of this country’s economic struggles and since Senator Barack Obama has become the President-Elect, there has been an increase in hate crimes and hate bias incidents across the United States. Those crimes have been towards Hispanics, African-Americans, Arab-Americans, Arabs and persons of Middle Eastern descent, Eastern Indians who have been perceived to be Arabs or of Middle Eastern descent and homosexuals.
The Community Relations Staff also has noticed that in North Carolina since October 31, 2008, there have been 6 incidents reported to this office, four (4) incidents reported as hate crimes and two (2) incidents reported as hate bias incidents. Out of the six incidents reported, five (5) of the six incidents dealt with vandalism of Obama signs or derogatory public statements about him becoming the President-Elect.
The Community Relations Staff has also found information within articles in the New York Times newspaper, the USA Today newspaper, the Black America Web News and the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Intelligence Project Division, that some hate groups are changing their names to sound more socially acceptable while they are recruiting and still preach the same hate gospel. We have also received reports from other parts of the nation and some parts of this state that hate crimes and hate bias incidents are up on college campuses, elementary, middle and high schools. Furthermore, we have also found out that these hate groups will be targeting middle class Americans, preferably white middle class Americans, through leafleting, e-mails and websites and local meetings, for membership and financial support to further their hate agenda.
Therefore, the Community Relations Staff is alerting you to the potential acts that hate groups may do in your local areas. The Staff highly recommends:
- During the months of December 2008 (the month with the most religious holidays); January, 2009 (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday and the Inauguration of President-Elect Barack Obama) February, 2009 (Black History Month and Human Relations Month) and during the month of April, 2009 (The Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; Adolf Hitler’s Birthday; The Columbine incident and the Oklahoma City Bombing), that you be very vigilant and prepared for possible incidents to occur.
- From now until May, 2009, that you remain on high alert for any hate group activities, hate crimes in your local areas and hate bias incidents during this period.
If you have any questions concerning this high alert, please contact your regional representative with the Community Relations Staff of the Commission. They are:
Eastern Region: Edward Smith- (919) 805-4671
Central Region: Gene Troy, Jr.- (919) 789-5930
Southern Region: Arnold Coley- (910) 433-1174
Western Region: Kay Crozer- (828) 298-6048
Main Office: Sally Lind- (919) 789-5930
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Why until May 2009?
just curious.
I am aware of a racial hate crime that took place in Chapel Hill
on October 31, 2008. An African American cab driver was beaten up by 6 white frat boys at a UNC frat house. They were drunk and the "N" word was used. The driver called the Chapel Hill cops, and an EMT unit was dispatched. But for some reason, there is no record of the police call.
One wonders if after the NCSU Free Speech Tunnel incident, if college presidents are trying to keep similar incidents quiet instead of clamping down on these hate crimes and educating students.