Constitutional Law

Newspaper Chronicles Sharp Uptick In Hate Incidents

Has a rise in hate-crimes and incidents occurred since the decisive presidential election of Barack Obama? The Chicago Tribune reported that since Obama’s election “a spasm of noose hangings, racist graffiti, vandalism and death threats is convulsing dozens of towns across the country ….” The article continued that more than “200 hate-related incidents, including cross-burnings, assassination betting pools and effigies of President-elect Barack Obama, have been reported so far, according to law-enforcement authorities and the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate groups.”

The Tribune article also noted that the Ku Klux Klan is seemingly resurfacing, citing a recent fatal incident in Louisiana where a woman was allegedly shot by a Klan leader after attempting to back out of an initiation ceremony. The FBI and Secret Service are also reportedly investigating Klan and hate-related incidents. Brian Levin, director of Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University in San Bernardino, told the newspaper that, “The rhetoric right now is just about out of control. When you get this depth of hatred, it usually is the smoke before the fire.”

Full post as published by ACS Blog on November 24, 2008 (boomark / email).