Hate crimes rise with Obama's election
George E Curry/NNPA Columnist
Issue date: 11/30/08 Section: Politics
The rise in racist incidents - from university campuses to police stations - is a sobering reminder that despite the election of Barack Obama, there are still a lot of sick people out there stuck in the Stone Age.
Editor & Publisher magazine, the Associated Press, and local newspapers recently catalogued some of the most egregious incidents.
In addition to the garden variety types of hate crimes, such as painting racist graffiti on cars and houses, there was a particularly disturbing incident that stood out from the rest. Parents in Rexburg, Idaho contacted police after second and third graders on a school bus were heard chanting, "Assassinate Obama." I doubt that any of them could spell the word assassinate, yet they were recycling hate learned from their parents.
Some might have learned how to hate in school if what happened in Allison Park, Pa. is an indication. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, a teacher's aide told a biracial eleventh grader that Obama will be shot, the U.S. flag will be changed to the KFC flag and that the national anthem will be changed to "Movin' On Up," the theme song from television sitcom, "The Jeffersons."
Students living in Morrison Hall on the campus of Baylor University in Texas walked outside and found a noose hanging from a tree. On the campus of North Carolina State University, four students spray painted racist messages that included "Let's shoot the (n-word) and "Hang Obama by a noose."
At the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, a poster of Obama was defaced and carried the message, "He'll be shot" followed by the n-word.
While there were a lot of hate crimes instigated by young people, adults proved that the youth have no monopoly on ignorance.
According to the Traverse City (Michigan) Record-Eagle, employees at Hampel's Key and Lockshop flew the U.S. flag upside down - an international signal for distress - the day after Obama was elected president. In an interview with the newspaper, one employee, Rod Nyland, said the flag was being flown upside down because, "…We feel our country is in distress because the n----- got in."
Editor & Publisher magazine, the Associated Press, and local newspapers recently catalogued some of the most egregious incidents.
In addition to the garden variety types of hate crimes, such as painting racist graffiti on cars and houses, there was a particularly disturbing incident that stood out from the rest. Parents in Rexburg, Idaho contacted police after second and third graders on a school bus were heard chanting, "Assassinate Obama." I doubt that any of them could spell the word assassinate, yet they were recycling hate learned from their parents.
Some might have learned how to hate in school if what happened in Allison Park, Pa. is an indication. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, a teacher's aide told a biracial eleventh grader that Obama will be shot, the U.S. flag will be changed to the KFC flag and that the national anthem will be changed to "Movin' On Up," the theme song from television sitcom, "The Jeffersons."
Students living in Morrison Hall on the campus of Baylor University in Texas walked outside and found a noose hanging from a tree. On the campus of North Carolina State University, four students spray painted racist messages that included "Let's shoot the (n-word) and "Hang Obama by a noose."
At the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, a poster of Obama was defaced and carried the message, "He'll be shot" followed by the n-word.
While there were a lot of hate crimes instigated by young people, adults proved that the youth have no monopoly on ignorance.
According to the Traverse City (Michigan) Record-Eagle, employees at Hampel's Key and Lockshop flew the U.S. flag upside down - an international signal for distress - the day after Obama was elected president. In an interview with the newspaper, one employee, Rod Nyland, said the flag was being flown upside down because, "…We feel our country is in distress because the n----- got in."
Viewing Comments 1 - 9 of 9
Andrew Yu-Jen Wang
posted 12/14/08 @ 6:26 PM EST
George W. Bush had better stop committing hate crimes.
ON THE TOPIC OF HATE CRIME(S):
"Sean Penn accuses Bush of 'criminal negligence'" (Retrieved December 11, 2008, from http://www. (Continued…)
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