In the early morning hours on July 14, 2008 in Northport, Alabama, which bills itself as an All-American City (no immigrants allowed?), a number of residents of the Quail Ridge Mobile Home Park—which is nestled between Harper Road and Park West Drive—had their vehicles, homes and yards vandalized with painted racial slurs and the letters “KKK”. The Unsolved Hate Crimes webpage of the Northport Police Department's website described the attack on the mixed-race trailer park community which sits adjacent to the Tuscaloosa Regional Airport in detail:"Eight different Hate Crime Acts were reported...Six of the victims were Black and two were Hispanic. The following egregious acts were reported: One victim found nine bullet holes in her vehicle, the lettering 'KKK' painted on the left side of her mobile home from front to rear, the victim's vehicle was also keyed. A second victim had his tires cut. A third victim had 'KKK' painted on the side of her residence, and the racial slur, 'I hate N.......' painted on the front. A fourth victim had the racial slur, 'N.......' painted on her home. A fifth victim had the windows to his vehicles knocked out with large concrete blocks and 'KKK' painted in red on the side of his vehicle. A sixth victim had "KKK" painted on the side of her trailer and the same painted in the street in front of her residence. A seventh victim had the following racial slur painted on the hood of her vehicle, 'I hate N.......' The same was also painted on the south side of the victim's residence. An eighth victim had her tires cut.
Additionally, there was one White female who reported that small holes had been poked in the front and rear of her trailer.
The actual offenses ranged from Shooting into an Unoccupied Vehicle to Criminal Mischief in the First Degree."
The work of the KKK? Maybe. The Klan has been active in Alabama for well over a hundred years, and while the Southern Poverty Law Center has reported no specific Klan groups active for years in Tuscaloosa County, where Northport is located, there are certainly chapters of the KKK that act statewide; and, the county seat, nearby Tuscaloosa, has an active white racist hate group. Regardless of whether the culprits are members of a hate group or not, the poor folks at Quail Ridge are no strangers to hate crimes. In October, 2006, when Northport was preparing for its annual Kentuck Festival, the Northport Police were dealing with hate crime acts at and near the trailer park. According to the police's webpage, these hate crimes—referred to collectively as "Incident 1"—have yet to be solved. The October, 2006, hate crimes involved the burning of a Mexican flag, slashed tires, burned crosses, and racist comments and symbols (including the letters "KKK" and swastikas) painted on homes.
Perhaps because the Northport Police Chief, Robert W. Green, is African-American, law enforcement in the west-central Alabama town of about 21,000 appeared very prepared to solve the recent hate crimes. From their Unsolved Hate Crimes webpage:
"We have intensified our efforts and we have also received the valuable assistance of the FBI. Additionally, a $12,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those parties who were responsible for these Hate Crime Acts.
Anyone with any information regarding the Hate Crime Activity at Quail Ridge Mobile Home Park should contact one of the following: The Northport Police Department's Criminal Investigation Division at: (205) 333-3008; Crime Stoppers at : (205)752-STOP or the FBI at (205) 758-4277"
The Quail Ridge hate crimes did not go unnoticed by the media. The Tuscaloosa News reported the crimes, including an ominous photo of Antate Wilder's SUV which was shot full of bullets among other photos of the crimes. Tuscaloosa News staff writer, Stephanie Taylor, noted that an anonymous person had donated $10,000 for reward money for the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator(s). Rightfully, the Northport police immediately began its investigation; and, since intimidating someone at their home because of their race also violates the federal civil rights law, the local police were correct to involve the FBI. Northport Mayor Harvey Fretwell promised the perpetrators would be brought to justice at a press conference attended by Mr. Charles Dorsey, the head of Tuscaloosa's FBI office. An editoral said those responsible for the Quail Ridge attacks must be dangerous sociopaths; it called for incarcerating the perpetrators. It was the kind of community chorus one wants to hear after a hate crime has been committed. The kind of chorus that leads to appropriate action.
Probably because of the combination of quick police responsiveness, adequate press coverage of the crimes, appropriate outcry from the community, and a sweet reward, results came swiftly. The Northport police announced on July 18, 2008, the arrest of a 15-year-old boy in the hate crime attack on the mobile home park; they also arrested a 17-year-old the following day. The 15-year-old suspect was charged with two felony counts of Criminal Mischief, seven misdemeanor counts of Criminal Mischief, and one felony count of Shooting into an Unoccupied Vehicle. The 17-year-old male was charged with 3rd Degree Criminal Mischief. The police did not release their names to the public, because the pair were charged as juveniles.
But then a funny thing happened in the town comprised of 26% Black folks and 2% Hispanics, the town with the black police chief.
The hate crime part of the hate crimes perpetrated against eight persons of color at the Quail Ridge Moble Home Park vanished. Specifically, Tuscaloosa News staff writer, Steve Reeves, reported:
"[Chief of Police] Green said, however, that the juvenile arrested Thursday has not been charged under hate crime statutes. He said that came under federal law and that the FBI, which helped with the investigation, indicated that it would not apply."
Reeves was not misreporting; NBC13's Jon Paepcke also said the town will not file hate crime charges against the perpetrators and that the FBI is not pursuing the case. FBI agent Dorsey's appearance at the mayor's press conference days before the arrests was, apparently, just window-dressing, a way to kill a few hours on the tax-payer's dime. Guess there was nothing really needing attention at the Tuscaloosa FBI office, so what the hell, might as well show up at the Northport mayor's press conference.
In addition to law enforcement changing the reality of what really occurred at Quail Ridge, some in the media were changing the reality of what occurred also: suddenly a blatant, race-based series of hate crimes directed at eight people of color was being called something else. Jon Paepcke reported the letters "KKK" and the phrase "I hate Niggers" that were scrawled at the trailer park were mere "racial undertones." Specifically, Paepcke wrote on the NBC13.com website whose banner reads "ACCURACY MATTERS":
"Despite the racial undertones of the graffiti, Northport police said Friday [July 18, 2008] the juveniles don’t face hate crime charges."
Let's remind Paepcke of Merriam-Webster's definition of the word undertone: "a low or subdued utterance." Let's remind him also that KKK stands for Ku Klux Klan, the oldest domestic terrorist group in America. Let's remind him that factions of the Klan have been persecuting African-Americans since its beginnings. Since when have KKK and N-word graffiti ever been subdued utterances, Jon Paepcke?
Should the hate crime victims here be feeling had and mad? Yes, of course. Failing to file hate crime charges against someone who allegedly slathers a neighborhood with racist graffiti, who allegedly shoots bullet holes in the vehicle of an African-American, and allegedly damages vehicles while on a racist crime spree is absolutely inexcusable. Mayor Fretwell should insist hate crime charges be filed against the two teenagers arrested or else ask police chief Green to tender his immediate resignation (or else be fired). But let's be real: when was the last time a white mayor demanded of a black police chief to file hate crime charges because of attacks specifically targeting black and Hispanic folks?
What about the tipster, the person who provided the police with information that led to the arrests of the two alleged offenders, should this person be feeling bad? Absolutely not, this person is a silent hero who no doubt took some personal risk coming forward to provide information to the police about a hateful person who owns and shoots a gun. But, should this person be feeling had? Yes, of course. Steve Reeves reported:
"Police received a tip that led to the first boy’s arrest immediately after announcing a $12,000 reward in the case Wednesday [July 16, 2008], [police chief] Green said. Payment of the reward is contingent upon a conviction.... Green was concerned that the case would be difficult to solve [get a conviction] because none of the residents of the mobile home park, which is off of Harper Road, near the Tuscaloosa Regional Airport, saw or heard anything that night."
Translation to the tipster and also to anyone else in that community who might want to trust the genuiness of the Northport police: thanks for the information, it led us to make two arrests which make us look good, but we aren't going to bother to get the forensic evidence left by the bullets and the bullet holes, so we won't get a conviction, because the pair we arrested don't have to testify against themselves and we have no eyewitnesses to testify against them, and so you won't get your reward money. Now go away.
Were the victims set-up to believe that its city actually cares about them and about vigorously combatting hate crimes when in fact that isn't the case? Yes. Was the tipster set-up to place himself/herself in some jeopardy with the false promise of a reward? Yes. Will the secrecy of the juvenile defendants' identities prevent the public from knowing who exactly has been accused; and what, if any, punishment might come their way for placing in fear an entire community? Of course. Without the ability of the media and the public to be able to track the outcome of the legal case against the two accused of the hate-crimes-not-being-pursued-as-hate-crimes, no one will know if any measure of justice will be served here. For sure injustice has already occurred: unmistakable hate crimes perpetrated against eight good folks at the Quail Ridge Moble Home Park happened, and no hate crime charges—federal or state—will ever be brought against the two teens arrested. For the victims and the larger community, that's a psychological injustice as well as a legal one.
Aside from the "these-hate-crimes-aren't-really-hate-crimes" lie being now voiced by the police chief, let's not forget another lie in all of this. As reported by The Tuscaloosa News and NBC13 television, Northport Police Chief Robert W. Green communicated to the public that hate crime laws are federal, not state, laws. His words lead one to falsely conclude he has no power, no authority, to press hate crime charges against the two teens recently arrested, or anyone else for that matter. Green's words erroneously suggest only the FBI could do that. This is a lie, because, of course, a police chief knows better. Police chiefs in Alabama know that Alabama has a hate crime statute which covers race-based crimes, regardless of the age or other demographic features of an alleged assailant. This would be Code of Alabama § 13A-5-13, chief Green, which is part of a larger document you may want to familiarize yourself with. Words and inaction like that of police chief Green—words and inaction that allow hate to flourish in his community on his watch—have been called an inaction of evil by one famous social psychologist who has studied similar forms of abdication of responsibility. That's a fair assessment, but there's another way to describe chief Green's inaction and the words of some in the media.
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