More Groups Using Net to Spread Hate

White supremacists, anti-Semites and homophobes have found an effective vehicle for spewing hatred and helping to recruit others to their often violent organizations, according to a new report by a Jewish human rights group.  The Simon Wiesenthal Center, named for the renowned Nazi hunter, found that social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and YouTube are being used by hatemongers to perpetuate their rhetoric. Read more.

NAACP Calls for N.C. School Official to Resign

The North Carolina branch of the NAACP is demanding the resignation of a Burke County School Board who sent racist, curse-word-laced emails from his personal account. Between September 2008 and February 2009, Rob Hairfield fired off numerous emails that contained the “N”-word, taunted Black victims of the Hurricane Katrina, and showed President Obama as a big-eared shoe-shine boy. Read the rest.

They killed an African-American man – just because he was Black

Two Kansas City men will spend the rest of their lives in prison for killing a man who was on his way to work – just because he was Black. A federal judge ruled that Gary Eye  and Steven Sandstrom, whose lives were spared by jurors for the March 2005 murder of William McCay, should never be free again. “I’m innocent of all these charges,” Sandstrom said. “This was not a hate crime. Not even close to it, your honor.” But Eye opted not to say anything during his sentencing hearing. Yvonne McCay, the victim’s mother, said she is now ready to move forward. “Justice has been served,” McCay said. “None of this will bring him back, but I pray constantly to God to remove this malice from my heart for these individuals.”

The Pennsylvania youths allegedly hurled racial slurs at the Mexican immigrant.

Three teens accused of beating to death a Mexican immigrant in a tiny Pennsylvania coal-mining town last month must stand trial, a judge ruled Monday. The judge agreed with prosecutors that there is enough evidence to try 17-year-old Colin Walsh and 16-year-old Brandon Piekarsky on charges of third-degree murder and ethnic intimidation; Derrick Donchak, 18, will stand trial for ethnic intimidation, aggravated assault and other charges. All three young men are football players at Shenandoah Valley High School, which is about an hour and a half northwest of Philadelphia. According to witnesses, the defendants yelled, “Dirty Mexican!” and other racial epithets as they kicked and bludgeoned Luis Ramirez, even as he lay motionless in the street. Ramirez, who fathered a child with a local White teen, was frequently called racial slurs by Whites in the community, some youths testified at an earlier pretrial hearing. Seventeen-year-old Ben Lawson testified that “Ramirez was fighting with one of the suspects, Derrick M. Donchak, when another, Colin Walsh, sucker-punched the victim,” The Associated Press reported. “A third suspect, Brandon Piekarsky, then kicked Ramirez in the head while he lay motionless in the street.” Lawyers for Piekarsky and Walsh have said there is no evidence to support the homicide charges.

He hung nooses from his truck and drove past a crowd of “ Jena Six” protestors

Jeremiah Munsen, a 19-year-old from Colfax, La., thought he’d send a powerful message to the protestors who showed up in his state last September to march against the prosecution of the six Black teens from the town of Jena accused of beating a White classmate. So he slung two nooses from his pickup truck and made sure the protestors got a glimpse. A judge has now sent a powerful message to Munsen, sentencing him to four months in prison for that single act of ultra-insensitivity. He could’ve been slapped with a one-year term, but Munsen bargained for the lesser sentence in April by fessing up to a misdemeanor charge of interfering with the protestor’s federally protected right to travel, The Associated Press reports. A group of African-American protestors were in Alexandria, La., waiting for their bus back home to Tennessee when Munsen repeatedly drove past them, displaying the nooses.

Judge rules in Kwame Kilpatrick’s favor this time around

Embattled Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick remains free after facing the same judge on Tuesday who ordered him to jail last week on a bond violation. A Detroit news outlet had published a photo of Kilpatrick at his mother’s home at the same time that his sister visited the house, raising questions of whether his presence there violated court restrictions.  Get the latest details at BET.com/News.

Money for MLK Memorial pours in.

The money keeps on pouring in for the historic Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial in Washington, D.C. On Tuesday, organizers announced that donors, including $3 million from Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda, had compelled them to raise the fundraising goal from $100 million to $120 million. Contributions for the memorial, which will be built on the National Mall, already has reached $99 million, according to Harry E. Johnson, Sr., president of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, the private group in charge of the effort. So why the new money goal? There are “a number of variables,” including changes in the structural plan, the addition of a bookstore and security costs as well as inflation for the rising cost estimate, Johnson says. After a stormy past few months over the design of the 28-foot statue of King, to be sculpted by Chinese artist Lei Yixin, the project appears on a positive track. Still, the project must win final approval for all aspects of the memorial site before construction can begin. The memorial is expected to take about 18-20 months to complete.

Muslim hate-crime victim leaves the hospital. The Muslim native of Uzbekistan, who was shot repeatedly while pumping gas at a Cleveland gas station, left the hospital Monday, nearly eight weeks after the tragic episode was captured on videotape. Police have been investigating the incident as a hate crime. As he left the MetroHealth Medical Center, 49-year-old Fazliddin Yakubov offered “a million, million thanks” for all the support he has received, The Plain Dealer newspaper reported Tuesday. He had been shot three times in the abdomen while his son was pumping gas. The video led to the arrest of 18-year-old William Neal of Cleveland, who’s charged with felonious assault and attempted murder. He’s being held in a Cuyahoga County jail on $250,000 bond.

New hate-crime definition is tested in Colorado.

A Colorado prosecutor said late last week that a 32-year-old suspect would be tried for first-degree murder as well as charged with a hate crime in the death of a 20-year-old transgender woman. Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck said that Allen Ray Andrade beat Angie Zapata to death with a fire extinguisher after discovering that she had male genitalia. The circumstances, Buck said in shifting the charges from second-degree murder, “support the first-degree murder charge.” The case will be the first prosecuted as a hate crime. Three years ago, then-Colorado Gov. Bill Owens signed a bill expanding hate crimes to include those against transgender persons. Adding an additional felony charge against Andrade means he would likely face a more severe penalty if convicted. Is this a good application of the hate-crime law?

AT&T sent the wrong message to this Black woman. A Dallas jury has awarded a whopping $411,339 to a woman who said that the AT&T dogged her because she was Black. LaKecious Edwards, 32, told the jury that she had filed grievances with the company as well as in a Texas court after three White colleagues – including one who had been written up on disciplinary charges – were promoted to top management positions for which she had applied, even though she had a superior sales record and greater seniority. AT&T, which denies that any discrimination occurred, touted its record on equal opportunity in the workplace. “We are confident that we have done nothing wrong, and we are exploring our options regarding a possible appeal,” said a company statement released through the public-relations firm Fleischman-Hillard. “AT&T has an excellent track record when it comes to the company’s fair treatment of minority employees. For AT&T, diversity and inclusion will always be top priorities.” The communications giant was formerly named by Black Enterprise magazine as one of the nation’s 40 “best diversified” firms. However, she is but one of three Black workers at AT&T to file discrimination suits. In February, 49-year-old Vincent Hall settled for an undisclosed amount and retired after more than a quarter-century on the job; another case, filed by Sonia Hackley, is still awaiting trial. The statue of limitations ran out on six other minority workers who wanted to file discrimination claims, according to Dallas attorney Stephen Drinnon, who represents Edwards. What do you think of the decision?

Blacks are most likely to be victimized because of their race

While most crimes went down dramatically over the past half-decade, those committed against people because they happen to be Black, White, Latino, Jewish, Asian or gay skyrocketed over that period, according to a recent report. reports. The Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission annual report shows that hate crimes rose by 28 percent, to 763 offenses, with hate-related vandalism leading the way, The Los Angeles Times. The spike in hate crimes is what Robin Toma, executive director of the Human Relations Commission, describes as an alarming trend. The most victimized have been Blacks, at the hands of Latino suspects, the report shows. Next, Latinos have been victimized at the hands of Black suspects. “Latinos also made up the largest number of suspects in hate crimes based on sexual orientation. Whites were the leading suspects in religion-based incidents,” the Times reports. “Overall, Blacks made up nearly half the hate crime victims, totaling 310.”

Judge resigns after calling crack a “Black man’s disease”

A White South Carolina judge who said that being addicted to crack cocaine is a “Black man’s disease” was forced to resign following a reprimand by the state Supreme Court. George Peter Lamb, former Beaufort County magistrate, had engaged in a series of actions deemed inappropriate by the Supreme Court, including his behavior toward women workers and his incorrect admonishment to a defendant about the penalty he could face if convicted. When the justices publicly reprimanded Lamb, they said it was the most severe penalty they could mete out, because Lamb already had stepped down. He also agreed not to seek any other judicial position within the state without permission from the high court.

Award-winning singing preacher is about to get a promotion

After 14 years of pastoring one of the fastest growing churches in New York City and in Bensalem, Pa., the Rev. Hezekiah Walker is about to add bishop to his resume. The 45-year-old singer and pastor will be named bishop in the Pentecostal church on Aug. 3, in Atlanta , in recognition of his work among young people and for starting new churches – five in the U.S. , and one in Cape Town , South Africa . “This is a very great honor,” said Walker, 45, founder of the Love Fellowship Tabernacle in East New York , and host of “Afternoon Praise” on WLIB-AM.

Jim D. Adkisson allegedly shot to death two people and seriously wounded five others. Knoxville , Tenn. , Police are trying to determine whether to charge a madman with a hate crime who busted into a church and blasted away, killing two people and leaving five others in serious or critical condition. People scurried under pews or ran from the church as 58-year-old Jim D. Adkisson began firing, witnesses said. But Greg McKendry, 60, who was killed in the melee, is being hailed as a hero because “he stood in front of the gunman and took the blast to protect the rest of us,” Barbara Kemper, a member of the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, told The Associated Press. Also killed was Linda Kreager, 61, died at the University of Tennessee Medical Centre a few hours after the shooting, a city spokesman told AP. Witnesses said that many of the 200 congregants, who had gathered at the church watch a play, pounced on Adkisson and detained him until the police arrived. Kemper told police that said that the alleged shooter shouted before he fired his shotgun. “It was hateful words. He was saying hateful things,” she said, refusing to repeat what the gunman said. Adkission’s motivation is unknown. The church, which promotes social progressive work and desegregation, among what many would consider liberal issues, has provided sanctuary for political refugees, fed the homeless and founded a chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, AP reports, citing the church Web site. The FBI is assisting with the investigation, in case it is deemed a hate crime, according to AP.  Watch the video below.

Verizon should be ashamed of “TechNigga” blog, critics say
Some people aren’t too happy with Verizon Wireless who has given a distribution deal to White guy who’s running a video blog called “TechNigga,” EUR reports. Loren Feldman, of 1938 Media, has drawn the ire of such critics as Najee Ali, of Project Islamic Hope, and Paul Porter, of Industry Ears, among other activists. They want Lowell C. McAdam, president and CEO of Verizon Wireless, to stop giving Feldman a forum for what they say is blatant racism. “Feldman has a history of using the internet to promote racism and demeaning and negative racial stereotypes against African Americans on his internet site. He is responsible for and appears in what he calls ‘TechNigga,’” Ali told EUR in a statement. “Verizon CEO Lowell C. McAdam needs to demonstrate that Verizon understands they should demonstrate corporate responsibility and will not tolerate racism, or bigotry. The Verizon distribution deal with Feldman sends a horrible message that Verizon seeks to partner with racists like Feldman and that Verizon and CEO McAdam find nothing offensive with ‘TechNigga.’ Our community nationwide should.” Ali is urging everyone to call Lowell C. McAdam and let him know that you will boycott Verizon unless this distribution with Feldman is severed. There are plans for an upcoming national day of protest against Verizon stores nationwide if our calls for a meeting and our demands are not met.”

New York man is charged with a hate crime

Buffalo, N.Y., Police say that the thought of Whites and Hispanics living in the same household was too much for 40-year-old Donald Napierala to take, so he took a seven-foot cross, wrapped it in gasoline-soaked rags and lit it on their front lawn. The fire caused about $250 in damage, but it could have been worse, says Officer James T. Reese and Fire Marshals Edwin Ortiz and Harold Emerson, noting that his actions could very well have killed the four people who slept inside during his 1:30 a.m. escapade. His charges include arson, reckless endangerment, and criminal mischief. He is also charged with perpetrating a hate crime.

Ohio man is charged with a hate crime

An Ohio man has been charged with a hate crime for allegedly sending threatening letters to a respected Muslim man who was brutally beaten in his home a month earlier. Michael Coon is accused of sending 10 threatening emails to Dr. Amjad Hussain, a retired heart surgeon, trustee of the University of Toledo and the writer of a guest column for the Toledo Blade. Last month, according to sheriff’s deputies, someone pistol-whipped Hussain and sprayed him with mace. Police say the hate mail is nothing new. “This guy has just been the victim of a violent crime and now he receives another crazy email from this guy,” Det. Mark Woodruff. Deputies say they don’t think Coon is connected to the beating.

Columbia professor who got a noose has been fired
The Columbia University professor who drew national attention after being targeted with a noose on her door has been fired amid plagiarism charges. Madonna G. Constantine, who taught psychology and education with an emphasis on ethnic issues at Columbia’s Teacher’s College, received a reprimand four months ago following a year and a half investigation into whether she stole the writings of two former students and a former colleague. Although she had been censured, she was allowed to keep her job. But acrimony grew as Constantine defended herself and filed a grievance against the university president, Susan Fuhrman. Constantine’s firing, announced in a letter to faculty Monday, was “purely retaliatory,” her attorney, Paul Giacomo, said. “During the months since the college levied sanctions against her, Professor Constantine continued to make accusations of plagiarism, including in at least one instance to the press, against those whose works she had plagiarized,” the letter stated. “We are terminating Madonna Constantine’s employment with Teachers College for cause, subject to a hearing before a faculty committee,” it said. “In the interim Professor Constantine is suspended, effective immediately.” Regarding the noose incident of February, a criminal investigation is ongoing. Constantine initially linked it with the plagiarism case. “I believe that nothing that has happened to me this year is coincidental, particularly when I reflect upon the hate crime I experienced last semester involving a noose on my office door,” she said in a February email to faculty and students. “As one of only two tenured Black women full professors at Teachers College, it pains me to conclude that I have been specifically and systematically targeted.”