A total of ten churches have been vandalized in Anson and Stanly counties in North Carolina.
In Anson County, someone broke inside of Cedar Hill AME Zion Church on Springer Road, destroying religious objects. "They broke every window, pulled speakers from the walls and painted profanity inside the building", according to a Fox Charlotte new report.
Eight churches in Stanly County were hit with spray paint between Sunday night and Monday morning, in less than a 12-hour period. Perpetrators cause a lot of significant damage there...
Tens of thousands of dollar in damages have been reported thus far. “This is a very serious matter said Anson County Sheriff Tommy Allen. Residents are understandably upset.
Police are investigating but releasing few details.
Calls to the Zion church for comments have not been returned.
Neighbors in the area are expressing shock and dismay over the fact that person or persons unknown seem to be targeting the churches.
Anson County Sheriff officials have notified the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which may be investigating this as a "hate crime". This could entail serious charges.
A hate crime is a traditional offense like murder, arson, or vandalism with an added element of bias. For the purposes of collecting statistics, Congress has defined a hate crime as a "criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender's bias against a race, religion, disability, ethnic origin or sexual orientation." Hate itself is not a crime—and the FBI is mindful of protecting freedom of speech and other civil liberties.
A hate crime is not a distinct federal offense. However, the federal government can and does investigate and prosecute crimes of bias as civil rights violations, which do fall under its jurisdiction.
These efforts serve as a backstop for state and local authorities, which handle the vast majority of hate crime cases. A 1994 federal law also increased penalties for offenses proven to be hate crimes.
In 2009, the passage of a new law—the first significant expansion of federal criminal civil rights law since the mid-1990s—gave the federal government the authority to prosecute violent hate crimes, including violence and attempted violence directed at the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community, to the fullest extent of its jurisdiction. The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act also provides funding and technical assistance to state, local, and tribal jurisdictions to help them to more effectively investigate, prosecute, and prevent hate crimes.
The FBI’s Role
As part of its responsibility to uphold the civil rights of the American people, the FBI takes a number of steps to combat the problem of hate crimes:
- Investigative Activities: The FBI is the sole investigative force for criminal violations of federal civil rights statutes. In 2009, we initiated 174 hate crime investigations, many jointly with our state and local law enforcement partners.
- Law Enforcement Support: The FBI works closely with state/local authorities on investigations, even when federal charges are not brought. FBI resources, forensic expertise, and experience in identification and proof of hate-based motivations often provide an invaluable complement to local law enforcement. Many cases are also prosecuted under state statutes such as murder, arson, or more recent local ethnic intimidation laws. Once the state prosecution begins, the Department of Justice monitors the proceedings in order to ensure that the federal interest is vindicated and the law is applied equally among the 95 U.S. Judicial Districts.
- The FBI forwards completed reports to U.S. Attorneys and the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice, which decide whether a federal prosecution is warranted. They may move forward, for example, if local authorities are unwilling or unable to prosecute a crime of bias.
- Hate crimes directed at the U.S. government or the American population may be investigated as acts of domestic terrorism. Incidents involving hate groups are also investigated as domestic terrorism (the FBI's Civil Rights Program cannot investigate groups, only individuals).
How Hate Crimes are Investigated and Prosecuted
- The FBI initiates a hate crime investigation when an allegation is received from a reliable source. Most complaints are received from the victim, a witness, or a third party. Many cases are also initiated by media reports, community group complaints, referrals from Department of Justice or U.S. Attorneys, and congressional inquiries.
- Under guidelines developed in conjunction with the Department of Justice, once a complaint is received, the FBI will determine if the matter warrants a preliminary or full investigation.
- Once a case is opened, a logical investigation is conducted within a reasonable period of time.
A $1000 dollar reward is being offered to anyone with information leading to an arrest of those responsible. Anson County Crime Stop 704-694-4188; or Stanly County Crime Stoppers, 704-982-0711. You can also contact the FBI via http://www.fbi.gov/contact-us
Robert Tilford
Charlotte, N.C.
Comments