Cross-burning in prosperous US town

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Telegraph

Cross-burning in prosperous US town
An 11-foot (3.3-meter) cross was stolen from a church and set on fire next to the home of a black family, igniting anger and disbelief in a prosperous, mostly white Central California community that hasn't seen a hate crime in nearly a decade.
6:22AM GMT 23 Mar 2011

Police assigned extra patrols to the neighbourhood in Arroyo Grande and rewards were offered for information leading to an arrest. Church leaders were urged to mention the family in their prayers.

"I was horrified," said the Rev. Stephanie Raphael, president of the San Luis Obispo Ministerial Association. "We live in a paradise, and I think the first thought was, this can't really be real."

The cross was stolen from a garden at Saint John's Lutheran Church weeks ago and set ablaze on Friday in a lot behind the house where the family lived, police Cmdr. John Hough said.

A 19-year-old woman awoke about 12:30am and saw the flaming cross from her bedroom window. Arriving officers doused burning pieces of wood with a garden hose.



Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/...

[struggle4progress]

1. Police: Cross burning treated as hate crime from the start

Posted: Mar 23, 2011 12:21 AM by Ariel Wesler - Source: KSBY News
Updated: Mar 23, 2011 12:21 AM

... Investigators identified the pieces of wood as parts of a cross stolen from Saint John's Luthern Church in February or March.

They are calling the incident a hate crime, arson, and theft ...

"We initiated an unprecedented amount of response from the federal, state, and our local partners in law enforcement," said Arroyo Grande Police Chief Steven Annibali.

The police department has stepped up patrols in the area where the crime happened. Officers are also circulating flyers at Saint John's Lutheran Church, where they say the cross was stolen. Many hope those living nearby will come together and come forward with information ...

http://www.ksby.com/news/police-cross-burning-treated-a... /

[struggle4progress]

2. Cross burning brings outraged residents to Arroyo Grande City Council meeting

Published: Wednesday, Mar. 23, 2011
Updated: 12:38 am Wednesday, Mar. 23, 2011
By Cynthia Lambert | [e-mail]

... During Tuesday’s meeting attended by about two dozen people, police Chief Steve Annibali detailed the work the department has done on the case since Friday and reiterated the department’s commitment to “solving this shocking crime.”

About 12:30 a.m. Friday, police and firefighters responded to a report of a fire. They found the remnants of a burning cross, which had been stuck in the ground outside the teen’s window.

The teen, who was home with her sleeping mom, heard a banging noise and looked out her window. She woke her mom, who told her to call 911 ...

Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center in Alabama said the number of cross burnings has dropped from roughly 50 nationwide annually 10 years ago to approximately 30 today. The center has been tracking hate crimes for 40 years ...

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2011/03/22/1532416/arroyo-...

[struggle4progress]

3. Cross burning in Calif. suburb brings FBI into hate crime investigation

March 22, 2011 6:21 PM
Posted by Camille Mann

... the FBI is involved in the hate crime investigation ...

"Burning crosses, swastikas on synagogue walls, hateful words on mosque doors are not pranks. They are hate crimes meant to frighten and intimidate," said an email sent to the San Luis Obispo Tribune by 31 members of the San Luis Obispo Ministerial Association ...

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20046031-504083....

[No Elephants]

4. Hate crime, or domestic terrorism?

ETA: Wonder why the headline writer put "prosperous" in the headline?

And, if they're so prosperous, why did they steal a cross from a church?

[polmaven]

9. Because if they bought one

they would likey be more easily traced.

[HillWilliam]

5. K/R - My disgust won't allow me to say more than

I hope they nab the perps and throw the book at them.

[mountainlion55]

6. reply

I live fifty miles south of Arroyo-Grande and dispite what the preacher says it is not paradise. I have lived in this area my whole life and there is just as much if not more of this kind of hate going on. We just have two cultures in this state and country. One likes no change and strict dogma. The other seeks peaceful change. Sad to say the peaceful folks are losing to the cross burners.

[Doctor_J]

8. And so it is nation wide

Sad to say the peaceful folks are losing to the cross burners.

Teabaggers will soon control Congress and much of the state legislature. Brace yourself to live on your knees or die on your feet.

[Action]

10. How So?

California is minority majority.

[gratuitous]

11. Welcome to DU

And thanks for a little more local perspective.

[Thor_MN]

7. Too damn stupid or lazy to make their own cross, they had to steal one

It's two pieces of wood, with something to hold them together and these geniuses couldn't figure out how to make one.

I read a post a conservative made on a CNN article whining about liberals want tolerance, but as soon as someone with a different (ie. intolerant) viewpoint spoke out they jump all over them. Are all conservatives that stupid? I'm just fine with a conservative holding the opinion that the Earth is 6000 years old, flat and the center of the universe. I'm OK with them having whatever dumbass beliefs they want, except when they start inflicting them on others.

I'm starting to think the school's focus on self esteem above all else is feeding the crazy. There are people that need their self esteem boosted, but people that have tendancies towards bullying and rudness need to be taught humility and concern for others. Media doesn't help by glorifying the rude, bad behavior of the idiots on reality TV.

[crikkett]

13. unintended consequence of cutting funds for shop class

the kids probably didn't know how to use a hammer

PS Jokes aside, this DUser is appalled at this hate crime.

[Thor_MN]

16. Agreed. I hope they catch these creeps

These people are stupid enough to think that their intolerance qualifies as something that should be tolerated....

[Overseas]

12. Sad K&R.

Thanks to the UK Daily Telegraph for highlighting the hatred engendered by the professional right wing Tea Party diversion projects.

[Name removed]

14. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Dogtown]

15. K&R n/t

[DFab420]

17. PS.. a deleted message above?

man... the Mods and Trolls must be duking it out hard. WHo would say something on this board that could get deleted off of a story like this.