Quote of the WeeK: “It takes a great deal of courage to finally admit you were wrong, to admit that those you thought were your enemies were right after all.” – James Alexander McQuirter, former head of the Canadian Ku Klux Klan, renouncing his white supremacist past, in the Montreal Gazette, 5-24-09.



News of the Week


TENNESSEE REPORTS SHARP INCREASE IN HATE CRIMES: The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation reports that hate crimes in Tennessee increased by 30 percent in 2008 compared to the previous year. The largest increase in reported hate crimes involved victims who were targeted because of their religion or because they were disabled.



REPORT FINDS THAT BLACK SUSPECTS ARE MORE LIKELY THAN WHITE SUSPECTS TO BE SHOT BY POLICE WITH TASERS: Six years ago, police officers in Madison, Wisconsin, were armed with Taser guns to use as weapons in fighting crime. Now a new report finds that police are more likely to use their Taser weapons on blacks than on whites. Overall, whites account for two thirds of all people arrested by Madison police. But last year, blacks were twice as likely as whites to be shot with a Taser gun by police. In three of the last five years, the number of blacks shot by police with a Taser has exceeded the number of whites shot with a Taser. In two of the last five years, whites and blacks made up about half of all cases in which a Taser gun was used.



“THE JUICE” PLAYS THE RACE CARD: The 1995 trial in which O.J. Simpson was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife and her friend Ron Goldman hinged heavily on the issue of race. The defense team, led by Johnnie Cochran, was able to convince jurors of the possibility that Simpson may have been framed by racist police officers. Last December, Simpson was convicted of armed robbery in a Las Vegas court and subsequently was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Now Simpson has filed an appeal with the Nevada Supreme Court claiming that the judge and jury were prejudiced against him and that a lack of racial diversity on the jury led to his conviction.



NATION’S OLDEST BLACK NEWSPAPER MARKS MILESTONE: This year marks the 125th anniversary of the founding of the Philadelphia Tribune, the nation’s oldest black newspaper. To commemorate the anniversary, a granite marker was erected at the grave of Christopher J. Perry, the newspaper’s founder, in the Eden Cemetery in Collingdale, Pennsylvania. Previously, the grave had been unmarked. Today the Philadelphia Tribune has a circulation of about 31,000. The paper is published five days a week.


HATE CRIMES AGAINST BLACKS INCREASE IN ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: The Orange County Human Relations Commission in California reports that the number of hate crimes in the county in 2008 was very similar to the number of hate crimes in 2007. But hate crimes that targeted blacks and Latinos increased from 2007 to 2008.



NEW POLL FINDS WANING SUPPORT FOR AFFIRMATIVE ACTION PROGRAMS: A new poll conducted by researchers at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut, finds that a clear majority of Americans believe affirmative action in hiring, promotions, and college admissions should be abolished. Only 27 percent of whites supported the continuation of affirmative action programs whereas 78 percent of blacks want such programs to continue. Hispanics were about evenly split on whether affirmative action programs should be continued.


Recent Racial Incidents in the United States


HORN LAKE, MISSISSIPPI: A black woman in Horn Lake, Mississippi, reported that her home and vehicles had been defaced with racist graffiti. The woman’s home also was pelted with eggs. Police arrested a 22-year-old man in connection with the vandalism. (Memphis Commercial Appeal, 5-29-09)


WAIANAE, HAWAII: School officials in Waianae, Hawaii, replaced a page in the published school yearbook after it was discovered that a racial slur appeared in a photograph. The photograph showed the entire senior class assembled on the bleachers of the school’s football field. Some of the students held up signs. Dispersed throughout the senior class were five students who held up signs that had letters on them that spelled out the word “nigger.” (Honolulu Star, 5-30-09)


ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS: A construction company in Rockford, Illinois, has agreed to a $630,000 settlement of a race discrimination lawsuit. The suit charges that black employees were laid off after only short periods on the job whereas whites were likely to be retained. The agreement calls for the company to offer jobs to 24 black workers who were laid off.


BURBANK, CALIFORNIA: Five police officers in Burbank, California, have filed a lawsuit claiming that the department favors white males in hiring and promotions. The suit also claims that supervisors in the department have tolerated the use of racial, ethnic, and gender slurs directed at members of the department. The suit claims that officers who complained about the discrimination faced threats and retaliation from superiors. (Los Angeles Times, 6-1-09)


EL SEGUNDO, CALIFORNIA: A black man who worked as a manager at a Boeing plant in El Segundo, California, has filed a race discrimination suit against the company. The man claims he was fired after he testified on behalf of another employee who had filed an employment discrimination complaint. (Torrance Daily Breeze, 6-1-09)


SALTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA: A former basketball coach at a private school in Saltsburg, Pennsylvania, has filed a federal lawsuit claiming he was fired because he recruited too many black students to play on his team. The coach said that school officials told him that an all-black basketball team was “not consistent” with the school’s mission. (Associated Press, 6-2-09)


MUSKEGON, MICHIGAN: A family medical care facility in Muskegon, Michigan, has agreed to a settlement of a race discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on behalf of a former employee. The suit charged that the employee, a black woman, was not promoted because of her race and was subsequently fired after complaining about the unfair treatment. The suit also claimed that the woman’s direct superior continually harassed the black employee and that the company’s management did nothing to stop the racial harassment.


MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY: Two Morristown, New Jersey, corrections officers – one black and one Hispanic – have filed a race discrimination lawsuit against the county and its law enforcement officials. The suit claims that the minority officers were subjected to unfair suspensions under procedures that did not follow proper guidelines. (Morristown Daily Record, 6-3-09)


MCKINNEY, TEXAS: A Republican Party official in McKinney, Texas, sent an e-mail message to local GOP supporters that criticized a proposal to put a $50 tax on every gun. The message ended with a statement referring to President Obama: “Another terrific idea from the Black House and its minions.” (Dallas Morning News, 6-3-09)


HOLLY HILL, FLORIDA: The U.S. Equal Employment Commission has filed a race discrimination lawsuit against the Florida-based Crom Corporation. The suit charges that the company operated a racially hostile work environment at its Holly Hill, Florida, location. According to the suit, a white employee locked a black employee in a tool shed and then painted the word “Jail” on the shed. On another occasion, a hangman’s noose was placed over the head of the black employee. The noose was later hung in the workplace. When the black worker complained about the incidents he was suspended. The white worker responsible for the racist behavior was promoted.


BROCKTON, MASSACHUSETTS: A real estate firm in Brockton, Massachusetts, agreed to settle a housing discrimination complaint filed by the Massachusetts attorney general. A black tenant had requested but was denied an extra key to an apartment complex for a childcare worker. White tenants with similar needs were provided with keys. When the black tenant complained to the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, the landlord threatened to evict him and have his car towed away.


Tracking Hate Crimes: For week May 31 to June 6, the term “hate crime” appeared in the nation’s major newspapers and magazines 404 times. This is more than the 242 mentions of the term in the prior week.
— For the month of May, there were 1,459 mentions of hate crimes in the nation’s press outlets. This compares to 1,437 mentions in April. In May 2008, there were 998 mentions of hate crimes in the press.
— So far in 2009, hate crimes were mentioned 6,721 times in the national press. In the January 1 to June 6, 2008 period, hate crimes were mentioned 6,677 times in the national media.




Reprinted in the WORD with permission from Race Relations Reporter © copyright.