2 N.C. Men Sentenced to Two Years for Cross-Burning

[NNN0LHI]

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBGQ8G82BE.html

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (AP) - Two men convicted of trying to drive a black family out of the neighborhood, burning a cross in the family's yard and hanging a noose on the door, have been sentenced to nearly two years in federal prison.

Jeremy Kratzer, 25, and Ricky "Chase" Hobbs, 23, were found guilty in March of conspiring to violate the civil rights of Deborah Edwards and her four children in April 1999. The men were sentenced Tuesday.

Prosecutor Stephen Curran portrayed Kratzer and Chase Hobbs as ringleaders of a group of teenage boys determined to drive Deborah Edwards and her four children out of Nine Mile. At the time, they were the only black family in the predominantly white community.

They were in the home for only a week before people in passing vehicles screamed racial epithets at her. A noose was hung on their door, and a dead raccoon was thrown on their front lawn. On Easter Sunday 1999, a cross was burned in their back yard.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

1. Two years is chickenshit for that crime

[Kraklen]

8. Oh, I don't know.

Two years is a long time.

[Beaver Tail]

2. They were NOT Sentenced for Cross-Burning

They were Sentenced for

snip

conspiring to violate the civil rights of Deborah Edwards and her four children

Burning a cross is not a crime (at least where I live) but 2 years is nothing. They should get at least 10

[SteppingRazor]

4. I was gonna say...

I actually find it a bit repulsive that people can be jailed for two years for burning a cross. Free speech for everyone, and all that.

Of course, burning a cross on someone else's private property is a different matter. At best it's trespassing. At worst, a civil rights violation. The noose is actually even more troubling than the cross, as it could be seen as a death threat -- which opens the door for harsher penalties.

[northzax]

10. depends on where you burn the cross, right?

on your own property, go right ahead. on public property, or someone else's property without permission, you're in trouble. same with a flag.

[Lost-in-FL]

3. They probably voted for *

Real Christian values :nopity: :sarcasm:

Which bring me to the question of why do they burn crosses??? Isn't that like burning american flags if you believe on our american values?

[neuvocat]

13. You have quite a point there, you know.

I wish I thought of that.

[DanCa]

5. What year is this ?

Is this evil still going on? Right now my heart weeps and my voice is at a loss for words. I'll pray Debororah Edwards and her four children. I just cant comprehend this ugliness.

[eternalburn]

6. Wouldn't setting a fire on private property .........

....be worthy of an arson charge?

Sounds like the "powers that be" went as easy as they could.

[SteppingRazor]

7. Only if someone else's property was damaged.

If you light fire to a cross on someone else's property, and their property is not touched by the fire, it's not arson becasue only the cross (which you own) was affected.
Stupid, but true. Especially in the South.

[krkaufman]

9. Yeah, one would think the sentence could have included...

... a hate crime booster. 2 years sounds pretty light, given the history.

[livinginphotographs]

11. Only two years for basically threatening to kill someone?

With a burning cross and a noose, it doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out what the message was: "Leave or die."

I feel really sorry for the family that had to put up with this shit.

[classysassy]

12. Those two loonies

should be drafted into the army and sent to Iraq,to serve under a black commander and black first sgt.

[Judi Lynn]

14. Two years would be too long for these terrorists?

There are some visitors to D.U. who don't mind identifying themselves through their undisguised comments. No interpretation is needed.

Democrats who thought that way became Republicans in the 1960's.