Mississippi man sentenced to more than 3 years in prison for burning a cross to intimidate Black family

[DudleySmith]

What happened to the criminals who brutalized and murdered the Newsoms?

How many murders of black folks do you think I could post and their murderers have NEVER been brought to the Bar of Justice.

About 40 a weekend in Chicago, probably.

 

[Carl in Michigan]

Bring back the Good Ole Days.

You can't look at things objectively.

Only the black race is treated like children. This was HIS property. If he did it on yours, it would be a different matter. People are free to hate in this country. Except were required to walk on eggshells around blacks.

 

[LeftofLeft]

What happened to the criminals who brutalized and murdered the Newsoms?

How many murders of black folks do you think I could post and their murderers have NEVER been brought to the Bar of Justice.

oh jeez, what was I thinking? By all means, torch whites until the debt is paid.

 

[Superbadbrutha]

oh jeez, what was I thinking? By all means, torch whites until the debt is paid.

That's just it, you aren't thinking you are just shooting off your mouth trying to please white folks.

 

[multivita-man]

AMississippi man has been sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison for burning a cross in his front yard to intimidate a Black family, according to a news release from the US Justice Department.

Axel Cox, 24, was sentenced to 42 months in connection to the cross burning, which happened in December 2020 and violated the Fair Housing Act, the release said, adding Cox “admitted that he lit the cross on fire because the victims were Black and that he intended to scare them into moving out of the neighborhood.”

Justice Department leaders condemned Cox’s actions, with Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division calling them “an abhorrent act that used a traditional symbol of hatred and violence to stoke fear and drive a Black family out of their home.

According to the Justice Department, Cox “wedged two pieces of wood together to form a cross, placed it in clear view of the victims’ residence,” following a dispute with the victims and “doused it in oil and set it alight. During this incident, Cox yelled threats and racial slurs toward the occupants of the house.”

MSN

www.msn.com

Was his rights violated?

Can you burn a cross on your lawn if you want to?

Seems like a valid conviction to me. People can commit crimes on their own property, can they not?

 

[multivita-man]

You can't look at things objectively.

Only the black race is treated like children. This was HIS property. If he did it on yours, it would be a different matter. People are free to hate in this country. Except were required to walk on eggshells around blacks.

If you threaten to kill your neighbor while standing on your front lawn, you'll still end up with a court date.

 

[LeftofLeft]

That's just it, you aren't thinking you are just shooting off your mouth trying to please white folks.

you still aren’t concerned about people being torched in modern times. Your hate for whites is showing.

 

[Carl in Michigan]

If you threaten to kill your neighbor while standing on your front lawn, you'll still end up with a court date.

There was no threat to kill anyone.

And how many times have I heard a woman plead with the cops for help from a boyfriend or husband who really DOES threatened their life. They will tell the woman they can't do anything because he hasn't done anything. But blacks get special treatment while they walk all over everyone else.

 

[multivita-man]

There was no threat to kill anyone.

I didn't say that there was. Just pointing out that being on his own property isn't a valid defense. Threatening to kill or cause physical harm to someone is a crime. Hate speech (with the intent to intimidate or harass) is also a crime. In both cases, it doesn't matter where the crime occurs, only that person A said it, that person B got the message, and that a reasonable person would conclude that person A had criminal intent.

And how many times have I heard a woman plead with the cops for help from a boyfriend or husband who really DOES threatened their life. They will tell the woman they can't do anything because he hasn't done anything.

No, that's likely not why the cops don't do anything. It's likely the fact that it's a case of he said/she said and that they can't just haul her boyfriend in without evidence a crime was committed. If someone takes a snapshot of a burning cross, OTOH, well then there's your evidence.

 

[Carl in Michigan]

I didn't say that there was

Yeah you did. That's the thread we're discussing

 

[Tumblin Tumbleweed]

AMississippi man has been sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison for burning a cross in his front yard to intimidate a Black family, according to a news release from the US Justice Department.

Axel Cox, 24, was sentenced to 42 months in connection to the cross burning, which happened in December 2020 and violated the Fair Housing Act, the release said, adding Cox “admitted that he lit the cross on fire because the victims were Black and that he intended to scare them into moving out of the neighborhood.”

Justice Department leaders condemned Cox’s actions, with Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division calling them “an abhorrent act that used a traditional symbol of hatred and violence to stoke fear and drive a Black family out of their home.

According to the Justice Department, Cox “wedged two pieces of wood together to form a cross, placed it in clear view of the victims’ residence,” following a dispute with the victims and “doused it in oil and set it alight. During this incident, Cox yelled threats and racial slurs toward the occupants of the house.”

MSN

www.msn.com

Was his rights violated?

Can you burn a cross on your lawn if you want to?

No. And no.

 

[Tumblin Tumbleweed]

Are you frightened of crosses?

Does Jesus scare you?

Are you a fucking moron?

Does Jesus secretly hate you?

 

[toobfreak]

Are you a fucking moron?

Are you really a WEED?

Does Jesus secretly hate you?

I think he must. He put YOU on this message board to aggravate me with your itinerant stupidity.

 

[Tumblin Tumbleweed]

Are you really a WEED?


I think he must. He put YOU on this message board to aggravate me with your itinerant stupidity.

Nice.

 

[NewsVine_Mariyam]

Can you burn a cross on your lawn if you want to?

Cross burning in and of itself is not unlawful, in fact SCOTUS has deemed it protected under the first amendment. On the other hand, in the state of Mississippi, you legally cannot burn a cross, even on your own property IF you are doing so with the intent to harass or intimidate.

Cussing someone out and using racial epithets while doing so which shows intent, which is why this behavior is not protected and in fact a crime.

 

[NewsVine_Mariyam]

If the cross was on the guy's own property, the person(s) who reported him are who should've been busted.

God bless you and him always!!!

Holly

You know our courts are finally catching up to the silliness of individuals intent on evil, hiding behind the first amendment and pretending that there is nothing nefarious in their racially motivated acts against Black people when they do things such as this.

SCOTUS has already deemed cross burnings to be protected speech even though they knew that traditionally cross burnings preceded acts of violence and arson against Black people, yet they didn't care.

It's funny though how they understand the trauma that having Jewish temples or synagogues defaced with the swastika invokes in the Jewish congregants but couldn't find their way clear to invoking an exception to the First amendmend such as under the fighting words doctrine, knowing and understanding the same trauma that is caused by cross burnings and Black people.

Where are all the members of this board who SWEAR that racism is a thing of the past? Cross burnings are the CLASSIFCAL way that the KKK/white supremacist started their deadly rampages against Black people. Oh, that's right, they like SCOTUS, couldn't care less about the harm the behavior of racists causes to others, particularly Black people in the U.S.

 

[NewsVine_Mariyam]

^^^ I agree, but only to a certain extent. If more than a cross had been burned, I would understand their being nervous, but that is just it. Only a cross was burned and did the fire spread in any way? No. Therefore, why get so worked up about what actually did take place?

God bless you always!!!

Holly

Holly, do you know NOTHING about our country's history and what cross burnings represent particularly when done by white racists?

 

[Hossfly]

You know our courts are finally catching up to the silliness of individuals intent on evil, hiding behind the first amendment and pretending that there is nothing nefarious in their racially motivated acts against Black people when they do things such as this.

SCOTUS has already deemed cross burnings to be protected speech even though they knew that traditionally cross burnings preceded acts of violence and arson against Black people, yet they didn't care.

It's funny though how they understand the trauma that having Jewish temples or synagogues defaced with the swastika invokes in the Jewish congregants but couldn't find their way clear to invoking an exception to the First amendmend such as under the fighting words doctrine, knowing and understanding the same trauma that is caused by cross burnings and Black people.

Where are all the members of this board who SWEAR that racism is a thing of the past? Cross burnings are the CLASSIFCAL way that the KKK/white supremacist started their deadly rampages against Black people. Oh, that's right, they like SCOTUS, couldn't care less about the harm the behavior of racists causes to others, particularly Black people in the U.S.

Burning a cross is a hate crime. This guy screwed up. He should nave burned their Cadillac.

 

[NewsVine_Mariyam]

This thread is a joke; right????

Yes; the guy's a tosser and so on but as odious as the action is; jail time?? IF the only reason was because the neighbours were Black then he's a jerk. Sounds like a wind up thread!!!

Greg

Have you ever heard the expression "stupidity should be painful"? The guy is not just a jerk, he's a racist jerk, who criminally harassed and/or threatened his neighbors for no reason other than because they're Black.

These types of acts should have always been unlawful, but at least now the legal system is starting to catch up.

 

[NewsVine_Mariyam]

You can't look at things objectively.

Only the black race is treated like children. This was HIS property. If he did it on yours, it would be a different matter. People are free to hate in this country. Except were required to walk on eggshells around blacks.

People are free to harbor all of the hatred they desire, but the moment that hatred causes them to act to violate the rights of another, particularly by way of threatening them, then their freedom to hate runs up against the rights of others to not be threatened and/or intimidated.

It seems like none of you know or understand the significance of cross burnings. Or you are just on the side of racists? Being a racist is actionable these days, meaning you could end up a defendant in a civil case or criminal one, as in this case.

Some of you seem surprised by this.