Hate crimes have reportedly been on the rise for the past three years, and one North Carolina neighborhood is experiencing yet another already in 2019. This time, the target was a white family whose young daughter dated a schoolmate of color.
It's the start of 2019 and North Carolina deputies are investigating a hate crime where someone allegedly set a car on fire because of an interracial relationship:https://t.co/QzzmWpiVpi
— WHSVnews (@WHSVnews) January 3, 2019
Two cars at the family’s home were vandalized. One had racial slurs spray-painted across it and the other was set on fire, sustaining enough damage to total it.
According to local WSOC-TV News:
‘Officials in Goldsboro, North Carolina are looking for the person who targeted a family with messages of hate and setting a car on fire. Investigators said it is because the family’s 14-year-old daughter, who is white, is dating a black teenager she met at church…The girl is visiting family out of state at this time, but police said once she returns, they would like to go through her social media to see if they can figure out who is behind the hate crime.’
Last November, the @FBI released a report of the steady rise of hate crimes in US. The data showed out of over 7,100 reported hate crimes in 2017 three out of five were motivated by race and ethnicity. #HateCrimes https://t.co/lOxF5aXFEa
— Legal Defense Fund (@NAACP_LDF) January 4, 2019
Police are investigating the crime, but the girl’s family is stunned by what happened. Her mother told news reporters for one local ABC News affiliate:
‘It just makes your heart sink. I’ve always tried to instill in her be friends with who is good to you. Like who is good to you. Make sure that you know … it doesn’t matter what color somebody is, and it doesn’t matter what race they are. I think anybody that has that much anger and write something like that and damage someone else’s property — they’re capable of doing bodily harm to somebody else. You still wake up every day and think it’s a bad dream.’
A minivan, was covered with spray paint hate, including a swastika, multiple calls to “burn in hell,” gendered insults like “whore,” and racial epithets like “N_____-loving bitch.” Another car, a crossover SUV, was actually set on fire. #TheResistance https://t.co/2lSnUnEdWX
— TOEACHHISPHONE (@TOEACHHISPHONE) January 3, 2019
Some of the racial epitaths were too offensive to be shown on camera. Instead, a blurred-out video showed the car on local news stations. The family has paid to have the damage repaired, but the perpetrators remain at large.
‘Investigators report the alleged attack occurred on Thursday, when vandals spray-painted the family’s minivan with a swastika and several racial epithets, including “N***** loving b****. A second vehicle was lit on fire and sustained enough internal damage to total the car.’
Two days after Christmas, a white North Carolina family woke up to find one car spray-painted with a swastika and racial slurs and another set on fire. The sheriff says they were targeted because their daughter dated a black teen she met at church. https://t.co/bWSvGulf1E
— AP South U.S. Region (@APSouthRegion) January 3, 2019
The young girl will now have to submit her social media account postings and responses to police in order for the racists to be caught and be held accountable for their crimes.
‘Sheriff’s deputies on Tuesday also told ABC11 they’ve already conducted several interviews and will continue their investigation Wednesday when they expect to look more into Brianna’s social media accounts and connections at school for clues.’
Featured image screenshot via video
