Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — In a hearing that lasted more than five hours Thursday,
a federal judge sentenced two women to the maximum prison terms for their roles
in the 2011 death of James Craig Anderson, the last of a series of
white-on-black attacks.
U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate went out of his way to show relatives
and supporters of the two women that their presence in the truck that ran over
Anderson in a Jackson parking lot was not an isolated accident but the result of
a pattern of racist behavior.
"I just wonder whether the hatred is just engrained for some particular
reason," said Wingate, who in 1984 became the first African-American federal
judge in Mississippi. "Then again, that's what race hatred is all about: whites
who hate blacks and blacks who hate whites. It's just automatic."
I don't think hatred for a race is automatic. No one is born to hate, I believe they are raised that way.
Quote:
Wingate sentenced 21-year-old Shelbie Brooke Richards of Pearl to eight years
in prison after her guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to commit a hate
crime and one count of concealing the crime by lying to Jackson police. He
sentenced 22-year-old Sarah Adelia Graves of Crystal Springs to five years in
prison after her guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to commit a hate
crime.
Those were the maximum sentences available under the women's plea agreements.
But Wingate said he wished he could send the women away for longer prison
terms.
"I feel this defendant, as well as the other one, could have been charged
with a much more serious count than the one that they are pleading guilty to,"
Wingate said after rejecting a call from Richards' attorney to sentence her to
only the five years that Graves received.
I don't think hatred for a race is automatic. No one is born to hate, I believe they are raised that way.
Hatred for a particular race may be learned, but I do think its natural for people to fear and distrust those who are different from us -- and that is just a short step from hate.
Fear of strangers is something you can easily observe in small children, regardless of race or culture.
Hatred for a particular race may be learned, but I do think its natural for people to fear and distrust those who are different from us -- and that is just a short step from hate.
Fear of strangers is something you can easily observe in small children, regardless of race or culture.
Very true.
Also if one is already a victim of a crime from another race, hatred would be automatic, would hold an entire race responsible for what happened to them, it's human nature.
Also if one is already a victim of a crime from another race, hatred would be automatic, would hold an entire race responsible for what happened to them, it's human nature.
If you can't strike back at the original person who hurt you, some people will look for the best substitute, i.e., somebody who looks like the person who hurt them. I think one way to look at it is that the victim is trying to go back in time and fix what happened to them, to avoid the feeling of helplessness. I don't think this attitude plays out only on the racial arena, but that's one of the obvious places.
If you can't strike back at the original person who hurt you, some people will look for the best substitute, i.e., somebody who looks like the person who hurt them. I think one way to look at it is that the victim is trying to go back in time and fix what happened to them, to avoid the feeling of helplessness. I don't think this attitude plays out only on the racial arena, but that's one of the obvious places.
Are you saying that American born blacks would be justified in striking back at any white person for what was done to their ancestors? You know, many were lynched for whistling at a white woman?
Are you saying that American born blacks would be justified in striking back at any white person for what was done to their ancestors? You know, like lynching for whistling at a white woman?
No, of course not. I'm not talking about justification at all. I'm talking about human nature and how we can expect that people will behave.
And the fact that behavior like the one that you describe may be explained from a psychological or historical point of view does not make it legal or morally right. There's a difference between trying to understand people's actions and justifying them.
Glad to see some justice although due to their plea agreement the sentences were a little light.
Agreed, sounds like felony murder to me.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
