The FBI is investigating a white South Carolina couple who allegedly burned a cross just steps from their black neighbor’s home in a shocking act of racism.
Federal agents searched the Conway home of Worden Butler and Alexis Hartnett Wednesday morning as part of an “ongoing criminal civil rights investigation involving allegations of racial discrimination,” the agency said.
The couple was arrested late last month for allegedly erecting a cross and burning it on the Grand Strand over Thanksgiving weekend, WMBF reported.
Hartnett also continued his racial slurs when police showed up at the scene and was caught on body camera footage “repeatedly using racial slurs” at his neighbor, according to a police report obtained by WPDE.
Following the cross-burning, Butler posted threatening notes on Facebook and leaked victims’ addresses by posting pictures of their mailboxes.
He also wrote that he was “summoning the devil’s army and I don’t care if they and I both end up in the same boat” and “I’m going to make them pay” about the victims, the report states.
Worden Butler and his girlfriend were arrested for allegedly setting up a cross and burning it on the Grand Strand. J. Reuben Long Detention Center
Butler, 28, was charged with second-degree harassment while Hartnett, 27, was charged with second-degree harassment and third-degree assault. Both were booked and released within a day after posting bail — $500 for Butler and $5,500 for Hartnett, according to online jail records.
Victims of the racial attack, Shawn and Monica Williams, said the flaming cross in front of their property was the latest in a continuing pattern of racial harassment from their next-door neighbors since the black couple moved into their retirement home in the neighborhood about two years ago. .
“There was a burning cross about 8 feet from our fence,” Monica told WMBF. “We were speechless because we had never experienced anything like it.”
The cross was burned just steps from their black neighbor’s home in Conway, South Carolina. WBTW News 13
The couple had also been called racial slurs and threatened with bodily harm by their neighbours, they said.
“He was blatant with the ‘N-word,'” Monica said of Butler, who has at least five previous arrests for assault and disorderly conduct. “He drove our surveyor away. He has fired people from the water and sewer department.”
They fear for their safety, say their neighbor’s harassment is becoming more frequent and more threatening and don’t believe the arrests are enough.
Alexis Hartnett was charged with second-degree harassment while Butler was charged with second-degree harassment and third-degree assault. J. Reuben Long Detention Center
“They came out the next day,” Monica said. “So now, what do we want to do? Living next to a cross-burning racist who threatens to cause us bodily harm. We feel that the law is not enough to deal with this, and there needs to be some accountability.”
South Carolina is one of only two states in the country without a hate crime law.
The cross-burning incident has shaken the community and revived the fight to get such laws passed.
The black couple said they had been called racial slurs and threatened with bodily harm by their neighbours. WBTW News 13
“I was dealing with this kind of thing in 1950 and I’m really shocked to learn that this kind of thing is still happening in Horry County,” NAACP Conway Chapter Interim President Dr. Kenneth Floyd told a local station.
The NAACP has since launched its own investigation into the incident, which Williams caught on video.
Members of the NAACP told WMBF that the racist attack has renewed efforts to get hate crime legislation passed in South Carolina.
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A hate crime bill has made it through the South Carolina State House but stalled on the Senate floor for the past three years, according to local stations.
Even the 2015 mass shooting of nine black worshipers by white supremacists at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston failed to pass legislation.
“In this day and time, we didn’t expect something like that to happen. It was absolutely horrible; The Emanuel Nine should have set the precedent for hate crime legislation,” said Marvin Neal, 3rd vice president of the South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP.
“We thought we were on the road to that when that happened, but here we are back.”
The FBI is working with the US Attorney’s Office and local and state partners to investigate racially motivated harassment, according to a statement.
“We have also communicated with local community organizations to understand their concerns on this matter and to emphasize our commitment to fostering trust and accountability,” the statement said.
“As this is an ongoing investigation, additional details cannot be provided, but rest assured, we are dedicated to this matter and the civil rights of all Americans.”
The Horry County Police Department also released a statement reiterating its commitment to the case, calling the actions of Butler and Harnett “appalling and unacceptable.”
“That kind of hate and harassment will not be tolerated in Horry County,” said Chief Joseph Hill. “The individuals responsible will be held accountable for their actions and the harm they have caused the victims and the greater Horry County community.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
