Racism On The Rise In Your Backyard

Spokane County, WA is in the news again for their hate crimes. What is it about Spokane County that they have so many race hate crimes?


A 19 year old man, Deven James-Allen Hood is accused of smashing car windows and beating people on what police allege as a hate fueled drive through in Spokane County on January 20, 2012.  


Police say Hood through something at a truck driving through the intersection and then punched the driver. When the victim got out to confront the driver, Martinez said his assailant repeatedly called him a derogatory term for Hispanic people.

Then later that night, a woman, Jaylean Tayloe, went outside her home on Cedar Street and she saw three men attempting to steel her truck. The three men who were later identified and Hood, his 15 year old brother and his half brother attacked her. Two men followed Hood and his brothers and while they were headed back to a home on Cedar, Hood and his brothers shouted racial slurs out the window about black people.

Hood and his brothers were arrested for the charges, but were later released because no charges were filed.

 According to a piece done by Bill Morlin, for the Spokesman Review, there has been in increase in hate crimes and racist activity in Spokane County and pacific northwest communities, even throughout the United States. Morlin reports, there has been a spike in hate crimes since the election of President Obama. According to Morlin, not only is there a spike in hate crimes since the 2008 election, there is a rise in secret anti-government militia.

“This trend is on the rise,” Spokane-based Assistant U.S. Attorney Earl A. Hicks said of recent hate crimes in the region. “What I would tell you is, it’s a bunch of thugs, and they’re dangerous individuals.
“The difference today is this activity is domestic terrorism,” Hicks said, “and the FBI pays attention to this kind of thing more than it did in the late 1970s, early ’80s.”


Some contribute the rise in hate crimes to the change in the classifications of crimes and some contribute the rise in hate crimes to the election of a black president in 2008. But, what we do know is there is a major war going on between the two top Arian Nation leaders in Idaho, Gerald O’Brien and Paul Mullet and there is a war between the two top competing Arian websites. 


Whatever, the reason may be for the rise in hate crimes, the truth of the matter is the problem still does exist and it's not going away any time soon until our government figures out how to crack down on them. One factor I have noticed is there seems to be a rise in the number of young adults and teens who commit hate crimes. 


The government and police can do there job at cracking down on these types of offenders, but it is also our job as parents to guide our children and teach them compassion and understanding. Some parents are fully aware of the racist attitude they are passing on to there children and some parents don't even realize they are passing a racism on to their children with the comments they make towards other races. 


The United States is a melting pot of different races. The scary part about it is you may think you won't fall into the non-white category by the Arian Nation. But, when they look at you they see tan skin, olive skin, or they are looking at the shape of your eyes and see you as being non-white or you may have a name that doesn't sound white enough for them and may fall victim to a hate crime. 


I think a lot of people just have the attitude of "What can I do about it?" Well, there is something you can do about it as a parent. You can be aware of what you say around your children and how you raise your children. Your children are key members of the next generation. You have to look at the big picture of things and raise your child to be compassionate and empathetic individuals. Teach your children racism is wrong. By not teaching them racism is wrong, your not taking a stand against racism with your children. You are leaving the topic of racism open to them to form their own opinions, which may become tainted by other factors in society.


Children are born with a blank slate. They are born with the ability to love unconditionally until adults taint their thinking and mold them into images of ourselves. We as parents play a bigger role in the future of racism than we think we do. 

Home Set On Fire In A Hate Crime

In Anne Arundel Count, Md, a home was set on fire and sexual and racial slurs were painted on the side of the house on New Years Day. Two elderly women and their caretaker were not in the home at the time, the neighbor was awoken by what she thinks sounded like someone banging on the door when she discovered the house on fire. It took 30 firefighters and 20 minutes to distinguish the flames, causing $150,000 in damage to the home. Someone had spray painted sexual and racial slurs on the side of the house, which were too offensive to be shown. Anne Arundel County Fire Department Division Chief Michael Cox said, he didn't know if they had reported any harassment in the past.

Investigators and arson dogs were called to the scene and found traces of accelerate inside the home. Now the whole neighborhood is on edge wondering who set the fire to the home.

“It’s terrible. I mean, it’s very surprising,” said one neighbor.

“That is a hate crime. It is an arson. That’s what’s actually frightening, to think that there’s a crazy person out here, just committing these kind of crimes,” said another.

Two Teens Charged With Racial Intimidation

Four families in Spring Hill had a terrifying start to the New Year after two teens vandalized their homes with racial slurs New Year's Eve.

Authorities say the two teens spray-painted racial slurs and swastikas on the homes and hung a noose at some of the houses. The teens vandalized four homes New Year's Eve at a subdivision off Mason Lane in Spring Hill.

The two Spring Hill teens, Dakota Calderhead, 19, and his friend Kristian Mathis, 18 are facing charges including vandalism and racial intimidation for defacing four homes with disturbing messages of hate. The teens are also looking at being faced with federal charges once the FBI finishes their investigation.

Some parents just do not understand what they are doing to their own children and others by not teaching their children diversity and compassion for others. Teaching a child hate can destroy their lives. Now, because they failed to teach their children compassion and the understanding of diversity, they will pay the price for the rest of their lives. College is most likely out for these two teens, difficulty finding jobs and federal convictions hanging over their heads for the rest of their lives.

This crime will live with the children and their families whose homes were vandalized for the rest of their lives. I am sure they will never forget what happened to their home that night. Why? Because a couple of parents failed to do their job as parents. Now the state of Tennessee and the tax payers is left to finish raising the two teens.

Same Sex Couple Harassed At Sinai Grace Hospital

Jennifer White, 24, was in the hospital Tuesday night and her girlfriend, Jaquice Smith was waiting in the hallway while her girlfriend Jennifer White was in the room with her mother. Smith had to wait in the hallway, because only one person is allowed in the room with a patient. Smith was approached by a security guard and said he attacked her with homophobic slurs.

It is sad that White's mother suffered from a serious life threatening Asthma attack and she has to deal with a personal attack by a hospital employee. As the situation escalated, there where several security guards standing there and watching was going on and no one stepped in to stop him from spouting homophobic slurs at the two young women.  

When you are a bi-stander and do nothing to stop what is going on, the person doing the bullying feels as though you are supporting them, because no one is stepping up to stop what is going on. Obviously, if someones life is in danger then call the police to stop the incident before someone gets hurt or killed. But, I am sure all the security guards have been through training to train them on appropriate behavior. They knew they shouldn't have allowed him to stand there and spout homophobic slurs at the two young women. If there is a situation, they need to deal with the situation properly without causing a scene. The other security guards should have stepped in and dispersed the situation. Now, they may be looking at possibly going down with him.

Racial Intimidation At MSU

Some African American students have fallen victim to racial intimidation at MSU. Either by comments from other students or by a black doll that was hung by a necklace around it's neck. It is terrible that students can not get an education without experiencing racial intimidation. It makes it difficult to get an education if you feel like you are not wanted and racial slurs are said so you can hear them. Those students are only trying to get an education the same as everyone else and should feel safe while they do so.

Racism starts in the home, the example the parents show leaves a long lasting impression on their children they will carry through out their lifetime and it may actually end up getting them in trouble at one point in their lives. We have a duty to teach our children diversity and to be accepting of other races. If you trace your lineage, very few of us are from one pure race. The United States was built on people coming from different countries for a better life. God created all of us, who are we to say one race is more superior than another.  

Slashing Victim, A Victim Of A Hate Crime

On August 30, 2011 Elree Jones was in a convenient store in Lafayette, IN talking on the phone trying to finalize a few things for the job he had just been hired for as a janitor, when a stranger came up to him and said,“ ‘I’m going to kill this n - - - - -,’ ” Jones, 34, said the man screamed as he chased him out of the Village Pantry with a knife in the early morning hours of Aug. 30. Jones says, “He started cutting me up. He tried to kill me. . . . It was definitely a hate crime. It was racial.”

Jones is a father is three and had been out of work for a year. He was supposed to start his new job a week later. However, the attack has put those plans on hold. Jones received several injuries from his attacker. A stitched-up diagonal scar runs across the right side of his face. He has deep cuts in his right arm from trying to fight off his assailant. The tip of his thumb was severed.

Mark Neal, 50, was charged in the assault after he was identified in store surveillance footage and the police are looking into the crime to see if it can be classified as a hate crime.

Hate Crimes are all around us. Why does it seem like you have to dig for them to find them? I think cities don't want the black eye of hate crimes in their city, so they classify a lot of hate crimes as assault and sweep them under the rug. Therefore, the criminals committing hate crimes are getting off on a lesser charge, because they charge them with assault instead of committing a hate crime.

Teens Brutally Beat And Killed A Man Because He Was Black

Warning: This video contains disturbing images.

Jackson, Mississippi is no stranger to racially motivated crimes. On June 26th, James Craig Anderson became another victim of the White Supremacy Hate Crimes in Jackson, Mississippi. A group of teens were partying and decided to go out and hunt down a black man to beat and kill. They pulled into the first parking lot off of the high way and that is where they found James Anderson. They brutally beat him, shouting racial slurs and White Supremacy. When the teens pulled out, James Anderson had started stumbling along the side of the road and that is where the teens intentionally drove him over killing him.





Deryl Dedmon, Jr., right, could face two life sentences in connection with the killing. John Aaron Rice, left, has been charged with simple assault.

It makes you wander where do these boys get their hatred from. Did they learn the hate from their parents, friends or society? Their parents failed the boys by not teaching them compassion and allowing them to believe they can get away with a heinous crime like the one they committed against James Anderson. I have no compassion or understanding for anyone that is capable of committing a hideous crime like these two boys have committed. Their parents are just as guilty as Deryl Dedmon and John Rice, they raised these boys and fed them the anger and hatred they needed to commit the crime against another human being. Their hatred became the smoking gun in their crime against James Anderson.

Attached is the link where you can read the press release and get information to donate to the James Anderson Foundation For Racial Tolerance. 

The mission of the James Anderson Foundation For Racial Tolerance.

"The mission of the foundation is to promote racial tolerance, unity and understanding particularly in the Jackson, Mississippi metropolitan area, the state of Mississippi and in the United States. Funds raised by the foundation will be used to sponsor seminars, social events, community meetings and other events to encourage a dialogue to promote racial unity, understanding and tolerance."

Muslim Woman Reports Being A Victim Of A Hate Crime

In Ann Arbor MI, a Muslim woman says she was a victim of a hate crime Sunday morning. She was on her way home from training to be a nurse on Sunday morning when a man began honking at her, he pulled up next to her and she rolled down her window, because she realized he was trying to get her attention. That is when he pulled a gun out and began yelling racial slurs at her, she told Fox 2 News he said,

"my people should die" and "how we're terrorists."

The woman, says she contacted the police, got the plate number and the make and model of the car. But, when the police ran the plate number, it didn't come back registered to a car.

The American Islamic Relations report the case to the FBI and the FBI are investigating the case.

Detroit's Womens Clinic Attacked By A Molotov Cocktail

Sometime between July 16th and July 18th, a west side Detroit women's clinic was attacked by a Molotov cocktail. Someone cut a hole in the fence and tossed a Molotov cocktail in the fence near the clinics window. The cocktail, which was made by a juice bottle fizzled out and only damaged the outside of the building. The clinic's administrators says, the protesters protest the clinic every Friday and Saturday. The problem with this is, the protesters assume that everyone woman who walks through their doors are there only to have an abortion. However, the clinic provides health care and prenatal services to women also.

The Summit Women's Center had to install security cameras and replace the window with a block window to protect their patients and staff.

6 Year Old Girl A Victim Of A Hate Crime

In Livonia, MI, a 6 year old Saniya was at the AMC 20 on Sunday when a passing red F-150 truck with a black cover on the bed threw a cup of soda or something at Saniya and hit her in the face as her and her family were walking out of the movie theater after seeing the Smurfs. The men in the truck threw the cup that hit her in the face and were shouting racial slurs and making monkey noises at the little girl and her family. Her parents said, it happened so quickly they didn't even know what had happened until they looked up and saw the men driving away shouting.

They contacted the police and who are looking for a faded red pick up truck with a black bed cover. The truck had two or three men in the truck. Saniya's parents said, they were too stunned to get the description of the men and the plate number of the pick up truck. However, the police are looking at the surveillance videos to see if they can see a description of the men and the plate number of the truck. But, without a good description of the men and the plate number, it is unlikely the police will catch the men who are likely to do it again, because they got away with it.

It is terrible that a 6 year old is a victim of hate crime at the hands of adults. The six year old looked at her mommy and said, "Why did they do that?" Little Saniya was confused and didn't even know what was going on. I am sure she will remember this incident for the rest of her life. You can't blame it on the area, because Livonia is a nice area.

Help Native American Families Living In The State Of Nevada

Change.org|Start an Online Petition »

As most of you know I have designed the website The Comfort Zone to raise awareness and to fight against hate crimes. Too many people turn the other way when brutal hate crimes occur, either thinking "They don't want to get involved" or "What can one person can do?" One person can do a lot. Change happens one person at a time. The idea of change is born one person at a time. Where would the United States be today if all those one persons didn't stand up and fight for all the injustice in the United States? Would voting be open to all races and women? Would the slaves have been freed? They fought for the freedom of their race and gender. Continue the fight they started. It is our God given right to be treated equally. It all began with one person standing up and fighting for their rights and the rights of others. Don't make their fight be in vein. Make a promise to yourself to make a difference one person at a time. The best place to start is with yourself.

 

I am asking that the followers of my site join in a make a difference in the lives of others. Sign the petition above and make a difference in the lives in the Native Americans in the state of Nevada. If you wish to join in on the fight to help Native Americans living in Nevada, sign the petition and you will see the links to tweet the links, post the links on Facebook or to get a copy of the link to post on your sight.

To read about the story go to The FBI Investigates A Brutal Hate Crime Against A Native American Family.

FBI Investigates A Brutal Hate Crime Against A Native American Family

The FBI are investigating a alleged race hate crime in Lyon County, Nevada. The Bontas Family, members of the Reno Sparks Indian Colony stopped at a gas station on their way to Reno and were harassed by three men at the gas station. The attacks occurred outside a Fernley convenience store at 1 p.m. on May 24. Fernley is located between the Indian Nations of Pyramid Lake Paiute and Fallon Shoshone Paiute.

The Bontas said, they tried to escape the men by driving away and the men followed them causing a crash on the highway and attacked the family. Johny was knocked unconscious with a baseball bat and had his nose and sinus cavity broken, his son-in law suffered a crushed elbow and broken hand.

Indian County Today released a statement by Lisa Bonta

"I saw one of them hit my husband in the head with a bat, and the other one was trying to cut off his braid with a knife," Johnny's wife, Lisa Bonta, said. "Johnny was covered in blood and they just kept hitting him with a crow bar. They even tried to slit his throat."

Lisa said that one of the alleged assailants, Jacob Caswell, taunted the family as police officers began arriving at the scene.

"You hear those cops coming?" he said. "They’re not going to help you. My daddy is a cop in this town, and nothing is going to happen to me. You fucking niggers are going to jail."

When the police arrived they took statements from the three men and arrested Johny for a fine he had owed and took the rest of the family to the hospital. While Johny was in jail they refused him medical treatment for six days and told him he would have to be treated by an Indian doctor.

It was reported by Censored News, that one of the alleged assailant, Josh Janiszewski, bragged about the attack on Facebook.

He wrote, "Just layed the fists and boots to some 6' 5'' tongan dude. what you got on little guys?" and later added, "sent em to the hospital, they got fucked up man, thats for sure."

When asked by another person if they gave them hell, Josh responded. "Oh we did. That's for sure!" at 3:48 pm.

"Amen," said Jacob Cassell at 4:07 pm.

Dee Cassell, the mother said, "So...who has blood? You guys need to come home to mom?" at 4:48 pm.

Then she states she gave them First Aid.

"Better have ur asses at home after I did 1st aid. Don't piss off women - they r worse than men!" Dee Cassell wrote at 8:00 pm.

When asked by another person on Facebook asked if they got "some good licks" in Josh responded.
Josh said, "sent em to the hospital, they got fucked up man, thats for sure."

Lyon County officials are claiming the incident was a mutual fight and was not race related, even though the three men are Neo-Nazis and shouted racial slurs.

Lisa Bonta said nearby tribal police assisted eventually in the release of Johnny Bonta, since no charges were filed. The convenience store clerk told her that there is a video which shows the attackers jumping out of the vehicle with baseball bats, but police had not asked for the video as evidence.

 Supporters of the Bontas set up a Facebook page and Change.org petition after reports of the attack began being published at the end of June.

18 Year Old Charged With A Hate Crime

 18-year-old Teonna Brown, faces one count of first-degree assault, three counts of second-degree assault, plus the newly-filed hate crime charge for her assault on Chrissy Polis in a Baltimore County McDonalds. She remains held without bond since her arrest on April 25th. Brown brutally assaulted Chrissy Lee Polis in a McDonalds. A hate crime charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine, which could be added to 25 years in the assault charge.

The assault was video taped by a McDonald's employee and was posted on YouTube. A 14 year old girl who was also shown in the video, was charged as a juvenile. In the video, Polis is shown being struck repeatedly in the head and is dragged across the restaurant by her hair, and at the end of the video, Polis appears to have a seizure. The dispute was over Polis using the ladies bathroom.

These young girls let hate get the best of them and now they are facing a prison sentence and a criminal record. They just threw away their lives, because they couldn't control their temper. When will people learn that hate will eat you up and destroy you? No one desearves to be attacked and assaulted the way Polis was.

KKK Public March 2011

That is a shame that in the year 2011, the Klu Klux Klan can hold a public demonstration. It's a scary, but very true possibility the KKK can gain momentum and power in a community. Then before you know it, there will be an attempted bombing, like the one that was found in Spokane, WA during the Martin Luther King Parade this year. It is an act of terrorism, no matter how you look at it. The cities are partially responsible for the KKK becoming more active in communities. If they allow them to hold public demonstrations in the middle of town, they are supporting the activities of the KKK. Yes, there is such a thing as Freedom Of Speech, but the KKK crosses the line. They are preaching white power and hate. What makes them any different from any other terrorist group?

You don't have to be Middle Eastern, Jewish, African American, Hispanic or any other nationality to be a victim of the KKK. All you have to do is to not look European or for your skin to be too tan. You think your and your family are safe from the KKK and hate crimes, because you and your family is white. But, are you white enough according to their standards? Most people aren't white enough according to their standards.

A lot of people would prefer to just sweep the KKK under the rug and pretend they don't exist in their community. But, they are there and they are not going away anytime soon, because people just turn the other cheek when it comes to the KKK. That is pretty scary to me, my children are half Middle Eastern. There is always the possibility they call fall victims to hate or experience prejudice. I remember during 9/11, right around the corner in Dearborn, MI or other communities around the U.S., people from Middle Eastern descent couldn't walk into a grocery store or anywhere else without the fear of attack. I remember the stories of a woman who was attacked in Kroger, a woman who was attacked in a movie store, the family who had rocks thrown at their van while driving down the street. During the time of 9/11, I was married to my ex-husband, who was Middle Eastern, someone called our home and threatened to bomb our home and were doing the same to other Middle Eastern families in the area. Middle Eastern women were afraid to leave their homes for a while. Incidents like these ones happened all around the United States. That is a terrible thought that things can escalate to the point of people being afraid to leave their homes in the United States. The funny thing is, you don't hear about too many of these incidents in the world news. It's like hate crimes are a dirty little secret in the United States, they are trying to hide.

Transgender' Death Being Investigated For A Hate Crime

State and federal agents of Little Rock, ARK are investigating the death of transgender who was shot and dragged by a car. The agents believe the crime may be a hate related. Investigators says, it appears the victim was shot while standing in front of the car and then hit by the vehicle and dragged underneath the vehicle last Wednesday.

St. Francis County Sheriff says, "Apparently after shooting the individual -- we feel like the victim was shot in front of the vehicle -- the suspect, whoever it may be, thought they might straddle the body, and in the process of taking off, the body got hung up under the vehicle,"

Authorities reported they have located a witness who heard two gun shots at around 3:30 a.m. and two .32 caliber shell casings were found at the scene. However they have no suspects in the crime.

It's a shame someone had to lose their life because, someone else didn't agree with how they lived their life. I am sure the people who killed him didn't even know him and their lives had nothing to do with his life.

Stop The Hate

A Young Man Was A Victim Of A Terrible Hate Crime In Northwest Detroit



Yesterday, 23 year old Justin walked into a gas station in northwest Detroit to purchase a pack of cigarettes. While he was standing in line a man accused him of standing to close to him and began spouting hateful slurs at him. The man beat Justin and no one stepped in to break it up or call the police. They just stood by and watched. Justin is now suffering from a broken eye socket from the attack.

Justin reported the crime to the police. However, for now they are classifying the report as an assault instead of a hate crime. This crime has hate written all over it. That goes back to my other post  State Rankings In Hate Crimes, what is actually reported as hate crimes may not actually be the true statistics. It all depends on the officer who is filing the report and how they classify the crime.

It is a shame that Justin had to go through this. No one should ever have to go through what Justin went through. The people standing by and watching the crime unfold in front of their eyes have more power than they think they do to stop the crime. They have the power to stop crimes like these. The more of a negative reaction the violator gets from the bi-standers, the less likely the man will commit the crime again. Now, that he feels he got away with the crime, he is more likely to commit the crime again against someone else. If the people were to band together with Justin, it may have never escalated to the point of Justin getting beat by his attacker. People can stop hate crimes if they choose to. But, we have become a society where we would prefer not to get involved giving strength to people like Justin's attacker. Be a part of the solution, not a part of the problem.

I have created "The Comfort Zone" for this reason, as an attempt to bring about awareness and fight against hate crimes like the one that was committed against Justin. We all have the God given right to live our life in peace, free from assault and hatred. So, today I dedicate this blog to Justin and anyone else who has had the misfortune of experiencing a terrible hate crime.

Detroit Victim Wants to Stop the Hate: MyFoxDETROIT.com

State Rankings In Hate Crimes

Rank	States	Amount
# 1	California:	597
# 2	Michigan:	477
# 3	New Jersey:	358
# 4	Virginia:	200
# 5	Ohio:	184
# 6	Massachusetts:	167
# 7	New York:	145
# 8	Maryland:	135
# 9	Texas:	124
# 10	Florida:	114
# 11	Minnesota:	98
# 11	Tennessee:	98
# 13	Arkansas:	91
# 14	Illinois:	90
# 15	Washington:	87
# 16	North Carolina:	77
# 17	Oregon:	66
# 18	South Dakota:	65
# 18	Kansas:	65
# 20	Pennsylvania:	62
# 21	South Carolina:	61
# 22	Colorado:	59
# 23	Connecticut:	56
# 24	Nevada:	53
# 25	Arizona:	52
# 26	Missouri:	48
# 27	Wisconsin:	44
# 28	Nebraska:	35
# 28	Kentucky:	35
# 30	Delaware:	29
# 30	Oklahoma:	29
# 32	Maine:	28
# 33	West Virginia:	22
# 34	Indiana:	18
# 35	Louisiana:	14
# 35	Montana:	14
# 37	Utah:	13
# 37	North Dakota:	13
# 39	Iowa:	12
# 40	District of Columbia:	11
# 40	Idaho:	11
# 42	New Hampshire:	10
# 43	Vermont:	9
# 44	New Mexico:	6
#44	Georgia:	6
# 46	Rhode Island:	5
# 47	Alaska:	4
# 48	Wyoming:	2
# 49	Alabama:	1
	Total:	4,000
	Weighted average:	81.6

Chart provided by the Federal Burea Of Investigation

Two Wilkes-Barre Men Charged For Act Of Hatred



Derrick Donchak (left) and Brandon Piekarsky (right).

 Two Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania men were sentenced to nine years in prison for beating and kicking to death a illegal Mexican immigrant. Derrick Donchak and Brandon Piekarsky were among a group of football players from Shenandoah who beat 25-year-old Luis Ramirez in 2008, because they didn't like Hispanics living in their town. Ramirez died from his injuries and the two men were convicted in October and received 12-15 years in a federal prison. Piekarksy was accused of delivering the fatal kick to the head after Ramirez was knocked unconscious by another teen involved in the fight.

Donchak also was convicted of two counts of conspiracy with three Shenandoah police officers who attempted cover up the crime. Those officers were tried last month in federal court on charges they obstructed a federal investigation into the fatal beating, but a jury rejected most of the government's case.

Ramirez was engaged to be married before the incident and was the father of three small children. Now his children are left fatherless, because of the actions of these boys. Ramirez's fiance says they experienced racism from people in the town and it is hard to take your children out when people say things to her while she is out with her children.

"It's pretty sad when you see the true sides of half of these people around here," she said. "It's not good when you go out and you have your small children and they're saying, 'Take your dirty Mexicans home and give them a bath. "

These teens let their hatred get the best of them. Now, they are sitting in prison and any plans they had for their future is over. Because of their hatred and racism, three small children are left without their father and a woman is left to raise her children alone. Personally, I don't feel that 12-15 years is long enough for someone who has taken another person's life. Ramirez lost his life, and these boys can move on with their lives in 12 years. Which means by age of 32, they will be free and out of prison. It is sad on both ends. These young boys who could have had a bright future ahead of them will probably never have the opportunity to go to college. I hate to blame parents in these situations, but they play a role. Children see our actions and they hear what we say. Maybe if their parents had taught them not to express hatred, this would have never happened and their sons wouldn't be sitting in prison today.

Bomb Found On MLK Parade Path

 In Spokane, WA on January 17th during a peaceful march in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. day, a bomb was discovered on the corner of Washington Street and Main Avenue. The bomb was discovered in a Swiss Army brand back pack right on the path of the parade. Authorities investigating the incident say they have no doubt the bomb was intended for the people participating in the march.

Tony Stewart, a member of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations, said, “There would be no question that since it was planted directly on the path of the Martin Luther King Jr. march, that it has to be connected to hate crimes. It was an attempt to injure and kill people because they were out there promoting the equality of human rights. The evidence is just too overwhelming.”

Once the back pack was discovered, the police chief said, he was not going to take any chances and rerouted the parade. The Spokane police chief reported an increase in anti-government, hate literature and other white supremacist activity in the last two years. However, two weeks prior to the event nothing was reported. The crimes in the last two years can be attributed to several people in the Arian Nations group linked to the 1980's bombings.

The FBI confirmed, the bomb in the bag could have caused multiple injuries. Chemicals were mixed with shrapnel to inflict the maximum casualties. Officials say the bomb was carefully placed on a metal bench with a brick wall behind the bench to carefully direct the shrapnel towards Main Avenue, where the marchers were expected to pass. Hundreds of people, including children had gathered on the route of the parade to watch the parade and there could have been several casualties and injuries.


                

                               Photo released by the Spokane FBI Office of the back pack and the t-shirts that were found in the bag.