Felony hate crime charges may be waged against an 18-year-old man and two younger boys who have admitted to burning a cross outside of a predominately African American church in Sapulpa, Oklahoma. While authorities are recommending these legal penalties against the three white men, the Creek County District Attorney will have the final say. Currently, no formal charges have been filed an the three young men are currently free. Reuters has more : “They were bored and it was something to do. That’s what the adult said,” [Lt. Charles Redfern of the Creek County Sheriff's Department] said of the suspects. “They did say they wish they hadn’t done it.” The two juveniles were interviewed in the presence of their parents, he said. Their ages were not disclosed. The cross, propped against a chain link fence outside St. Johns Baptist Church before it was set ablaze, was actually half of a wooden waterbed frame, Redfern said. The Associated Press has more : We are considering it a hate crime,” [Redfern] said. “Because the intent was there to build the cross, wrap it in what they wrapped it in, took it across the street to a church, set it up and set it on fire.” He said the cross was wrapped in cloth and plastic, and then ignited. “It’s unacceptable in this day and time.” St. John’s Baptist Church members claim that they will not hold a grudge against the young men for their actions, though they certainly disagree with what was done. While these actions were certainly serious, there are some who may find the charges harsh in nature. What do you think? Should these teens be charged with a felony hate crime for their actions?
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Teens Burn Cross Outside Black Church, May Face Hate Crimes Charges
I know from our family experience how important spreading the word about a missing person is in the immediate hours and days after a loved one goes missing. In Washington, D.C., 24-year-old Matt Hill — a Campus Outreach director at George Washington University — disappeared on Tuesday. His family and friends are trying to get the word out to the public. Police have classified him as a “critical” missing person. If you are in the Beltway area, please visit the Find Matt Hill Facebook page for more info and updates. He’s an Elon University alum, and the campus paper reports more details : The search is ongoing for Matt Hill, a 2008 graduate of Elon University and former member of the Elon Phoenix baseball team, who was last seen Tuesday, May 24 in Washington, D.C. Hill is considered a critical missing person, according to Officer Tisha Gant, with the Metropolitan Police Department. Hill, who majored in Communications as an Elon student, currently serves as the Campus Director for George Washington University through a Campus Outreach program at Capitol Hill Baptist Church, according to Holger Hill, his father. On the morning of May 24, Matt Hill picked up GWU freshman Matthew DeGioia around 7 a.m. The two provided transportation for church member Shirley Luther who needed a transfusion at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, Maryland. After breakfast at IHOP, the pair left the area around 9:30 a.m. and arrived back in D.C. about an hour later, according to DeGioia, who was dropped off at the local Verizon Center around that time. Matt HIll told DeGioia he needed to be at Capitol Hill Baptist by 11:30 a.m., but he never arrived. “He seemed completely fine, wasn’t troubled at all,” DeGioia said. “He did nothing to suggest he was going anywhere out of town. He had no drug problems, no problems with his family, no girlfriend. It’s completely out of character for him to just leave without telling anybody.” Holger Hill arrived in D.C. yesterday to assist the Metropolitan Police Department in their search. “We are pursuing every lead and every piece of information we can accumulate,” he said. *** Update: Good news… The youth minister that went missing this week has been found. Matt Hill, who disappeared on Tuesday, has been found in good health, Shona Sommerville, a spokesperson for the group that has been searching for him told NBC Washington. She said that Hill had left of his own free will. D.C. Police confirmed that Hill has been found. A message on the Facebook page for Hill said this morning: “We need to clarify. We confirm Matt has been found and is alive and unharmed. He also left on his own will. We don’t have any answers. We praise God he is alive, but ask you continue to pray.”
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Missing in D.C.: GWU Campus Outreach director Matt Hill; Update: found alive
AP – Vote early, vote often. It’s an old joke in Illinois politics but state residents will be choosing twice in November to fill President Barack Obama’s former Senate seat.
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Voting twice for Senate OK in Illinois this year
(AP)
