Cross Burned On Obama Supporters' Lawn

A family who had supported Barack Obama's presidential campaign emerged from their home in the northwestern New Jersey town of Hardwick Thursday morning to find the charred remnants of a 6-foot wooden cross on their front lawn.

Pieces of a homemade bedsheet banner reading "President Obama , Victory '08," which had been stolen from the yard the night before, also were found, leading investigators to believe the banner had been wrapped around the cross before it was set afire. Lt. Gerald Lewis of the New Jersey State Police said his agency is treating the incident as a bias crime.

Police believe the cross, made of two-by-fours bolted to a metal pole like those used to support road signs, was placed on the lawn sometime between 1 a.m. and 7 a.m., and fell over after being set on fire. Homeowner Gary Grewal said he had noticed the Obama banner missing from his lawn the night before and reported it to police.

Grewal said his 8-year-old daughter, Arianna, spotted the banner wrapped around the burnt cross as they walked toward their car to drive to school. "She saw it, that's what bothered me the most," Grewal said Thursday. "You can imagine the types of questions she was asking. It was very tough to explain."

Comments

[Foy]

SWEET JESUS. I HAD NO IDEA PEOPLE STILL BURN CROSSES. I MEAN THIS IS 2008 FOR GOODNESS SAKE. WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE? WHO ARE THESE THUGS AND ENEMIES OF GOODNESS AND TOGETHERNESS? ARE THEY WHITES OR JUST MCCAIN SUPPORTERS? DO THEY REALIZE THAT IT TOOK OBAMA LEGIONS OF WHITE VOTES FOR HIM TO WIN THE ELECTION? HOW CAN PEOPLE BE SO CRUEL AND SO SHORTSIGHTED AS TO CONTINUE TO LIVE IN THE 1955 MISSISSIPPI ACT OF VIOLENCE? WHEN ARE WE EVER GOING TO LET LIVE AND LET REIGN? I AM DEEPLY SHOCKED AND EXTREMELY SADDENED. I'M ALMOST SCARED TO EVEN SAY THAT I SUPPORTED OBAMA.

[RationalDubSteppa]

Of course they still burn crosses. The inspiration from this kind of behaviour comes from people like Limbaugh, Coultier and Hannity. Not too mention the love and support these racist get from the evangelical right of the GOP.

[NoSillyName]

Don't forget Spalin.

[Budokan]

We won a big victory Tuesday night. But the war rages on.

We will not back down. We will not give up. Ever.

And you who support the GOP had better believe that.

[lisakaz2]

Unbelievable. Was this somewhere in the sticks? Geez, when is there going to be an end to this???

[NJacademic]

Sorry to tell you no, it wasn't in the sticks, more like quasi rural, upper income. It's much worse is southern NJ. The confederate flag is common. I've seen on dispay in front of homes on main roads and in the local 4th of July parade. My high school kids and a few of their friends have been verbally assaulted by fellow students at the local high school for Obama buttons, I could go on and on. And we're just 20 minutes outside of Atlantic City......­...

[Emerald1943]

I have seen a number of posts in the past three days about racism in the south and have taken offense at some of them that portray all of us as bigots and racists.

I am horrified at the act, but would remind everyone that we live with this kind of intolerance in our midst, no matter what part of the country we live in.

It is time that we root out this despicable attitude and come together for the good of our country! President Obama has shown us hope and a light ahead of us! Let us all make a commitment to bury our prejudices and work together to make this country great again!

[FabulousAt52]

you know... SOMEtimes the Huffington prints stories and rumors before they are verified..­. sometimes, not often, but sometimes.

I am reeeeally really hoping this is a hoax story! I live in NJ... but I know this kind of thing can happen anywhere and it's a very very sad thing if it's true.

Others have said it many times already... this is the result of McCain's horrible, bigoted, fear mongering campaign. Racists and bigots were always among us, but NOW they seem to think they are JUSTIFIED and ENTITLED to speak and act upon their hate.

[Strywever]

If they're citing a named source in the New Jersey State Police department, it's likely not a hoax.

[diane12]

I agree. Mccain and Palin are shameful. Mccain never publicly made an emphatic statement that this kind of thing is not to be tolerated. Instead, he made excuses for it and continued it all the way up the end of his campaign, as did Palin.
They legitimized this kind of hate, period.
They knew what they were stirring up, and they did it anyway. Shame shame shame on them.

[robXdion]

Couple of points here for the delusional or just culturally sheltered. . . .

1) If you aren't black, do NOT tell a black person to just "get over it". This proves why. Racism is not over because Obama won.

2) For those in here making jokes, it's all fun and games until a black guy gets shot or beaten to death and someone retaliates. You could be next.

3) The war on terrorism doesn't apply to domestic incidents because white males are the main culprits. Bush saw to that. And no, race directed incidents aren't the same as the random stupid crimes blacks commit.

4) When will HuffPost bring up the story about the black family in western PA who had their car torched?

[Hare]

I got my Obama sign stolen and it felt scary and intrusive, imagine having a cross burned in my yard. In TX Obama supporters were speaking in hushed voices. It is disgusting having to live in fear, these hate mongers have to be taught a lesson. Send them to Afghanistan mountains w/o return tickets

[HHarvey]

I got my sign stolen and torn up down the street in the bushes. I bought two more then wrote to my local paper thanking the culprits on behalf of Obama for their generous donation. Money is a powerful tool and this is the first time I have learned how to use it politically. Won't be the last either.

[robXdion]

So glad I left TX. It was like going back in time to 1958.

[Chillinout]

McCain and Palin are partially responsible for this type of activity. After all they fanned the flames of rac_ism, division and hat_red during their campaign.

[psue321]

I got a shock last night. A friend who has been apolitical during this election was suddenly saying that Obama is the Anti Chr ist and that we will all be s laves working for him in the fields! I was floored. I know another couple who actually hosted a K lan rally on their property. What is wrong with some people? I try to overlook this stuff as backwoods, redneck, don't know any better, but it's scary when it gets this close. BTW I'm in East Tennessee.

[my2girls]

I have hope that people who would act with such hate are the minority in this country.

Sad to read this story none the less.

[PowerPridePinstripes]

Its as if they are stuck in the 60s. Seems like the movie Mississippi Burning... how sad that after such an historic event, those idiots are rebirthing old foolish ways of thinking and actions...

[RealPlumber]

My son stopped in to 7-11 on Nov. 5th and the Indian (turban and all) clerk was just about in tears, when my son asked if he was OK he soon realized they were tears of joy when the clerk said "today we are all Americans". Every time I see an article about some ignorant P.O.S. doing a vile act I try to think about how positive this all is.

President Obama, Yes we CAN!

[tomjones44]

wtf is a bias crime?

I always thought that was a HATE crime...

[iRob08]

I think a hate crime is an actual physical attack on someone's person or property to purposefully inflict damage or death. Bias crime is just a crime showing bias against a certain person or group of people. Burning a cross on someone's lawn isn't destroying anything but the cross, but please correct me if I'm wrong... what do I know. It's still reprehensible and scary.

[Jaxy]

Burning a cross on someone's lawn destroys more than just the cross. It destroys the property on which the fire is lit. It ravages the sense of peace and dignity in the affected community.

Above all, it is a symbolic and historical act of intimidation by individuals (who were primarily White) against Blacks. This is not at all a slight issue.

[iRob08]

Then again, the difference between bias and hate crimes vary between jurisdictions.

answers.com:

Because definitions vary across jurisdictions, acts as disparate as lynching, assault while calling the victim derogatory names, cross burning, or making intimidating threats on the basis of the victim's race or other protected status might be considered hate crimes.

[NationalTreasure]

the GOP hate machine has stirred up a hornets nest of bigotry and racism

the GOP has said to America that it is just fine to pit one part of America against another part of America and that it is fine to be hateful and divisive

so much for the republicans "country first" rhetoric

[PowerPridePinstripes]

These folks are the new minority..­. their hatred will continue to die out and become insignific­ant....