Oh my god.

Here is the weirdest paragraph from the H-S article: "Burning a cross without the permission of the property owner is a misdemeanor in North Carolina. However, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2003 that, under the First Amendment, cross burning could be barred only when done with the intent to intimidate."

Is cross-burning ever done WITHOUT the intent to intimidate?

But Xta, I'm SO GLAD you woke up alive!!

So, are there a large number of folks in Durham who intentionally burn crosses in the yard, for like summer parties and stuff?
Who is it who gives PERMISSION for a cross to be burned in their yard?
That caveat makes it sound like the Klan gets together and burns crosses for practice, and someone made THAT legal, after all, it's THEIR property.........

what the shit?

You should move to a more civilized state. Like, for instance, Colorado. Very civilized, Colorado...

just came across my neighborhood listserv:

The Religious Coalition for a Nonviolent Durham is organizing vigils in
response to the cross burnings last night. My understanding is that
vigils will be held at/near all three locations.

Confirmed so far:
In Hope Valley Farm tonight at 8pm, on sidewalks of S Roxboro near MLK
Parkway. Join at 8pm, bring a candle.

Plans are still in the works for the other locations;

here are the updates on the vigils:

DOWNTOWN VIGIL: 6:00 community dinner and discussion on the cross burnings and the communty's response, 7:30 pm Vigil: Meet for both at the Durham Main Library parking lot, at 300 N Roxboro, between Holloway and Liberty streets. The dinner will take place within walking distance of the library. The vigil will likely take place near the site of the cross burning, 2 blocks away at the United House of Prayer on Dillard and Holloway. If you can help bring a dish, banners, or candles please Contact Andrew Pearson, kangaroo@email.unc.edu 360 2028.

WEST DURHAM VIGIL: Please get a candle and come to a vigil tonight at Oval Park at 8:00 PM. Oval Park is located on West Club Blvd at Oakland Ave (between Hillandale and Broad St). Contact: John Schelp, bwatu@yahoo.com, Old West Durham Neighborhood Association,

SOUTH DURHAM VIGIL: 8:00 pm on the sidewalk on South Roxboro Street, near Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., in front of the site of the cross burning. The plan at present is to have everyone gather on the sidewalk at the site of the burning on South Roxboro Street tonight at 8 pm and bring a candle "to shine some light in this moment of darkness." Churches and civic organizations are being contacted and fliers are being printed up. Contact Terry and Ann Lee Mosley, mosgen@earthlink.net, 489-8592.

I second the move to Colorado! Arizona is also very civilized, except for those pesky 110+ summer days...

colorado, arizona, florida... you folks really aren't in that great of a situation yourselves:

http://www.adl.org/learn/Events_2001/events_archive_2004_print.asp

*sigh*

wow.

Oh, c'mon. Colorado is miles ahead of the other guys - thanks for supplying the evidence!

Maybe that's because of the alarming lack of diversity in general.

Crackerado....

"600 protest burnings at 3 Durham vigils":
http://herald-sun.com/durham/4-611407.html

"FBI joins police in cross burnings probe":
http://www.herald-sun.com/durham/4-611408.html

Christa, c'mon out to a nice blue county in a blue state, the weather's lovely and we've got an extra bed. I loved living in NC, but it's stuff like this that just makes me glad not to be reading the Herald-Sun headlines every morning... Okay, we've got Arnold for a governor, but besides THAT...

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/news/052805_NW_crossburningsaturday.html

'...So is the Klan responsible? Thomas Robb, the National Director of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan said no. "We have a good reputation and I'm quite confident that the police themselves are probably already aware that it was not done by anybody it the Klan."'

http://www.wral.com/news/4546567/detail.html

'A gang youth minister was there to say the cross burnings were not related to gangs.

"These kids want something to do but they're not gonna burn no crosses," Marvin Jones said. "Matter of fact, they're not gonna spend money to buy the wood."'

also, apparently there are plans in the works for a "reconciliation rally" sunday afternoon. no details yet...

Durham Unity Rally

When: Sunday, June 5, 2005 at 4 p.m.

Where: Durham Armory
220 Foster Street, Downtown Durham (across from the
Marriott Hotel)

Why: In response to the recent cross burnings in
Durham

Please join us, calling for:

PEACE, UNITY and RECONCILIATION in DURHAM