Panel addresses string of cross burnings

In the past six months, three crosses have been set ablaze in the yards of minority families.

All three crimes – two on the West Side of Washington and one in Elk, just north of Spokane – were committed by white, male teenagers, several of whom described the act as a prank, according to the Washington state Human Rights Commission.

Alarmed by the recent cross burnings, human rights activists gathered Thursday in Spokane to discuss how they can reach out to teens. Their work is being supported by the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Ala.

“We were wondering if there was something we can do to let these white, male teens know that these incidents are painful to communities,” said Marc Brenman, executive director of the state’s Human Rights Commission.

“We cannot dismiss this by saying they were only misguided youth,” said Vince Lemus, the Equal Employment Opportunity officer for the city of Spokane. “Yes, they may be misguided, but they’re also racist.”

Burning a cross in someone’s yard is so symbolic, said Yvonne Lopez-Morton, Washington state Hispanic Affairs commissioner. Historically, cross burnings have been associated with lynchings and murders, especially of African Americans in the South.

The two separate incidents in Snohomish County affected a black minister and his family, as well as another family of Middle Eastern descent.

In April in Elk, four boys – three 17-year-olds and one 15-year-old – tried to ignite a cross made from door molding and covered with motor oil in the yard of David Anderson, a Native American man and the father of adopted 15-year-old twins who are African American. All four perpetrators pleaded guilty to malicious harassment last month and were sentenced to 30 days of detention, 150 hours of community service and nine months of supervision.

Human rights activists and others representing various organizations including the U.S. Department of Justice and the Washington State Patrol met for three hours Thursday at the Museum of Arts and Culture. Their goal was to find ways to educate teens about racism, hate crimes and other issues.

Sharon Ortiz, operations manager for the state Human Rights Commission’s Spokane office, summarized their reason for coming together by showing a short video that displayed the names and photographs of James Byrd – a black man who was dragged to his death – Matthew Shepard and many others who have been murdered for their race, national origin, sexual orientation, religion, gender or disability.

Hate crimes not only affect the victims, participants said; they also harm entire communities of that particular race, religion or national origin, who fear that they, too, will become targets.

The cross burning in Elk was definitely not a prank, emphasized George Jones of the Department of Corrections. Jones, who is African American, attended the sentencing of the teens and has provided support to the Anderson family. “But it was handled like it was no big deal. If all they get is a slap on the wrist, then we’re allowing this to happen again,” he said.

During the session, participants brainstormed for ideas to reach out to youths, including talking directly to teens, their teachers and church ministers.

Educational forums in the schools, particularly in those in the Elk area, would be a place to start, suggested Ben Cabildo, a member of the state’s Human Rights Commission and executive director of AHANA, a nonprofit organization focused on recruiting and helping minority-owned businesses in the area.

“The dialogue has to begin with the youth,” said Charlotte Corker, another Human Rights commissioner. “They have to be here, too.”

Lemus also pointed out that whites, particularly those who live in the area where the cross burnings took place, should also take a public stand and become advocates for victims of hate crimes.

Tafeni English, the outreach coordinator for the Southern Poverty Law Center, spoke about several programs already available for teens. While talking to participants via speakerphone from Alabama, English promoted the center’s “Teaching Tolerance” program, which provides resource tools to K-12 educators, as well as the Mix It Up Day, an opportunity for kids to interact with others with whom they normally don’t associate.

Promoting diversity “is a process,” English said. “This isn’t something that will happen overnight.