Georgia pair sentenced to combined 35 years for terrorizing black child's birthday party

http://www.nydailynews.com ^ | 02/27/2017 | Christopher Brennan

[BackRoads775]

A Georgia man and woman cried in court Monday after they were both sentenced to long prison terms for terrorizing a black child’s birthday party with Confederate flags, racial slurs and threats.

Jose Ismael Torres and Kayla Rae Norton were convicted earlier this month under a street gang terrorism law for the 2015 harassment in Douglassville, outside Atlanta, and cried in court on Monday.

Video footage from the party, little more than a month after Dylann Roof’s Charleston church massacre, shows a parade of trucks roaring by with Confederate battle flags.

[Gene Eric]

Thank you both for clarifying the convictions were not based on the Hate Crime law that I criticized. A bit of opportunism on my part believing the sentencing reflects the vacuous Hate Crime mindset.

[TYVets]

My bad.

I didn't think (/s) was necessary, but apparently it was.

Rarely do flags jump up and harm someone.

[Nifster]

I know it’s the darnedest thing....flags are usually so well bwhaved

[Godebert]

"Should have been shot dead by the folks right after the threat. That would have been a swift justice right there."

What about the negroes that hurled objects at the trucks prior to the alleged threat? What charges or sentences did they receive for assault? Sounds to me that the threats were in response to being violently assaulted because of their white race. You don't believe the truck drivers should have "shot dead" the "folks" who launched missiles in a violent racial assault? I'm confused by your rational. Why don't you explain your apparent hypocrisy?

[Redmen4ever]

Georgia doesn’t have a hate crime law. This prosecution was under ordinary laws. Regarding hate crime, I agree with you. Hate is potentially an element of the crime, part of motive and proof of criminal intent. But, the act is the crime. In this case, assault with a deadly weapon and lesser charges.

In fact, as I read the article, I’m not sure this was a race thing or a gang thing, where one gang used the confederate battle flag. While there were some confederate raiders who acted outside the rules of war such as they were known at the time, the overwhelming majority of johnny rebs fought with honor. By denigrating Robert E. Lee and other honorable confederates, and painting all southern whites are irredeemable racists, the other side enables the confederate battle flag to become a symbol of hate instead of a symbol of rebelliousness.

[Godebert]

"35 years combined between this pair of idiots for crashing a child's party, waving a gun around and making threats. Sounds about right to me. The problem isn't that these sentences were excessive - the problem is that most sentences are far too lenient. "

Crashing a childs party? They were driving by a house during their lawful political rally when they were violently racially assaulted by a terroristic gang of blacks hurling missiles at their vehicles.

[Yardstick]

Racist trash but 35 years seems excessive, even combined and even with probation.

There also seems to be a media implication that the perps had specifically targeted the black boy’s birthday party. In fact they went on a tear through the whole county and were being drive-by @ssholes to any groups of blacks they encountered. The gun charges seem to stem from an earlier encounter where they walked up to a car carrying a weapon.

One thing that’s odd is that in the video there are police officers present when the pickups make their pass by the birthday party. Did the situation last long enough that the police had time to respond to a call? Or were they already there in anticipation? Was there a route that had been announced beforehand? Had this group followed this route before? Just seems odd.

Video here:

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/2970772/white-couple-jailed-for-total-of-28-years-for-storming-black-childs-eighth-birthday-party-while-screaming-the-n-word-and-waving-confederate-flags/

[trebb]

At first I thought it was a bit harsh for the crime but on further thought - if people are that ignorant, stupid and mean, there’s no punishment that will prevent them from screwing with others - until someone decides it’s time to break out the Colt.

[BlackbirdSST]

Judge William McClain said at sentencing that Torres, 26, and Norton, 25, had committed a hate crime. But Georgia does not have a hate crime statute.

If true, they will be out on Appeal. Dumba$$ judge. I grew up in Douglasville. It was majority white back then. I left there in '77.

[Strac6]

But it’s not going to track for 20 + 15.

D will argue, absent the flags, it’s a 3-5 case.

If burning the US flag is a (supposedly) free speech right, so is showing the Stars and Bars

[Maverick68]

If all this is true, these idiots should be horse-whipped in public before beginning their prison sentence....no place for this kind of hate and stupidity.

[democratsaremyenemy]

Damned stupid rednecks. This just makes the south look bad. Bunch of stupid inbred rednecks just make all of us look bad. How can we ever change the image of the south? This is what people see and this iis what their stereotypical image of the south will be.

[sagar]

“You don’t believe the truck drivers should have “shot dead” the “folks” who launched missiles in a violent racial assault? I’m confused by your rational.”

When did I say I had problem with rioters being at the receiving end of self defense? Sounds like you’re just making stuff up. Back up or back off.

[Vlad The Inhaler]

I grew up in Douglasville. It was majority white back then. I left there in '77.

Same experience for me.

I grew up in a small, typical American town.
Back in the day it was majority white with maybe 15% blacks, a few Puerto Ricans, no Mexicans.
We all went to school together with no racial problems as is so common today.

But the last time I visited the town I thought I had made a wrong turn.
It was like visiting Little Mogadishu and Tijuana all rolled into one.