Free Republic

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Twenty people arrested, 18 of them now charged — all connected to brutal robberies in downtown Minneapolis. The attacks were caught on surveillance video, taking place in August. Police say groups of people would target one person, assault them often to take their cellphone and wallet. The 18 suspects range in age from 15 to 27.

A former NFL player is facing criminal charges after he allegedly destroyed his business near Atlanta to make it look like a hate crime burglary, police said. Edawn Louis Coughman, 31, was arrested Thursday and charged with false report of a crime, insurance fraud and concealing a license plate, police said in a statement.

A Gwinnett County business owner and former NFL player is facing criminal charges after destroying his business and writing racial slurs on the walls in an attempt to make it look like a burglary, police say. Authorities said officers were called to the Create and Bake Restaurant and Coughman’s Creamery on Duluth Highway on Wednesday to a report of burglary in progress. Officers later went into the business and found graffiti including “racially-motivated" words, swastikas and “MAGA” spray-painted on the walls, among other damage.

Catholicism preaches forgiveness, but this might be a tough ask. The face of a Virgin Mary statue outside a Downtown Jersey City church was found covered with dog feces and the depraved vandal added a cigarette to the desecration. The vandalism was reported by a parishioner who was entering St. Michael Church on Ninth Street just before the daily midday Mass, said the Rev. Thomas Quinn, the pastor. “I was shocked, saddened and angry,” Quinn said. “Without a doubt it was the work of someone who is emotionally disturbed. Still, there was some degree of deliberation there.”

Police in Minneapolis have arrested more than a dozen suspected gang members, some as young as 13, accused of preying on drunk people and robbing them of their cellphones and valuables in a series of violent attacks.

The vandals apparently waited for congregants to enter the temple just before 5:30 a.m. when they spray-painted the walls outside, according to Bookstein. “It seems that the [perpetrators] waited for congregants to enter and then sprayed the [graffiti], so that when they come out they should see it”, Bookstein said. The graffiti... was being painted over by midday.

Police are investigating a Christian politician in Finland for an alleged “hate crime” because she shared a Bible verse on Facebook to criticize a national church that participated in LGBT Pride festivities. In the post, congresswoman Päivi Räsänen, a Christian Democrat, criticized the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland for participating in the Helsinki LGBT Pride events in June. Her criticism was alongside a picture of Romans 1:24-27 that describes same-sex relationships as “shameful.” Her post made Räsänen the subject of a pretrial investigation by the Finnish Police for a suspected incitement against sexual and gender minorities. “The pre-trial investigations have...

Chants of hatred and disgust were tossed across police barricades between protesters and supporters of the Straight Pride Parade on Saturday which ended in 36 arrests and 4 injured officers, according to Boston police. Tensions flared in the crowd of about 200 people which was composed mostly of counterprotesters and peppered with far left groups like Antifa. The controversial parade garnered national attention since its inception in June. “We’re covered in black so when we attack these guys we can’t be prosecuted,” said Jon Crowley, an Antifa member who told the Herald that he felt violence was the only way...

SNIP Word soon spread that the playground had been covered with racist and anti-Semitic graffiti. “Heil Hitler” was scrawled in large block letters. White walls were smeared with a red swastika and racial slurs targeting black people. The words “gas chamber” were painted on a door, according to photos shared with The New York Times. SNIP Investigators believe a group broke into a shed that the club uses for arts programs on Friday and vandalized the interior. The vandals then proceeded to “trash the room,” Sergeant Firrito said. He first said the incident appeared to have happened after the beach...

Shortened title. Full title: BREAKING: Video Shows “Victim” of “Hate Crime” Erica Thomas Screaming and Chasing Alleged Harasser — Witness says She Was the One to Scream “Go Back to Where You Came From!” As reported on Saturday — State Rep. Erica Thomas told supporters a white man told her to “go back to where you came from.” Thomas is an African-American Democrat state lawmaker. She was at a Publix grocery store and was checking out at the express lane with too many items when the man confronted her.

The Geneva Police Department has identified the suspect in the investigation of swastikas drawn on buildings in the City of Geneva. According to police, a 12-year-old is solely responsible for the drawings. The Geneva Police Department found evidence relating to the crimes after executing a search warrant. Police also found evidence that supports the filing of a hate crime. The juvenile is being charged through family court for criminal mischief and a hate crime

PORTLAND, Ore. — Joe Fontenot walked away from his comedy show Saturday night with a black eye. The Portland comedian said he was performing at a venue in Hood River when he was attacked. He said he usually stays away from religion and politics during his act, but he took a chance that night. Fontenot said he was making fun of President Donald Trump's infamous statement about creating a Space Force when a man in the audience stood up and shouted, "Make America great again!" then walked on stage. "I just said, 'Someone should build a wall around you,' and...

Full title: Brilliant! Mike Cernovich Destroys Rep. Erica Thomas and her Disgusting Hate Hoax — Breaks Down Ever-Changing Story of ‘Madame Smollett’ As reported on Saturday — State Rep. Erica Thomas told supporters a white man told her to “go back to where you came from.” Thomas is an African-American Democrat state lawmaker. ... She was at a Publix grocery store and was checking out at the express lane with too many items when the man confronted her. Thomas posted a tearful and heartrending video on social media following the confrontation. She said the man told her to “go back...

Prosecutors in France did not include the aggravated element of a hate crime in indictments of three men who allegedly singled out a Jewish family for a burglary at their home, JTA reported on Tuesday. In the 2017 incident, the suspects are accused of breaking into the Paris-area home of Roger Pinto, the president of Siona, a group that represents Sephardic Jews. The attackers, two of whom were wearing masks, beat Pinto’s son and wife in the home in the northeastern suburb of Livry Gargan. One of the burglars said “You Jews have money,” according to the family members. French...

To begin, I want to make crystal clear that I'm opposed to the burning of flags as a means of making a statement. It's childish, not to mention pointless. I'm even less of a fan of burning flags that don't belong to you. That's beyond pointless—it actually harms your cause and it is a crime. I support property rights, after all. That being said, charging someone with a hate crime for burning a flag is a bit much. But that's exactly what may happen to idiot arsonist Tyresse Singleton.The New York City Police Department broke the news on Twitter...

This month, an Ohio jury awarded the owners of Gibson’s Food Mart and Bakery in Oberlin $44 million in combined punitive and compensatory damages in its defamation action against Oberlin College and a top university administrator. The incident at the heart of the lawsuit stems from a 2016 hate-crime hoax involving three black students, occurring the day after Donald Trump’s presidential victory. ...

Shocking security camera footage shows a man pacing back and forth swinging his arms before hitting the woman twice while her back was turned. The unnamed 44-year-old woman reportedly suffered a broken eye socket in the attack at around 1am on Monday in the downtown area in Portland, Oregon.

Some 69 hours of police video were released Monday, with two videos showing the moment when police first arrived at the actor's residence after receiving a 911 call that alleged he was the victim of a hate crime. In the police body camera footage, Smollett is seen with a noose around his neck. The video also records Smollett asking the officers to turn off their recordings. Another group of video clips shows the moment when the police apprehend the two brothers who allege they helped Smollett stage the attack. The videos show Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo as they were arrested...

Identity politics is having an identity crisis. Parading as a noble cause to elevate only one side of the hyphenated American, identity politics has always cultivated a mean streak, a vulnerable underbelly of hatred for the "other" it indiscriminately blames for prejudice against African Americans, Native Americans and any other culture perceived to be at the mercy of the white man. No one disputes that prejudice based on race and religion is a terrible thing, but it's a simple truth that truth should not be sacrificed in looking for it. While identity politics seeks to liberate the victim of prejudice...

A black parolee arrested for raping and bashing a white woman on the roof of his Bronx apartment building allegedly told a witness that she “deserved” the brutal attack because of slavery, according to court papers. “She was a white girl. She deserved it because us minorities have been through slavery,” Temar Bishop, 23, allegedly said to someone who witnessed the bloodied 20-year-old woman after the assaults, according to a criminal complaint. “This is what they used to do to us. This is what they did to us during slavery. They used to beat us and whip us.” Temar Bishop,...