Gang of white men in trucks with confederate flags menaced Black children in North Carolina

By Scotty Reid

The alphabet news giant’s coverage of the current racist violence in the South connected to the confederate flag and the continuance of white supremacy has been spotty at best. However, small town local media and alternative media have been providing some reports of the violence that has been occurring over the several weeks since Dylan Roof, the white supremacist terrorist killed 9 nine people including a Black member of the South Carolina legislature in Charleston. Fire bombings of black churches are still under investigation and no suspects have been arrested.

In another under reported story, on July 5, 2015, numerous white people suspected of being racists converged on a Walmart in the western part of Gastonia, North Carolina. The mini-mob all in trucks all bearing confederate flags seemed to hold a spontaneous public confederate klan rally.

13 yr-old Jaquan Smith, a black teen said he and group of his friends were leaving the Walmart when numerous trucks with confederate flags appeared in the parking lot and started gunning their engines. Smith and the rest of the boys became frighten so they made their way home through a path in nearby woods but once making onto a street, a convoy of about six trucks all with confederate flags waving appeared and starting chasing the boys.

The Gastonia Police claimed that they could not pursue charges because they could not prove a crime had been committed. North Carolina has several laws on the books to deal with menacing and harassing behavior that one could credibly argue applies to this act of white terrorism against children in Gastonia.

In North Carolina,

Harassment is conduct that is directed at another person that torments, terrorizes or terrifies them and serves no legitimate purpose. This conduct can be written or printed, over the telephone, internet, pager, voice mail, answering machine, or any other similar methods.

Stalking is willfully following, being in the presence of, or otherwise harassing another person without purpose on more than one occasion and with the intent to do one of the following:

1) Place them in fear of their safety or safety of their family or associates,

2) Cause them to suffer emotional distress by putting them in fear of death, injury, or continued harassment that puts them in distress.

According to NC defense attorney sources, in North Carolina for a first offense for either of these offenses, the suspect will be charged with a Class A1 misdemeanor, the most serious of all misdemeanors. Class A1 misdemeanors are punishable by up to one year in prison and carry substantial fines.

The Gastonia Police department is incorrect in insinuating a crime has not been committed or that they could not prove one. The Walmart like all Walmart’s have security camera coverage of the parking lot and could be used to corroborate the teens complaint. The Gastonia Police department has a officer who is currently still under an investigation for killing James Allen, an elderly black man gunned down by a cop in his own home.

This report of racist terrorism against black children and the failure of law enforcement to hold the perpetrators accountable sheds light on why a SUV bearing a Confederate flag reportedly fired on this past Saturday in Gastonia, North Carolina.

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