Just a week before the November 8th election, attackers set a church in Greenville, Mississippi, on fire. The historically black church was targeted in what authorities believe was an act of voter intimidation, its walls spray-painted with the phrase “Vote Trump.”
“This kind of attack happened in the 1950s and 1960s,” Greenville’s mayor said, “but it shouldn’t happen in 2016.”
The incident was just a harbinger of what has become a national
outbreak of hate, as white supremacists celebrate Donald Trump’s
victory.* In the ten days following the election, there were almost 900
reports of harassment and intimidation from across the nation. Many
harassers invoked Trump’s name during assaults, making it clear that the
outbreak of hate stemmed in large part from his electoral success.
People have experienced harassment at school, at work, at home, on
the street, in public transportation, in their cars, in grocery stores
and other places of business, and in their houses of worship. They most
often have received messages of hate and intolerance through graffiti
and verbal harassment, although a small number also have reported
violent physical interactions. Some incidents were directed at the Trump
campaign or his supporters.
Of course, hate crimes and lower-level incidents of racial or ethnically charged harassment have long been common in the United States. But the targets of post-election hate incidents report that they are experiencing something quite new.
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Source: The Southern Poverty Law Center
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