MS Man Charged With Hate Crime In Cross Burning

Law & Crime reports:

A 23-year-old Mississippi man accused of burning a cross in his front yard to intimidate a Black family who lived nearby has been charged with a federal hate crime.

Axel Charles Cox was arraigned Friday after prosecutors obtained a warrant for him to be brought into court from state prison, where he’s serving eight years for drug and stolen property.

About 17 months before he was locked up, Cox burned a cross in his front yard in Gulfport, Mississippi, to intimidate five of his Black neighbors “because of their race and color and because they were renting and occupying a dwelling,” according to the new indictment.

The Associated Press reports:

The statute Cox is accused of violating falls under the Civil Rights Act of 1968. That law says it is illegal for an individual to interfere with any person’s housing rights based on race.

Vangela M. Wade, president of the Mississippi Center for Justice, said cross burnings harken back to the overt racism of the Jim Crow South. “This is another stark reminder of how bigotry, racism, and hate-fueled violence are alive and well in our country. Mississippi is no exception,” Wade said.

“The fight to dismantle Mississippi’s deeply entrenched culture of injustice and a better tomorrow continues. We are thankful for the courage of the members of the federal grand jury to indict this hate crime.”

A 23-year-old Miss. man is charged with hate crime and arson violations for burning a cross in his own front yard. Investigators say Axel Cox was trying to threaten and intimidate a Black family that lived next door. https://t.co/JL5fN62rjv pic.twitter.com/x3YFrFnbGD

— WLBT 3 On Your Side (@WLBT) September 23, 2022