You may recall the story of how some folks in pickups truck flying Confederate (and other) flags drove by a party of an African American child and shared some choice language with the children. You know … celebrating their heritage and all that.
Well, those folks went before a judge, and today this happened.
And you thought Sherman was tough on Georgians.
Crossroads 
There were plenty o’tears to go with those howls. Too bad, so sad. This couple has three children who will be raised by someone else, which based on the actions of the parents, is a very good thing.
And, before anyone writes in alleging that they were convicted and sentenced for simply displaying the Confederate flag, they should read the Atlanta Uournal-Constitution story: “Norton will be sentenced on one count of violating the street gang act and one count of making terroristic threats. Torres will be sentenced on three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, one count of terroristic threats and one count of violating the street gang act. The aggravated assault charges carry up to 20 years for each count and the street gang act carries between five and 20 years, said Emadi. A terroristic threat conviction is punishable by up to five years in prison.” The difference in the charges was due to the fact that Torres was convicted of brandishing a weapon; Norton wasn’t charged with using a gun. Also, they will not spend 35 years in jail Torres was sentenced to spend 13 years of his 20 year sentence in jail. Norton will spend 6 years in Jail of her 15 year sentence. Further, as horrific as it was, the attack on the birthday party wasn’t the extent of their depredations. Again, according to the AJC,
>>Assistant District Attorney David Emadi detailed how the group had gone on a drunken, two-county rampage in pick-up trucked laden with Confederate battle flags through Paulding and Douglas counties over July 24 and July 25.
Emadi said the group threatened African-American motorists, yelled at them and walked up to one of their cars with a gun. They also threatened African American shoppers at a Paulding County Walmart and at a convenience store.“
Many good people in Paulding County saw you for what you are,” McClain said before he handed down the sentence. “Everywhere you went 911 call centers were flooded with calls.”McClain then quoted one of the callers.‘“I want to report a hate crime,’” he said.<<
The one thing they weren't convicted of though was a hate crime. Georgia doesn't have a statute specifically covering that.
http://www.myajc.com/news/local/douglas-county-confederate-flag-case-sentenced-lengthy-prison-terms/6cDtrxkl9Q7ILElPhGqd6O/
This quote from the Judge McClain, which he addressed directly to the defendants, kind of sums it up for me: “I don’t think it’s a coincidence that this incident happened one month after the Charleston shooting. I suppose Confederate flags can be interpreted different ways and in different contexts, but if you’re driving around waving Confederate flags and using the N-word everywhere you go, then there’s only one way to interpret that.” I wonder what the VA Flaggers think about this show of pride in the old CBF. Time to retire that old banner to the history museums and the re-enactor’s field of battle. It really has no place in civilized society, except as an historical reminder of a culture that is “gone with the wind.” Too bad we still have a few miscreants who don’t know that yet.
Couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch of crackers…
The judge had some choice words for what passes for law enforcement in his county, as well.
Those two defendants look like they’re devastated, which is good.
Maybe 10 years behind bars will teach them that behaving like children is not a good thing to do when you’re a middle-aged adult. When they come out, they’ll be a lot older, and a lot quieter.
Behaving like children? Hardly.
Children may act cruelly, but they are rarely:
A) drunks;
B) gun owners;
C) drivers.
No, these were adults, all right, and to be frank, fairly standard examples of what pass for adults, even today, in the states where the rebel flag is considered a symbol of cultural heritage.
Pretending otherwise is just that.
Best,
I thoroughly agree with your analysis. As I noted in my earlier comment, the offenses charged included, but were not limited to, the attack on the birthday party. It wasn’t a single, impulsive drunken (although inebriation is not considered a defense generally) incident. It was a 2 day reign of terror covering two counties and multiple locations and multiple individuals including at least one other instance of a gun being brandished in the person’s face. The individuals who were harassed and threatened were clearly being targeted because they are African-American. Multiple 911 calls resulted. Two days gives time for reflection or even sobering up, unless the perpetrators decide to keep drinking.
To me, it actually goes beyond a hate crime (which, unfortunately, Georgia law does not recognize as such) to represent domestic terrorism, much akin to the work of the KKK in almost totally suppressing the civil rights of free/freed African-Americans after the end of slavery, but on a smaller scale. It is a miracle that the perpetrators did not kill anyone since weapons and alcohol are, all too often, a lethal combination.
I’m a bit surprised they didn’t try shooting beer cans off each other’s heads.
Of course, the resulting injuries would do no brain damage…the bullets would just go into their skulls and rattle around a bit before coming back out…
Well said.
True – it’s what we used to call a “crime spree.”