RI Incidents of Hate: Racism and Anti-Semitism on the Rise -- See All the Numbers

RI Incidents of Hate: Racism and Anti-Semitism on the Rise -- See All the Numbers

This week saw bombs sent to 13 leading Democratic leaders including two former Presidents. The bombs were politically motivated and the bomber was a strong supporter of President Donald Trump.

On Saturday, 11 were murdered and six were wounded in a synagogue in Pittsburgh by an anti-Semite who has been an outspoken critic on social media of President Trump.

“Our hearts break for the families of those killed and injured at the Tree of Life Synagogue, and for the entire Jewish community of Pittsburgh. We believe this is the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in the history of the United States,” said Anti-Defamation League's CEO Jonathan A. Greenblatt.

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"On Saturday, October 27, 2018, at 8:05 p.m., U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert C. Mitchell signed a criminal complaint charging Robert Bowers of Baldwin, Pa., with 29 counts setting forth federal crimes of violence and firearms offenses. The crimes of violence are based upon the federal civil rights laws prohibiting hate crimes," announced the Justice Department.

And, on Wednesday, two Louisville residents were murdered at a grocery store. “Gregory Alan Bush threatened his ex-wife, fought a police officer, abused his parents and struggled with mental illness but was apparently not prohibited from owning a gun when he allegedly killed two people Wednesday at a Jeffersontown Kroger store,” according to the Louisville Courier. The two victims were black and the shooter was white. He had previously tried to enter a black church and the crime is being investigated as being a hate crime.

In Rhode Island, hate crimes have increased 1,300 percent according to the most recent study by the ADL. SEE THE DATA BELOW.

“ADL identified 1,986 anti-Semitic incidents perpetrated throughout the United States in 2017. This is an increase of 57% over the 1,267 incidents reported in 2016. For the first time since at least 2010, an incident occurred in every US state,” said the ADL in its report.

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SCLC), Rhode Island has three organized hate groups. SCLC identifies Vanguard America as a NEO-NAZI group; Gallows Tree Wotansvolk Alliance a NEO-VOLKISCH; and Traditionalist Worker Party as a NEO-NAZI/TRADITIONALIST WORKER PARTY group. 

“The Rhode Island State Police takes this type of crime seriously. If we receive any threat or report of a hate crime in our state, we will respond swiftly, investigate fully and arrest any individual who threatens or commits a hate crime,” said Colonel Ann C. Assumpico, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police and Director of the Department of Public Safety in an email to GoLocal on Saturday night.

“Fortunately, these types of crimes don’t often occur in Rhode Island. We are not aware of any increase in threats or reports of this nature at this time,” said Assumpico.

But on Saturday, State Senator-elect Sam Bell has taken to social media alleging that he and his partner have been targeted by individuals with ties to NeoNazis.

Bell says he went public after Saturday’s shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, PA in which 11 were murdered and 6 were wounded.

“The NeoNazi website Stormfront has started a thread featuring me and Samantha. They don't like that we identify as Jewish and bisexual, and they have truly gross things to say. They also make absolutely disgusting comments about my friend Mel DuPont. An activist and constituent who has been the subject of revolting online harassment from NeoNazis, Katherine Wela Bogen, was mentioned in it, and she alerted us to this thread. Katherine and Mel both told us they were okay with being identified here, and we would like to thank them for both their bravery and their activism,” wrote Bell.

Bell Says there are ties to Rhode Island political issues.

And, in another recently reported episode, a Newport woman told GoLocal that she has been targeted online and in video by the group "Resist Marxism" after attending a rally in Providence over the summer where she says she was accused of an assault -- which she says she did not commit.  

The allegation, which was posted by "Marx Watch" and shared by "Resist Marxism," said that Melody Lee O'Brien assaulted a woman at the August 4 rally -- and was used in promotional video for Resist Marxism's rally at the Rhode Island State House on October 6.  Resist Marxism stated:

On August 4, 2018, a woman who is believed to be Melody Lee O’Brien was among the crowd of an angry mob that counter protested a rally made up of peaceful protestors where she was alleged to have beaten a disabled woman, causing injury after the crowd she was standing with attacked the peaceful rally. 

"It's insane -- I think they think I'm Antifa," said O'Brien when reached by phone. "I had gone to the August 4 rally. I had a riot cop in front of me the majority of the time. There were words exchanged when we tried to shut them down.  Somehow the tent came down and mayhem erupted."

And while the number of incidents in Rhode Island remain low, the trends seem to be consistently pointing upwards.

SEE THE SLIDES BELOW