Hate Crimes
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Angela Alsobrooks is preparing to represent the Democratic Party this fall in the upcoming elections for one of Maryland‘s U.S. Senate seats yet is enduring a harrowing event in her home state. A sign featuring Anglea Alsobrooks was defaced in the city of Laurel with racist imagery and police are now investigating.
Angela Alsobrooks, a former state’s attorney for Maryland’s Prince George’s County and also its former county executive, is currently vying for the U.S. Senate against former Republican Party Maryland governor, Larry Hogan.
Maryland, a traditionally Democratic Party-leaning state, handily positioned Alsobrooks against her party rival, Sen. David Trone, en route to earning the right to become just the third Black woman elected to the U.S. Senate. However, unknown forces are looking to dull Alsobrooks’ momentum by defacing a sign.
According to a report from local outlet Fox 5 DC, the perpetrators placed “KKK” symbols on the sign along with placing crosshairs on Alsobrooks’ forehead in the photo. Alsobrooks’ campaign issued a statement to the news station, essentially saying that this brazen attempt to rattle Alsobrooks won’t deter the team’s plans.
“We were made aware of this very unsettling incident, and our paramount concern is Angela’s safety. However, this sort of hateful threat will not deter Angela or her campaign,” read the statement to Fox 5 DC.
Hogan also took to X and posted a statement that hate crimes have no place in the state.
“Hate, threats of violence, and racism must be condemned in the strongest possible terms. They have no place in Maryland,” Hogan wrote, which prompted a flurry of negative replies on not being critical enough of the act.
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Photo: Getty
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Kanye West, also known as Ye, made heads turn after declaring his embrace of antisemitic tropes and expressing love for Nazis. Via a new report, it appears that Ye’s stances have caused an uptick in hate crimes against members of the Jewish community and raised several alarms in the process.
Kanye West has been keeping a lower profile than he normally does these days but according to a new report from the Anti-Defamation League, the Chicago superstar’s influence in stoking antisemitic sentiment reigns supreme. Centering on a so-called #YeIsRight movement, the ADL says that if found that the hashtag was seen by around 6 million users on Twitter alone since last October.
More from the ADL’s report:
Ye’s October 2022 antisemitic comments coincided with Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter, at which time the ADL noted an increase in both antisemitic content on the platform and a decrease in the moderation of antisemitic posts.
Since October 1, 2022, there have been more than 10,000 Twitter mentions using or referencing the “Ye is Right” slogan. These posts have reached at least six million users on Twitter, garnering more than 22,000 likes and more than 5,000 retweets.
The report says the hashtag movement began at the top of the year via the Groypers white supremacist organization, using the slogan “Ye Is Right, Change My Mind” to coincide with Ye’s 2024 presidential campaign.
Other findings include an uptick in antisemitic vandalism at schools, college campuses, and Jewish institutions among other locations across the nation. Reports of harassment against members of the Jewish community are also on the rise along with the establishment of white supremacist groups.
Kanye West remains largely mum after cutting business ties with adidas and other brand partners in the wake of his comments against Jews, although last month he found himself in legal hot water after a woman filed a battery charge against him for snatching and throwing her phone.
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Photo: MEGA / Getty
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