Mississippi's sickening hate crime double standard exposed

Blacks don't get hate crimes charges for their racist attacks on Indians and Whites in Mississippi.

JACKSON, Miss. -- The Deryl Dedmon case has reached national news status, featured more than once on CNN, most recently in last weekend's special, "Is Mississippi Still Burning?"

Dedmon, 19, of Brandon, is accused of seeking out, running down and killing James Craig Anderson, a 49-year-old black man.

In a special report aired by 16 WAPT News, Scott Simmons investigated the conversations taking place afterward and whether it should be pursued as a hate crime or as a murder case prosecuted like any other.

The evidence was captured by the surveillance cameras at the Metro Inn, which is on Ellis Avenue, where the June 26 hit-and-run took place. Prosecutors have said that the surveillance video is apparent evidence of the beating and robbery of Anderson. Witnesses said at one point one of the assailants reportedly yelled out, "white power," pumping his fist in the air as he did so.

The video shows minutes later the truck, which prosecutors said was driven by Dedmon, hopped a curb and then ran Anderson down.

On top of capital murder charges, Hinds County District Attorney Robert Smith has charged Dedmon with a hate crime. A move that, if convicted, could double Dedmon's sentence.

But Surrinder Singh, of the Indian Store Owners Association, said the charges set a double standard. Singh points to an Indian store owner shot allegedly by a black man in September. Singh said it was not the first time. He claimed that black criminals prey on stores owned by Indians because they consider them second-class citizens. Singh said that's a hate crime too.

"All crimes should be hate crimes," Singh said.

The decision to pursue a hate crime charge rests with the investigators and prosecutors, but they said just because the assailant is one color, and the victim another, that does not mean race was a prevailing reason.

Simmons posed the question to civil right leader and Freedom Rider, Hezekiah Watkins.

"If you're asking me if he did that because he was black, I don't know," Watkins said. "But then, you have blacks who kill blacks. Is that a hate crime?"

Smith said Dedmon is charged with a hate crime because of what he allegedly said after the incident.

"According to the testimony, he said, 'I ran that nigger over,'" Smith said.

Smith said that has not been in the case in crimes against Indian store owners.

"If we do have evidence of a hate crime, whether it is an Indian immigrant or (otherwise), we certainly would prosecute that case -- if the evidence is there," Smith said. "We don't neglect to do it. It is just that when the evidence shows up, that is when we prosecute it."

In Rankin County, two black men from Jackson are accused of shooting and killing 37-year old Leslie Doame, a white woman.

White supremacist Richard Barrett was killed by a black man. Vincent McGee, 23, pleaded guilty to manslaughter, arson and burglary charges in Rankin County and was sentenced to 65 years in prison.

We didn't feel the basis of that murder was anything other than anger or greed," said Madison/Rankin District Attorney Michael Guest.

Both Rankin County cases involved different races of victims and suspects, but according to Guest, it was not worth bringing up the issue of race when the defendants will either get life or the death penalty if convicted.

"I believe it creates a more difficult burden on the prosecution when we have to come back and say and the reason they did that was racially motivated," Guest said.

The Dedmon case continues to draw national attention because it is not only a capital murder case but one depicting racial strife in a state with no shortage of history of that problem.

Dedmon's trial is set for Jan. 9 in Hinds County.

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[Rogentx]

(continued) So I think they need to stop not only with the double standards, but also to pretend anti-white racism doesn't exist. I saw video the other day where several black teenagers attacked a white lady, in which to my understanding some anti-white slurs were yelled, but the police/media dismissed it as 'just teenagers having fun'.

[Rogentx]

Okay I stand corrected about the anti-white slurs being yelled, but it was clear that both attacks were race motivated. DIEversity201 posted this so hopefully he doesn't mind I am using one of his videos links. Judge for yourself if this was or was not race motivated.

Look up the title: White Woman Attacked By Pack of Females in Philadelphia (No Hate Crimes Filed)

[Sahbisun]

Interesting white are screaming about double standards in a country that thrives off double standards. The laws are in favor of whites, you get less jail time, you pretty much can get away with murder. *Casey Anthony syndrome* We know the cops can do whatever the hell they want to blacks, but white ppl will win million dollar law suits if cops get too far gone with them. My my how people can dish it, but can't take it.

[Sahbisun]

Of course this was a hate crime, the guy yelled white power, run over a black man, was proud to run over a nigger. (I don't think that was all said and done out of love for the man.) A black man shoots an indian clerk, how does it become a hate crime? He didn't target the store because they're indian..the indian man believes this is way. There is no proof the bm motivations were based on the ethnicity of the victim. What he do ...scream go back to India before shooting? It's a robbery gone bad!

[DevilMayhem666]

@ Say if I try to rob a woman, she fights back, and I call her a cunt. Is that a sexist crime? No. A mere insult is not evidence of a hate crime.

[DevilMayhem666]

@Rogentx If try I rob a woman, she fights back, and I call her a cunt. Is that a sexist? An mere insult doesn't make it a hate crime. Your argument sucks.=/

[KADAFIZTHATRUTH]

i guess whites having black ppl as slaves wasn't enough? killing black women and children. hanging BLACKS from trees fire bombing houses like ("cowards") killing women & children! skinheads & kkk, burning crosses, bombing countries 90% of pedophiles are ("WHiTE MALES!") you got fuckin NERVE!

[Liliumforsth]

Geezz man. . Blacks have got the biggest silver spoon stuck in their mouth i tell ya. . . If whites treated blacks the same way blacks treat whites, they'd be run through in a month. .

[guitarfan41]

black people will never be charged in a hate crime against white people.you want proof.just try to find one case in the past year.putting people in cages wont stop hate.killing people for that crime only reinforces hate.Hate and anger are a disease.it is contagious.watch something mean and hateful.you feel mean and hateful.put men into cages surrounded by violence.they grow more violent.animals live on instinct,and so do people and we have a brain.

[Stax335]

Racism is a mental illness