Mississippi man charged with federal hate crime for allegedly burning cross to threaten Black family

A 23-year-old man from Mississippi was charged on Friday with a hate crime after allegedly burning a cross in his yard to threaten and intimidate a Black household.

Axel Cox faces one rely of prison interference with the suitable to honest housing and another of utilizing fireplace to commit a federal felony for allegedly burning the cross within the entrance yard of his Gulfport, Miss., residence, in accordance with a press launch from the Division of Justice (DOJ).

Courtroom paperwork allege that on Dec. 3, 2020, Cox made “racially derogatory” remarks to his Black neighbors whereas burning the cross to intimidate them, interfering with their housing rights.

Cox faces as much as 10 years in jail for interference with housing rights and a compulsory minimal of 10 years in jail for utilizing fireplace to commit a federal felony. Every cost additionally carries a nice of as much as $250,000.

“That is one other stark reminder of how bigotry, racism, and hate-fueled violence are alive and properly in our nation. Mississippi isn’t any exception,” Vangela Wade, president of the Mississippi Heart for Justice, instructed The Related Press.

“The combat to dismantle Mississippi’s deeply entrenched tradition of injustice and a greater tomorrow continues. We’re grateful for the braveness of the members of the federal grand jury to indict this hate crime.”

The Justice Division’s Civil Rights Division will prosecute the case towards Cox alongside Assistant U.S. Lawyer Andrea Cabell Jones for the Southern District of Mississippi.

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