Predominately Black Churches Are Being Burned Down Across the South
In a matter of two weeks, there have been five reported cases of fires at predominately black churches in southern states. Three of the fires are being investigated as arson.
Coincidentally, all of the fires have taken place in the weeks following the shooting death of nine black parishioners at the historically black Emanuel A.M.E church in South Carolina. The massacre that sent shock waves through the nation was at the hands of a 21-year-old white man who was out to start a "race war" in America.
The burned churches are in Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina. A Federal investigation is pending on all of theses suspicious cases to determine whether or not the fires were in fact hate crimes.
Rev. Anthony Evans, president of the National Black Church Initiative said, "This is a systematic attack against the black church," the initiative is a coalition of 34,000 African-American churches. Evans said he's had several conference calls with black church leaders across the USA about the fires. "We are on alert status."
More Coincidences? After the heartbreaking attack at the Emmanuel A.M.E church, there was a call for the Confederate flag to be removed from State House grounds. Photos surfaced after the tragedy showing 21-year-old suspect Dylann Storm Roof posing with the controversial flag.
Bree Newsome Takes Down Conderate Flag
According to Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law non-profit, "The single most suspicious thing about these fires is that they came so close together and so hard on the heels of attacks on the Confederate battle flag,"
via Associated Press