Residents in a Pittsburg, California, neighborhood are upset because of a sign a resident put on his home. The large sign reads, “You can hang a nigger from a tree equal rights he’ll never see.” A shocked resident took a picture of the sign and posted it to Twitter on Saturday as user James Thompson @JETBallin. The image has been viewed and retweeted by thousands and Thompson has received several responses to his picture thread. Twitter users are calling it a hate crime and stating that the FBI should be involved, as well as local law enforcement.
Pittsburg police spokesman Capt. Ron Raman issued a statement that reads, “We are aware of this, and will be issuing a citation for a municipal code violation. This is a violation of our sign ordinance.”
Some may be shocked that sign is not considered hateful by the homeowner identified as Alonzo Parker. Parker, who is Black, stated that he posted the sign as a statement about how society treats Blacks in America. He told media that he put the sign up after being involved in a civil lawsuit and was protesting the outcome. In regards to the complaints by the community, Parker is quoted as saying, “I wasn’t worried about people getting upset. Everybody uses the n-word.”
There has been an increase in the number of hate-related incidents and people using racial slurs across the country since the election of Trump to the presidency. It is no wonder that seeing the N-word and a reference to lynching a Black man caused concern in any community. The Southern Poverty Law Center released information that shows just how bad the situation is getting. There have been at least 300 hate-related incidents that have occurred since Trump won the election.
