Obama Supporter's House Burned Down

[my2sense]

Source: Gainesville Times

By Julie Arrington
Times regional staff
POSTED Jan. 23, 2009 12:01 a.m.

CUMMING — Authorities have not determined whether a suspicious weekend fire that destroyed the home of a Barack Obama supporter was arson.

In addition, they still are investigating graffiti someone spray-painted on a fence along the Lanier Drive property. The vandalism included a racial slur and the phrase, “your black boy will die.”

Forsyth County Fire Marshal Steve Anderson said investigators still were trying to determine the cause and origin of the Sunday morning blaze, which occurred while the owner was in Washington for the presidential inauguration.

“We’ll be in and out there for the rest of the day,” Anderson said.

Read more: http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/article/13898/

[Hepburn]

1. OMG....

...and the investigating agency has to "think" about whether the fire was arson or not?

Holy shit!

[spinbaby]

2. Could be insurance fraud

Just saying.

[Hepburn]

3. Yeah, true...

...and they spray painted the threat against Obama on the fence so they could get arrested for arson, insurance fraud AND threatening the life of the US Prez.

Ummmmmm....don't think so!

:hi:

[shugah]

41. isn't that still arson? n/t

[ProgressiveProfessor]

23. Seems to be no question that it was arson. The question is by whom and why

[teknomanzer]

30. If it was arson then all we need to know is who...

its already obvious why.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

31. You could argue the who could tell you why. so until then motive is unknown

Call me a cynic, but when things get tough the rate of insurance fraud goes up...As for the vandalism, there have been enough false cases of that to cause some to question.

[napi21]

4. That location is about 10 minutes from me. I'm 95% sure it was

arson, and retribution for their support of Obama! A friend was here on Tuesday and asked if we heard about the house that was burned down because they supported Obama.

No do you DUers understand why I wouldn't put an Obama sign in my yard or on my car?Some Georgians are outright rotten!

[Hepburn]

7. Living in SoCal ~~ and a liberal part of SoCal ~~ it is hard for me to...

...imagine that there is such hate towards our new President. I am so sorry that there are parts of our nation where there is violence and ugliness like this.

:hug:

[moobu2]

12. I live in Alabama and

Went to the local Obama headquarters, well before the election, got some yard signs, and chickened out about putting them up. I could just see my dogs being killed, house burned down or windows broken out etc… I would love to live in an area where I could express myself without feeling threatened. Thank goodness for DU or I would be truly miserable.

[Hepburn]

15. Wow....

...I cannot imagine how bad this has to be.

My car is sitting outside right now with a DU sticker and an Obama sticker on the rear end of it. But then, in my area I have seen maybe three McCain stickers at the most ~~ all BEFORE the election. Still see quite a few cars with Obama stickers and, of course, when we are stuck on the 405 going into LA, us Obama people all waive at each other and smile like hell!

So sorry people are so hateful in some places...:hug: Hopefully things will change for the better.

[aquart]

18. Glad we could help.

God knows DU has helped me.

[Hyper_Eye]

21. I live in Alabama and I lined my yard with signs.

Between my Obama and Griffith signs I had between 20 and 30 signs in my front yard. I put up signs every election whether local or national. I don't care what my neighbors think about it. They can put up their own signs if they don't like it.

[boomerbust]

22. Up North

Here is my Obama banner that was proudly displayed right after the primary ended. What a lot of these right wing maniacs fail to understand is there are some evil liberals prepared and more than willing to protect their belongings and well being. We have our share of these cowardly fanatics up here also.

[Magleetis]

46. I know the feeling

I live in a small Louisiana town 35 miles NW of Monroe. I had an Obama sign on my car for two days and decided that was enough. I wouldn't even try a yard sign. I live and work here so I have to focus on the positive aspects of living here, and there are many.

[Xithras]

38. There are areas right here in California that bad.

I've heard more "n*****" jokes in the past week than I've heard in years. The Central Valley is a wonderland for fundies, and it's been getting uglier as we've approached the inauguration.

[4_TN_TITANS]

26. I was born in Gainesville, GA

Last time I was there, it was a very racially charged town because of so many illegal immigrants working in the poultry processing plants. We've had the same issues where I now live in TN at a Perdue plant. Gainesville used to be the chicken capital of the U.S. - guess who will work in freezing temps and cut up chicken all day for next to nothing? Then guess who resents it...

I doubt I would have put out a sign there either.

[RebelOne]

27. Yes, I live in Woodstock, which is really not that far from Cumming.

And I can believe that it is arson. All this area northwest of Atlanta is red territory.

[Cha]

34. I was thinking when I saw "Gainseville" in the OP

it was Florida and that part of Florida is really Progressive.

This is terrible and I hope the perps are caught and dealt with according to their crime.

[Doremus]

39. I think I'd put up my Obama signs anyway, along with another, homemade sign:

Something like, Property protection courtesy of Colt 45

or maybe one of those signs I've seen that say something like "We don't call 9-1-1; we call AK-47."

No way are some hateful bigots going to usurp my civil rights. Not gonna happen.

[napi21]

40. I respect your position, but I'm 65 & my husband is 66. Both of us

voted for Obama, but I'm not willing to risk damage to my home or car. Our car is 10 years old, but only has 45,000 miles on it. Do you realize what the ins. co would say if it was damaged? TS baby, it's only worth $XXX, get over it!

I used to fight hard for my ideals when I was younger too, but I have to face reality now.

[annabanana]

5. Hey Agent Mike!!

I know you're busy, what with all the constant surveillance of dangerous liberals and all... but could you spare a few moments of your time to check up on what appears to be a threat on the President's life?

[bdamomma]

11. I agree Anna,

Hey Agent Mike, do your job please and protect President Obama.

[tom_paine]

48. deleted n/t

[Charlie Brown]

6. whoa. I live in Gainesville and just returned from the Inauguration yesterday

This is heinous. Thoughts and prayers for the resident and the neighbors who were terrorized by these thugs, and I hope they lock up whoever did it.

[onehandle]

8. Welcome to Georgia.

Outside of Atlanta and a couple of other spots, this is Mississippi in the 1950s.

[Hepburn]

17. Mississippi is still like the 1950s in some places ~~ at least it was about 10 years ago.

I was in Natchez back then and I never saw white people talk to black people. I spoke to a black lady while the both of us were standing outside a shoe store and looking at some elegant shoes on display in the window ~~ and her eyes got really wide and she looked at me and said, "You are not from around here, are you?" That is when I realized that blacks and whites in that area moved in TOTALLY separate circles.

After school at the mall? Not one integrated group of teens. And when they went into the food court? I saw that behind the counters were black attendants and servers and white attendants and servers. You guessed it: Even the workers waited on "their own kind."

It was absolutely stunning to me. Even the stores were like that. Black staff and white staff...and each waited on their own race.

Edit for typo

[dixiegrrrrl]

29. One of my black neighbors seems afraid to talk openly to me.

Very closed off, friendly on the surface, but not open to anything but polite formal brief conversations. Seem to be very self conscious.

OTOH, up the street is a wonderfully friendly couple, very active in neightborhood, very professional jobs, totally relaxed and cool.

Backgrounds, perhaps.

Overall, not a lot of highly visible mixing of races here.
Mostly "separate but polite".

[Hepburn]

33. Sad that people cannot just see others as just other people.

This weekend, my friends are coming to my house: He is black and she is Puerto Rican and they have an 11 year old daughter. I consider him my son and it just does not dawn on me at times that he is a very, dark skinned young black man. About a month ago, he went to Home Depot with me ~~ an old white woman ~~ to get some stuff and a guy helping us asked me a question and I said, "I don't know, ask my son..." and thought nothing of it. It took the Home Depot guy a second to realize that I was talking about the young, black man with me. I just am not aware of the color of skin my friend has ~~ except when this happened.

:hi:

Edit for typo

[my2sense]

9. Some of these freeptards are becoming unhinged

[bdamomma]

10. all the loonies are out.

sickening people.

[sorcrow]

13. Forsyth County is not a liberal place

Advice to black folks back in the 60s and 70s.
"Don't let the sun set on you in Forsyth county."
I grew up not far from there. I'm guessing not that there is still quite a bit of that sentiment left. There's also a lot of resentment against the Hispanic immigrants.

[DS1]

14. Whooooooaaaa SOUTH!

[northernlights]

16. why there were no Obama signs in my village

I live in an ugly little red blight on Maine. 4 years ago a neighbor put up a Kerry sign. I didn't dare. I noticed they didn't put up a sign either, this year.

Need to protect my animals and my home.

[YOY]

19. This fits the definition of "terrorism": Politically motivated violence to incite terror.

I wonder if the idiots who did this thought about that for one half a moment.

I highly doubt they "think" at all though.

[mwb970]

20. As always with them, it's pure emotion.

Hate and fear. You can hear it on the AM radio every single day. I wonder if the perpetrator had a copy of Hannity's book handy.

[Laelth]

24. The only civil rights march in which I ever participated was there.

It was 1987 or 88. Forsyth County, Georgia, was still all white ... not by law but because of death threats delivered to people of color who stayed after dark. I (and many many others) marched in protest. While the county is no longer all white, it is still deeply racist. This does not surprise me.

:dem:

-Laelth

[jaksavage]

25. Get the racists out in the open

As a blue collar male, I have been around and
shared in a whole lot of racist comments and humor.
It still exposes itself to me occasionally
but now I always speak up against it.

Racist attitudes are prevelent everywhere.
Kansas, Colorado, California, Oregon, Washington, and especially Alaska

Get them out in the open, where we can put a bead on them.

Cause you know a small plastic bead can change someones life.

[Solly Mack]

28. Cumming has long been known for its racists

I lived in Gainesville for 17 years. I marched in the Forsyth County Civil Rights March (Cumming) with Coretta Scott King (among others) in 1987.

[aldroud]

32. Don't be so smug

Had my windshield kicked in and jeep vandalized in Portland Oregon for having a Bush04 sticker. It goes both ways, I'm afraid. Some folks just can't stand the thought of someone disagreeing with them.

[napi21]

35. I guess you're right about it going both ways, but I'd never seen

violence & property destruction before we moved to the south. I spent the first 47 years of my life in Pgh. Pa., and although there were signs & bumper stickers from all sides there, I NEVER heard of people keying cars, burning houses down, etc. Occasionally there was a mailbox knocked down, or some angry words traded, but it stopped there. In the "South, there's just NO acceptance of a different opinion. It's really SAD.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

47. Ah, boo hoo hoo.

[KamaAina]

36. Ah yes, Cumming

where the sign at the edge of town reads: "Welcome to Cumming! Rotary Club meets 10am alternate Tuesdays, Jeeter's Cafe. Klan rally Sunday afternoons at the gazebo on the town square. No n----rs after sundown!"

Amazing how such a place could be within commute distance of the rather enlightened city of Atlanta. :eyes:

[goforit]

37. Hmmm...what a bunch of idiots!!! They will be found and jailed!!!

[slackmaster]

42. UPDATE - Culprit caught, arrested, charged!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3727048

[ProgressiveProfessor]

43. This subequently has been shown to be arson by the homeowner

Damn that kind of thing really pisses me off. Next time there is a real case, people will think of this first and question it.

[spinbaby]

44. I called it

Insurance fraud.

[slackmaster]

45. Yes you did!

Good work.

[John Kerry VonErich]

49. I hope it's not one of those Pa. mugging B carving incidents in reverse.

nt