Tag: hate crimes

Maryland Medical Examiner Officially Rules Black Man Found Hanging From Tree Died by Suicide — Online Lynching Narrative Collapses

Maryland’s chief medical examiner has officially ruled that a Black man found hanging from a tree in Prince George’s County on Sunday morning died by suicide.

The ruling came Monday, just one day after the body was discovered high in a tree in front of an industrial business on the 9300 block of D’Arcy Road in unincorporated Upper Marlboro, WTOP News reported.

Police and fire crews arrived around 7:55 a.m. Sunday. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. Because of the height of the body and the need to wait for the medical examiner, many drivers passing by saw the grim sight. Photos quickly spread on social media. Almost immediately, users began calling it a lynching.

County Executive Aisha Braveboy, a Democrat, held a press conference Monday and pleaded with the public to stop.

“Don’t ask for clickbait and use this tragedy to get followers or to get likes, because this is a tragedy,” she said. “A person is dead. He’s dead, and he took his own life.”

Braveboy added that officials “will tell the truth” and she would not entertain “theory, innuendoes and folks who just want to spew, quite frankly, untruths.”

The Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined the man died of suicide by hanging with no other signs of trauma.

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Black Man Arrested and Charged in the Hanging Death of Black Woman as Democrats Sound the Alarm About “Modern-Day Lynchings” in Letters to DOJ

A black man has been arrested and charged with murder in the death of Tasia Fortune, a black woman who was found hanging from a tree sparking unfounded claims of a potential lynching case, fueled by leftwing media and Democratic politicians.

The tragic scene unfolded when Fortune, a 29-year-old mother of four, was found hanging from a tree on August 3rd in Jackson, Mississippi. Now, her murder is being politicized and used by sick people to further the Democrats’ agenda.

Early in the investigation, CNN was quick to paint the incident as racial terror, with CNN’s Omar Jimenez reporting that “the raw imagery of a Black person hanging from a tree in the American South evokes a very painful history.” Meanwhile, as the Gateway Pundit reported, Jimenez omitted the fact that a person of interest, Tasia’s black boyfriend, who has since been cleared in the case, was already in custody.

Now, it’s being reported that charges have been filed against 51-year-old Jarques Ratliff, a black man, for the murder.

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AOC Humiliated as Fact Check Obliterates Her Black Lynchings Claim

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez sounded the national alarm this week, claiming Black Americans were once again being lynched across the country.

The New York Democrat presented the charge not as a concern awaiting evidence, but as an established wave of racial violence.

“This year, there have already been 10 reported hangings of Black people in the U.S.,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X.

She said she had joined Rep. Ayanna Pressley and other congressional Democrats in demanding federal action.

Ocasio-Cortez described the cases as “racial terror,” while Pressley declared, “Black folks are being found hanged in America.”

Their rhetoric invoked one of the ugliest chapters in American history before investigators had established that these deaths were racially motivated killings.

Pressley pushed the imagery even further by referring to “strange fruit” hanging from trees across the country.

That language was clearly intended to produce maximum outrage, but inflammatory comparisons do not become facts merely because Squad members repeat them loudly.

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NYPD Reports Hate Crimes Rise Under Mamdani-More Than Half Committed Against Jews

While New York City Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch recently bragged about a drop in crime in the Big Apple in a press release, the statement buried a rise in hate crimes that are overwhelmingly committed against the city’s Jewish community under radical NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

While Jewish New Yorkers make up only 10% of the city’s population, more than half of the confirmed hate crimes were anti-Jewish with hate crimes against Jewish New Yorkers increasing by 8.5% so far this year.

The NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force (HCTF) investigates allegations of hate crimes and bias-motivated incidents. After an incident is flagged as a possible hate crime, the HCTF investigates and determines, in consultation with the NYPD Legal Bureau, whether it constitutes a hate crime under New York State law. If an incident is deemed a hate crime under the law, it will be categorized as a confirmed hate crime. The NYPD provides data on confirmed hate crimes along with all reported hate crimes regardless of whether they are ultimately confirmed as hate crimes by the HCTF. The disclosure of both sets of numbers enhances transparency and reflects best practices in connection with hate crime reporting.

Year to date, the number of confirmed hate crimes increased 9.4% (360 vs. 329), with 31 more confirmed hate crime incidents compared to last year. In July, there were 33 confirmed hate crimes and 50 incidents reported as hate crimes. More than half of the confirmed hate crimes for the first seven months of the year, or 56.9%, were anti-Jewish hate crimes, despite Jewish New Yorkers making up only 10% of the city’s population. During the first seven months of the year, anti-Jewish hate crimes increased 8.5% (205 vs. 189).

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“YOU’VE BEEN SERVED!” MI Sec of State Jocelyn Benson Served By Former MI Attorney General Over Potential Involvement In Funding Hate Groups Like KKK While Member of SPLC Board

MCR Special Teams and the Mike Cox law firm served Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson with Southern Poverty Law Center-related court papers on Wednesday evening.

Former Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox recently dropped his bid for the Republican candidate for governor. The highly unpopular Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is the likely Democratic candidate running for governor after being term-limited as Secretary of State.

Jocelyn Benson, who the Gateway Pundit frequently refers to as “America’s most dishonest Secretary of State,” is familiar with lawsuits. Benson has been involved in 69 election-related lawsuits during her time as Secretary of State. That is more than the combined total of the previous four Secretaries of State.

In addition to fighting an onslaught of election integrity-related lawsuits during her corrupt reign as Michigan’s top election official, it looks like she is about to be defending herself in yet another lawsuit. This time, Benson will potentially have to explain her role as a board member of the Southern Poverty Law Center during the same time the group has been accused in a federal lawsuit of paying hate groups like the KKK.

According to a federal indictment unsealed in April 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice charged the Southern Poverty Law Center with wire fraud, false statements, and related offenses.

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Arlington Heights Elderly Leftist Couple Pleads Guilty to Defacing GOP Headquarters with Swastikas and Feces on Charlie Kirk Poster — No Hate Crime Charges, Just $100 Fine

An elderly leftist couple in Arlington Heights, Illinois, charged with vandalizing the Republicans of Wheeling Township headquarters in January pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges on Thursday.

Brock McNerney, a 72-year-old retired financial planner, and Moisette McNerney, a 69-year-old retired special education teacher, admitted to criminal damage to property and criminal defacement of property charges as part of a plea agreement.

The Gateway Pundit previously reported that on the night of January 25, 2026, surveillance video captured the pair drawing multiple swastikas and profanities in permanent marker across the windows of the ROWT office at 909 E. Rand Road.

They specifically targeted a portrait of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, born in Arlington Heights and a former volunteer at the local GOP office as a Wheeling High School student, defacing his image. The couple also tossed bags of feces and poured an unknown liquid near the front door.

This was no isolated act of random mischief. It came after earlier vandalism in December 2025 that included threatening and offensive messages scrawled into the brick outside the office, specifically and gleefully referencing Charlie Kirk’s wounds.

The January attack occurred right before the March primary. ROWT members installed cameras after the prior incident.

Despite the use of Nazi symbols against a political organization and the apparent effort to frighten Republican volunteers, the McNerneys were charged only with misdemeanors, not hate crimes.

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Possible Hate Crime as Jewish, Asian Man Stabbed in New York City

A Jewish and an Asian man were stabbed in New York City on Thursday, which police have been investigating as a possible hate crime.

The attack occurred on Central Park West this afternoon near Manhattan’s Upper West Side, per the New York Times.

According to a law enforcement official with knowledge of the matter, the attacker walked up to the first man, Chok Sung, 57, on West 84th and Central Park West and stabbed him in the back. He then went to West 86th Street, the official said, where he approached another man, Yezhak Grunhaus, 50, and stabbed him once in the chest.

Police officers responding to a 911 call about an assault in the area arrived on West 84th Street to find Mr. Sung conscious, but with a wound on his torso. Officers then discovered Mr. Grunhaus two blocks north. Both men were taken by emergency medical workers to Mount Sinai’s Morningside location, where they are expected to survive, the police said.

Police arrested a person of interest on Thursday. The identity of the assailant has not yet been released. According to the New York Post, police are “investigating claims that the suspect said ‘Allah Akbar,’ meaning ‘God is the greatest’ in Arabic, before one of the attacks.”

The Jewish victim, Yezhak Grunhaus, was wearing a yarmulke at the time of the attack, having previously left the synagogue at Central Park West and West 86th Street.

“Nava Silton, who was speaking with the victim inside the Jewish Center on West 86th Street before the attack, said she ran out and spoke to two witnesses who heard the suspect say ‘Allah Akbar’ before the stabbing,” noted NY Post.

As JNS reported last month, hate crimes against Jews have seen a staggering surge in New York City over the past year.

“The New York City Police Department said that anti-Jewish hate crimes were up 70.8% in the city last month compared to May 2025,” noted the outlet. “It didn’t inform the public that, if it compared statistics from the months in a broader way, the increase was more than double that—150%.”

“Under New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who overturned many of his predecessor’s executive orders protecting Jews and Israelis hours into his tenure, the city has twice changed the way it reports hate crimes after the Big Apple recorded a 182% increase in antisemitic hate crimes in Mamdani’s first month on the job,” it added.

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DERANGED Anti-Trump Leftist Charged with Hate Crime After Burning Cross With MAGA Hat on Top in Chicago’s Grant Park Released From Jail — Judge Only Bans Him From Possessing Wood or Kerosene

A 21-year-old anti-Trump activist charged with multiple felonies, including hate crimes, was released from jail Thursday after burning a cross in Chicago’s Grant Park and placing a Make America Great Again hat on top of it.

As The Gateway Pundit previously reported, what was initially hyped by Chicago officials, Rev. Michael Pfleger, and media as a racist “white supremacist” or KKK-style attack in Grant Park turned out to be the work of a deranged anti-Trump, anti-MAGA leftist.

On June 9, 2026, police and firefighters responded to a burning cross in Chicago’s Grant Park.

The incident prompted immediate backlash, and one local church offered a $10,000 reward to help make an arrest, and local officials were quick to blame the incident on racism and ‘white supremacists.’

Block Club Chicago reports that Rev. Michael Pfleger of St. Sabina Church, who offered the reward,  noted, “Racism has always been a part of America’s DNA, and this week it has raised its head boldly and loudly,” Pfleger said in a statement.

“This bold rise of racism must be condemned by every race, faith community, and Chicagoan as was done with the swastika and treated as a hate crime.”

As it turns out, however, the cross-burner is an Asian man, Merlin Lu, 21, a University of Illinois Chicago senior, who burned the cross, adorned with a MAGA hat, to protest President Trump and MAGA.

Lu allegedly told police that “The greatest threat to the American people is [President] Trump, [Jeffrey] Epstein, their billionaire pedophile friends, and their MAGA Christian nationalist base.”

Now, the same Merlin Lu,  has been released back onto the streets by a Cook County judge after facing serious felony charges for torching a cross with a MAGA hat tied on top.

On Thursday, Lu appeared in Cook County court. Despite the gravity of the charges, multiple felonies targeting a protected class and using fire to intimidate, the judge refused to detain him. Lu was released pending trial (next court date June 22).

The judge’s tough-talking condition? Lu is prohibited from possessing fire-starting materials like wood or kerosene. That’s it.

Not held without bond. Not monitored aggressively. Just “don’t buy wood or kerosene,” as if this unhinged individual who openly frames Trump supporters and Christians as existential threats alongside pedophile billionaires will suddenly become harmless without kindling.

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The 2025-26 campus hate crime hoaxes: A complete roundup

As in years past, campus hate hoax incidents did not let up during the 2025-26 school year. From incidents that did occur but were not hateful, to crimes that likely did not happen, this school year saw plenty of hoaxes. 

And no, The College Fix is not talking about Ku Klux Klan rallies that were funded by the Southern Poverty Law Center so that they could fundraise off that reemergence of the KKK. If that did happen, it would certainly be wrong! 

Here is a roundup of the hate hoaxes of the past school year:

  • Just earlier this week, a University of Illinois Chicago student admitted to setting up a burning cross as a protest against Trump.
  • Virginia Tech professor claims to be victim of racist attack – after white teens clean snow off truck in front of his house. 
  • Journalist claims guy holding n-word sign is white – he was black.
  • Montana State University Chinese student writes anti-Asian messages, tries to blame Turning Point USA, gets sent to jail. 
  • Black University of Minnesota student blames conservatives angry about Charlie Kirk assassination for hoax threats.
  • Police conclude there was “no probable cause” that racist slurs led to brawling at a high school basketball game.
  • Student paints obscure cross on Northwestern University rock – LGBT activists call it “cruel behavior,” find a way to blame Trump. 
  • Purdue University basketball player says his family was subjected to racist slurs during University of Illinois game – school determines there is no truth to this allegation.
  • Kansas State University women’s soccer team plays songs with racial slurs, then gets the coach punished after she repeats the n-word to make a point. 
  • Nearly half of University of Iowa hate crimes are scribbles on a whiteboard.
  • Several campuses hit with fake active shooter alerts.

Seeking justice

In some cases, the accused fought back against fake racism claims.

  • High school teacher wins defamation lawsuit after seating chart comments.
  • White college student wins $3.2 million judgement over false racism claims from when he was a kid.
  • College student wins judgement over fake “blackface” allegations but still lives with repercussions.
  • University of Notre Dame beats back lawsuit from Chinese man who claimed Uyghur genocide claims defamed all of China and would inspire racism.

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Chicago Cross-Burning Incident Blamed on ‘White Supremacists’ was Carried Out by Leftist Anti-Trump/Anti-MAGA Protester

On June 9, 2026, police and firefighters responded to a burning cross in Chicago’s Grant Park.

The incident prompted immediate backlash, and one local church offered a $10,000 reward to help make an arrest, and local officials were quick to blame the incident on racism and ‘white supremacists.’

Block Club Chicago reports that Rev. Michael Pfleger of St. Sabina Church, who offered the reward,  noted, “Racism has always been a part of America’s DNA, and this week it has raised its head boldly and loudly,” Pfleger said in a statement.

“This bold rise of racism must be condemned by every race, faith community, and Chicagoan as was done with the swastika and treated as a hate crime.”

In a statement Wednesday afternoon, Mayor Brandon Johnson said the police investigation “remains ongoing.”

“Like many Chicagoans across our city, we were deeply disturbed upon seeing the images which have emerged following this incident,” the statement said. “Hate has no place in our city. Every Chicagoan deserves to feel safe, protected, and respected while going about their day or enjoying our public spaces.”

Several members of the council’s Black Caucus learned about the incident Wednesday morning when asked about it by Block Club Chicago. Ald. Greg Mitchell (7th) was initially speechless when a reporter showed him a photo of the burning cross.

“I can’t believe it’s 2026, we are still dealing with stuff like that … That’s the simplest I can put it,” Mitchell said.

As it turns out, however, the cross-burner is an Asian man, Merlin Lu, who burned the cross, adorned with a MAGA hat, to protest President Trump and MAGA.

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