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Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Durham to Hold "Unity Rally"

In the wake of the cross burnings that marred Durham last week, there is going to be a city-wide Unity Rally on Sunday, June 5th at 4 pm. The location is still being finalized. The rally is being put on by the Durham Human Relations Commission. We'll keep you posted as we learn more details.

As for the crime itself, the Durham People's Alliance -- a city-wide progressive advocacy group -- has stepped up to offer a $1,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest (I guess city officials hadn't done it already?).

As the same news story notes, the national KKK has denied involvement (of course), which has led some to continue speculating about whether they were really involved, or if this was an isolated "prank." But as Rev. George Allison noted,
"Crosses are not burned for a prank or recreation. They are burned to send a message," he said. "It is a message of hate. It is a message of lack of tolerance. ... Maybe the [Ku Klux] Klan is not responsible. We don't know. But whoever did it was trying to get a reaction from the community."
posted by Chris Kromm at 1:31 PM | Email this post | Post a Comment
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CHRIS KROMM blogs three days a week for Facing South. Chris is Executive Director of the Institute for Southern Studies and publisher of the Institute’s award-winning magazine, Southern Exposure.

SUE STURGIS blogs four days a week for Facing South. Sue is the Institute’s Editorial Director and a former reporter for The Independent Weekly and The Raleigh News & Observer.

DESIREE EVANS blogs four days a week for Facing South. Desiree is a Research Associate at the Institute and former policy analyst for TransAfrica.

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