A Wisconsin man has pleaded guilty to hate crime charges in connection to incidents where he threatened to slit a Black woman's throat, slashed her tires, smashed her windshield, and made other racist threats.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, William McDonald, 45, harassed Black residents of a West Allis neighborhood “because of their race and because they were exercising their right to fair housing," per Shine My Crown.
Court documents state that McDonald vandalized a Black woman's car and left her note where he threatened to slash her throat if she didn't move out of the Wisconsin neighborhood. According to reports, McDonald demanded she leave the neighborhood or "suffer violence."
“No one should feel unsafe in their home or be subjected to harmful and derogatory threats because of the color of their skin,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will continue to protect the housing rights of all individuals and vigorously prosecute those who use racially-charged threats to drive people from their homes.”
In a separate incident, McDonald vandalized the property of a Black family who recently moved to the neighborhood. The man left racist graffiti on their front door and a note calling the family a racial slur.
“The conduct at issue, in this case, strikes at the very core of the civil rights guaranteed to every American citizen under federal law,” stated U.S. Attorney Gregory Haanstad. “I commend the courage of those targeted by Mr. McDonald for coming forward. The U.S. Attorney’s Office remains committed to working with all our federal, state, and local partners to hold individuals who violate the civil rights of others fully accountable under federal law.”
McDonald is set to be sentenced on June 29, per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He faces a maximum of 11 years in prison.
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