Authorities confirm 'KKK' spray painted on burn victim's car

[Le Libérer]

I know this is hard to believe in the rest of the country and the world, this still exists, but racism is alive and well in Louisiana.

WINNSBORO, LA (KSLA) -
New details are emerging surrounding the critical injury of a Winnsboro woman set on fire in a city park on Sunday night.

20-year-old Sharmeka Moffitt is in critical condition at LSU Medical Center in Shreveport. Her mother, Edna Moffitt, says surgery is scheduled for tomorrow. "Both of her arms, and they are third degree burns, down her chest and legs - one. Basically her arms are real bad." Edna Moffitt also confirms her daughter was not wearing an Obama t-shirt, as initial rumors on social media had indicated.

At a news conference held just before Noon Monday, authorities confirmed Moffitt called 911 around 8 p.m. Sunday from Civitan Park, telling them she had been attacked and burned by three men in white hoodies. They say she was unable to identify her attackers. Franklin Parish Sheriff Kevin Cobb confirms that "KKK" was spray-painted on the hood of her car, with a racial slur underneath.

At this point, police are not classifying the incident as a hate crime, but FBI agents are there investigating the possibility. Agents are there in addition to Louisiana State Police and local law enforcement, the State Fire Marshal's Office and the Franklin Parish Sheriff's Department.

Winnsboro Police say they will be tightening security at the park as a result of the incident.

"This is a horrific event for our community," says Franklin Parish Sheriff Kevin Cobb. "It makes everyone uneasy. It is our hope that everyone stands together at this time, and follow the information that is gathered, follow the facts, follow the evidence and hopefully that will lead us to justice in this case." He went on to tell KSLA News 12 that they have no information to lead them directly to any individual suspects at this point, but he says they are following all avenues.

The story went viral Sunday evening on Twitter and Facebook. Many of the posts speculated the attack was a hate crime. However, the sheriff's office has also confirmed with KSLA News 12 that Moffitt was not wearing a President Obama t-shirt, despite claims on social media that the t-shirt is what provoked the attack.

Family and friends are planning a candlelight vigil for Sharmeka Moffitt. It's set for Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. at Civitan Park.

She is a beautiful young woman

http://ksla.images.worldnow.com/images/19877636_BG6.JPG

Source (http://www.kltv.com/story/19877636/woman-set-on-fire-is-in-critical-condition)

[Jesus Saves Gretzky Scores]

Can we just kill all these people during the revolution?

[Capital Resistance]

How can they confirm that KKK and a racial slur were painted on the hood of the car and still not call it a hate crime.

[Sasha]

I assume because there are so far no witnesses but the victim, ill probably get acused of blaming the victim here again but unless some more convincing details come out this might also be self inflicted. I hppe not but there are some redflags like the self reporting, the "white hoodies" (as far as i know most kkk groups wear black paramilitary uniforms now a day), the signature and the slur painted on the car (who spraypaints a car after or before they set someone on fire?)
I hope I'm proven wrong but if I was a cop I would be carefull with this one too.

[Niall]

Not good. Psycho, I really hope you are wrong mate

[Le Libérer]

At first they were reporting it was because she was wearing an Obama tshirt, but her mother says she wasnt wearing one. The vigil is tonight, I have a couple of meetings I have to make this afternoon, if I can get through with them, I am going. Maybe I can find out more info. But the media isn't releasing any info until the FBI finishes their investigation.

[Sasha]

Not good. Psycho, I really hope you are wrong mate

me too...

[Jimmie Higgins]

I know this is hard to believe in the rest of the country and the world, this still exists, but racism is alive and well in Louisiana.Unfortuneately, not that hard to believe.

I grew up in liberal California and yet there were white power gangs and a series of bombings of synagauges.


I hppe not but there are some redflags like the self reporting, the "white hoodies" (as far as i know most kkk groups wear black paramilitary uniforms now a day), the signature and the slur painted on the car (who spraypaints a car after or before they set someone on fire?)Well of course anything unconfirmed should be taken as that, but I don't see any reason from the report in the OP to suggest a more likely scenerio than what is suggested.

Officially organized KKK groups don't have a monopoly on the use of white-power symbols - including the letters KKK. The white kids who hung a noose in Jena were not organized racists and yet they used a symbol of white-power terrorism to "remind people of their place". Most people who spray-paint nazi symbols are probably not in an actual neo-nazi organization or gang, more likely they are trying to intimidate people.

A group of angry racists who want to send a general chilling message will use whatever symbols they can to try and initimidate people.

[Sasha]

Sometimes i hate to be proven right:


KTBS 3 News
KTBS 3 News has learned that the wounds of Sharmeka Moffitt, the Winnesboro woman who was burned Sunday are reportedly self-inflicted.
Authorities are expected to announce details of the investigation momentarily stay with KTBS 3 for more information as it becomes available. -B. Harper


Fuckingfuck, people really need to stop doing this :cursing:
that said, I hope this girl gets some much needed help instead of prosecuted

[Pelarys]

That's really dismaying. :mellow:

[Capital Resistance]

Sometimes i hate to be proven right:



Fuckingfuck, people really need to stop doing this :cursing:
that said, I hope this girl gets some much needed help instead of prosecuted

Fuck that is depressing, I still hope she is okay though.

[Le Libérer]

I like what George Takai said


George Takei's status.
An update: It now appears that the woman who claimed to have been assaulted and burned inflicted those terrible injuries to herself. If this proves true, she clearly is in need of a different kind of help. In many ways, I am happier to know that such a racially motivated atrocity did not in fact occur as initially reported. Thanks for the updates, friends.

[Niall]

why? why would she do that?

[Sasha]

could be several things, could be a cry for help, someone desperate for atention (form of munchhausen), covering up a failed suicide attempt.

[Tim Cornelis]

I assume because there are so far no witnesses but the victim, ill probably get acused of blaming the victim here again but unless some more convincing details come out this might also be self inflicted. I hppe not but there are some redflags like the self reporting, the "white hoodies" (as far as i know most kkk groups wear black paramilitary uniforms now a day), the signature and the slur painted on the car (who spraypaints a car after or before they set someone on fire?)
I hope I'm proven wrong but if I was a cop I would be carefull with this one too.


Not good. Psycho, I really hope you are wrong mate


me too...


Sometimes i hate to be proven right:

...So you are hoping that it was indeed a racist gang that lit a woman on fire because of her race?

[Sasha]

not too sound cruel but yeah, i guess i would.
i mean, she did got seriously burned anyways, i guess recovery/live would be easier for her if she was attacked by a racist gang that met some form of "justice" than now that the whole world knows her as "that girl that set fire to herself" and she will probably get prosecuted to boot.
let alone that this again and again crying wolf by these fakers is doing so much damage to the credibility of actual victims of hatecrime attacks, any attack that now makes the news i instantly mistrust, esp if it involves young females and "signatures" (slurs or symbols tagged on the scene or scarred in the body) left behind.
imagine being a victim of an actual hatecrime and everybody; the cops, the press, your family wonder whether or even assume that you did it to yourself....

[Jimmie Higgins]

not too sound cruel but yeah, i guess i would.
i mean, she did got seriously burned anyways, i guess recovery/live would be easier for her if she was attacked by a racist gang that met some form of "justice" than now that the whole world knows her as "that girl that set fire to herself" and she will probably get prosecuted to boot.
let alone that this again and again crying wolf by these fakers is doing so much damage to the credibility of actual victims of hatecrime attacks, any attack that now makes the news i instantly mistrust, esp if it involves young females and "signatures" (slurs or symbols tagged on the scene or scarred in the body) left behind.
imagine being a victim of an actual hatecrime and everybody; the cops, the press, your family wonder whether or even assume that you did it to yourself....Yeah I can hear right-wingers overgeneralizing this right now - the worst thing is that these attacks are on the rise, so yeah a high-profile fake attack doesn't help things.

[Os Cangaceiros]

Remember that dude who hung himself from a tree, but wrote "FED" on himself so it looked like right-wing anti-government folks did it?

This kind of reminds me of that...