176:, saying King never authorized the arson. During the trial, the Church's lawyers showed racist Klan posters and literature and played a videotape for the jury showing King speaking at a Klan rally, saying "It's time, people, to wake up and shape up and say this is our country, white people, take it back." The Klan leaders insisted that they never encouraged anyone to break the law, but two of the sentenced arsonists testified against their case. Welch testified, "The church fire was Klan business, and we were told we would not go to jail. We were convinced we were untouchable." Both Welch and Cox said that they testified against the Klan to atone for what they'd done.
184:. King was ordered to pay $ 15 million, as was the Christian Knights of the Ku Klux Klan Inc. of North Carolina. The Christian Knights' South Carolina affiliate was ordered to pay $ 7 million, while the four men in prison were ordered to pay $ 100,000 to $ 200,000 each. The judgement was the largest ever awarded against a
200:
The civil suit forced the Klan to surrender the land on which its headquarters were built. When the property was sold, the deed included a restriction that the land never be used for white supremacist activities. The SPLC credits this judgement with reducing "one of the most active Klan groups in the
179:
The case was decided by nine black and three white jurors. On July 24, 1998, the jury deliberated for just 45 minutes before it returned a decision that the Ku Klux Klan must pay $ 37.8 million, $ 12.6 million more than even lawyers for the church requested. The verdict included $ 300,000 in actual
68:
On June 21, 1995, Timothy Adron Welch and Gary
Christopher Cox of the Christian Knights of the Ku Klux Klan poured gasoline on the floor of the Macedonian Baptist Church and set it on fire. The church was one of several rural black churches burned by arsonists in the mid-1990s. The crimes prompted
42:
chapter known as the
Christian Knights of the Ku Klux Klan and was later rebuilt afterwards. Four Klansmen were convicted for the crime, and a subsequent civil suit effectively closed the Klan chapter's operation in the county. The successful civil suit was called a "wake-up call" indicating that
113:
Welch, Cox, and two older accomplices, Arthur Haley and Hubert Rowell were indicted on several charges of civil rights violations involving the burning of the
Macedonian Baptist Church and other racially charged crimes. Haley and Rowell were also charged with burning a Hispanic migrant camp in
204:
After the suit, King stated publicly that he was sorry anyone ever connected with his group was involved in the arson, he refused to admit personal guilt or apologize for inciting the crime. He claimed that he would continue to fight to proclaim his innocence.
776:
196:
On the day the verdict was read, Welch's younger brother
Richard stated that he blamed the Klan for changing his brother. He said he was happy with the verdict and hoped that it would be enough to keep the Klan away from their town.
51:
In 1994 the
Christian Knights of the Ku Klux Klan (a South Carolina branch of the Ku Klux Klan) set up headquarters in a field near the church, proclaiming that black churches taught their congregations how to manipulate the
425:
141:, said "Today's sentences should serve as a wake-up call to those individuals who may consider the unlawful use of force and violence to intimidate persons based on their race and religious beliefs."
126:
said that Haley selected the
Macedonian Baptist Church as the arson target and Rowell instructed Cox and Welch on how to set the fire. All four defendants pleaded guilty to the charges. They received
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188:. The amount was later reduced to $ 21.5 million. King's "tiny house, a shed, a chicken coop and seven acres in rural Lexington County" were sold, and he died in the early 2000s.
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Welch and Cox were apprehended in connection to a stabbing assault on a black man on June 16. The two were charged with assault and battery with intent to kill, first-degree
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719:
227:
138:
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236:
214:, a film about the fires and subsequent trials was produced by Michael Chandler & Vivian Kleiman in 1998. The church and trials were discussed in
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168:. The lawyer for the Klan insisted that the criminals acted alone in burning down the church. Defense attorney Gary White painted the Klan
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in 1996 and pledge federal help in investigating the crimes. Due to the possibility that the arson violated federal civil rights
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253:, another infamous incident involving Ku Klux Klan members committing violence against the 16th Street Baptist Church in
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60:. The church congregation could hear the Klan's sermons blaring from the building next door on megaphones.
218:, a book by Sandra E. Johnson about the spate of arsons targeting black churches in rural South Carolina.
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257:, Alabama on September 15, 1963, resulting in four female African-Americans dead and twenty-two injured.
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279:"#076: 02-20-97 - Two Klansmen Receive Lengthy Sentences for Burning Two South Carolina Churches"
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The sentences for Cox and Welch were reduced to 12 years in prison for testifying in the
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A subsequent civil case trial was held in 1998 with the charges that the Ku Klux Klan
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38:, South Carolina. It was destroyed by arsonists following direction from the local
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commended the work of officials and investigators in the case. Rene Josey,
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Religious buildings and structures in the United States destroyed by arson
674:"Klan leader is sorry black church burned | chronicle.augusta.com"
554:
Levin, Jack; Eubank, William Lee; Weinberg, Leonard (January 1, 2006).
53:
235:, an infamous instance of a violent attack on a black church in which
89:
34:
is a centuries-old historically black church located in rural
27:
Historic black church burned down by the KKK in South
Carolina
133:
James E. Johnson and
Isabelle Katz Pinzler, co-chairs of the
18:
Macedonia
Baptist Church (Clarendon County, South Carolina)
208:
The
Macedonian Baptist Church was later fully rebuilt.
172:
Horace King as a feeble old man merely exercising his
782:
Racially motivated violence against African Americans
704:"Klan Must Pay $ 37 Million for Inciting Church Fire"
648:"Macedonia v. Christian Knights of the Ku Klux Klan"
392:"Suspects in church fires deny connections to Klan"
743:"'Holy Ground' details town's fight against hate"
457:"Klan ordered to pay for inciting church burning"
228:List of attacks against African-American churches
118:, burning a car of a black Manning resident, and
621:. Independent Television Service. Archived from
322:. Independent Television Service. Archived from
243:, South Carolina had nine congregants killed by
139:U.S. attorney for the District of South Carolina
81:laws, the arson case was investigated by the
8:
531:. Philadelphia Media Network. 25 July 1998.
390:Kiersek, Amy; Murphy, C.S. (June 30, 1995).
418:"2 Accused of Masterminding Church Burning"
585:"Klan leader is sorry black church burned"
525:"Klan Ordered To Pay Black Church $ 37.8m"
237:Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church
130:sentences ranging from 12 to 21.5 years.
350:"Church Wins $ 37.8 Million in KKK Suit"
43:racial violence would not be tolerated.
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160:. The case was brought to court by the
797:June 1995 events in the United States
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640:
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289:from the original on October 10, 2015
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812:Attacks on African-American churches
722:from the original on August 19, 2016
654:from the original on August 19, 2016
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92:, and second-degree burglary of the
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535:from the original on 17 August 2016
428:from the original on 22 August 2016
348:MOEHRINGER, J. R. (July 25, 1998).
201:nation to a defunct organization."
251:16th Street Baptist Church bombing
25:
822:Church fires in the United States
741:Smith, W. Thomas (June 6, 2002).
135:National Church Arson Task Force
807:1995 fires in the United States
650:. Southern Poverty Law Center.
497:"Jury ties Klan to church fire"
466:. July 24, 1998. Archived from
817:Ku Klux Klan in South Carolina
495:Smith, Bruce (July 25, 1998).
416:Holl, Jesse (17 August 1996).
180:damages and $ 37.5 million in
1:
316:"Forgotten Fires - The Story"
120:illegally possessing firearms
162:Southern Poverty Law Center
838:
233:Charleston church shooting
164:, represented by attorney
32:Macedonia Baptist Church
747:usatoday30.usatoday.com
560:. Infobase Publishing.
216:Standing on Holy Ground
64:Arson and investigation
792:1995 in South Carolina
678:chronicle.augusta.com
589:chronicle.augusta.com
501:Eugene Register-Guard
94:Mount Zion AME Church
464:Laredo Morning Times
174:right to free speech
58:government subsidies
787:Ku Klux Klan crimes
708:The New York Times
684:on August 21, 2016
557:Domestic Terrorism
148:against the Klan.
710:. July 25, 1998.
591:. 6 August 1998.
354:Los Angeles Times
247:on June 17, 2015.
158:incited the crime
16:(Redirected from
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98:Greeleyville, SC
36:Clarendon County
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128:federal prison
122:. The federal
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170:Grand Dragon
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71:Bill Clinton
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56:and procure
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40:Ku Klux Klan
31:
29:
749:. USA Today
688:January 13,
245:Dylann Roof
166:Morris Dees
116:Manning, SC
771:Categories
529:Philly.com
262:References
255:Birmingham
241:Charleston
186:hate group
152:Civil suit
146:civil suit
124:indictment
79:hate crime
69:president
47:Background
716:0362-4331
362:0458-3035
192:Aftermath
73:to visit
753:July 21,
726:July 19,
720:Archived
652:Archived
593:Archived
533:Archived
506:July 21,
426:Archived
401:July 21,
372:July 21,
366:Archived
293:July 21,
287:Archived
222:See also
658:July 7,
629:July 8,
539:19 July
477:July 7,
432:21 July
330:July 8,
714:
599:7 July
564:
360:
104:Trials
471:(PDF)
460:(PDF)
90:arson
755:2016
728:2016
712:ISSN
690:2022
660:2016
631:2016
601:2016
562:ISBN
541:2016
508:2016
479:2016
434:2016
403:2016
374:2016
358:ISSN
332:2016
295:2016
30:The
239:in
96:in
83:FBI
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.