No place, eh?

The Tennessean's opinion section focuses on hate crimes today with their view , the view of TBI director Mark Gwyn, and Tennessee Disabilities Coalition executive director Carol Westlake.

While we're grateful over at TEP for the Tennessean's position on this issue, I find this sentence striking: "Such crimes have no place in Tennessee or anywhere else around this nation." And specific hate crimes apparently have no place in your news section. You have been contacted about the attack on Neal Anthony's house in Warren County and you have decided not to cover it so far. Channel 5, Fox 17, and Channel 2 in Nashville thought it was newsworthy, but not your editorial staff.

But I guess that puts you in the company of The Southern Standard, the Warren County paper whose web site has been updated yet again without even mentioning the incident.

Warren County hate crime update: WKRN

Nashville's Channel 2 now joins Channel 5, Fox 17, and Out & About Newspaper in covering the hate crimes against Neal Anthony of Warren County. As of this posting, there is no text story on the News 2 web site, but you can find video located at http://www.wkrn.com . Anthony indicated that although many think gay people are scared, he would "shoot" anyone who set foot on his property. The Warren County Sheriff was interviewed, which is a new and welcome angle in the coverage. He says that many hours have been spent on the case.

Meanwhile, the web site of the Southern Standard, Warren County's local paper, was updated extensively today, but there is still no mention of the incident.

Warren County hate crime update--Fox 17 coverage

Nashville's Fox 17 ran this story on the anti-gay vandalism of Neal Anthony's Warren County house in tonight's broadcast. There is still nothing on the website of the Southern Standard, Warren County's local paper. In fairness to them, I should add that they probably have a small staff who were trying to enjoy the holiday. The Fox video obscured the word "fag." But it showed the ironic juxtaposition of hateful epithets and "John 3:16" spray painted on Anthony's property.

Previous updates at Grand Divisions are here and here.

Hate is not taking a holiday

Out & About Newspaper is reporting that Neal Anthony's house in Warren County has been subjected to another massive hate attack. The incident comes just after the TBI released its annual hate crimes report that showed that hate crimes involving sexual bias remained at a high level again in 2007.

If you want to see what hate looks like, Out & About has posted this gallery of photos taken by Anthony of the latest attack. The reference to "Dorothy" in the photo is Neal's mother who passed away late last year. These attacks have been occurring off and on for months. It's not clear why the Warren County Sheriff's Office and the TBI can't find those responsible.