A man from Wisconsin has been handed a 2 ½ years prison sentence by the U.S. Department of Justice for committing a hate crime that infringed upon the civil rights of his Black neighbors.
William McDonald was convicted on one count of “deliberately harming, intimidating, or interfering with housing rights on the grounds of race or color through force, or threat of force, and use attempted use, and threatened use of a dangerous weapon.” He was also found guilty of a second count of similar damaging interference but without the use of a weapon.
After serving his 30-month prison term, McDonald will face three years of supervised release for his racially-motivated intimidation, as declared by the Justice Department in an official statement.
In 2021, McDonald was found guilty of repeatedly slashing tires and shattering the windshield of a Black woman’s vehicle. The 45-year-old white man escalated the situation by leaving a note containing racial slurs and threatening to “slash her throat” among other threats, in an attempt to force her out of the West Allis community.
He also intimidated another woman and her two young children in 2022 after they moved into his apartment complex, resorting to racial graffiti on her front door and spewing racially abusive language, demanding they leave.
The DOJ determined that he had violated the women’s constitutional rights to choose their place of residence without facing harassment due to their race. These rights are enshrined in the Civil Rights Act of 1968.
Michael E. Hensle, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Milwaukee Field Office, praised the sentencing, saying, “The 30-month sentence of William McDonald results from the consistent efforts and commitment of federal and local law enforcement to guarantee every Wisconsin citizen the right to live free from race-based violence.”
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division echoed the sentiment, stressing that all individuals have the fundamental right to live without the fear of racial violence. She emphasized that the Justice Department will rigorously implement federal laws against race-based threats. She also sent a clear warning through her statement to anyone who would perpetrate racially motivated threats and acts of violence, assuring them of justice.
