Last May, memories of racism and hate were stirred when Durham was shocked by three cross burnings that took place in the city.
Nine months later, the Durham Police Department fears that the investigation into finding those who committed these crimes has gone cold, Investigator A.Z. Jaynes said last week at a meeting on hate crimes at City Hall.
He said DPD has a list of names of possible perpetrators but does not have sufficient reason to think any of the suspects committed the crimes.
The Durham Sheriff's Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, however, are still hoping to solve the case.
Durham Sheriff Worth Hill said his men are still looking for the culprits.
"We had our people out there trying to see what they could find, Hill said. "Nothing has come of it so far. Still, we are going to be out there looking."
Ken Lucas, spokesperson for the FBI in Charlotte, said the investigation is still under an active status despite the lack of progress.
"Though current leads have not led to the perpetrators, there's not enough information to close it," Lucas said. "It doesn't make sense to close the case yet-it's only been a year. We're still on the ball [for this case]."
The cross burnings occurred May 25, when three seven-foot-tall crosses were set on fire within an eight miles of each other. The first cross was ignited outside of St. Luke's Episcopal Church on Hillandale Road, about five minutes away from campus.
All three crosses were burned within an hour and a half of each other, with the first one being reported at 9:19 p.m.
DPD Lt. Kevin Cates had classified the cross burnings as "hate crimes." North Carolina has laws banning cross burnings with the intent of intimidation. Sentencing guidelines recommend a one-year prison sentence for offenders.
Many officials are disappointed with the cases' stand-still. Many are also frustrated with the lack of eye-witnesses willing to come forward and testify.
"If anyone saw [those who committed the crimes], they aren't talking," said Rev. G.I. Allison, director of the North Carolina Human Relations Commission. "You can't rule anyone out, but at the same time you can't point fingers at anyone."
Even though the cases have not been solved, they have raised awareness of the state's history of racism.
Gene Troy, a human relations specialist at the N.C. Human Relations Commission, told the Herald-Sun that hate crimes have dramatically increased since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Troy said the state law enforcement reported just 34 hate crimes in 2000. The number of hate crimes reported rose to 160 by 2002, and by 2004 the number of reported hate crimes increased to 260-a 700-percent increase over four years.
Cross burnings are most commonly associated with threats of racist violence and the Ku Klux Klan. In the past, members of the group ignited crosses to celebrate the executions of former slaves.
KKK rallies in North Carolina have been documented as recently as February 2004, when members congregated in Raleigh. KKK fliers were also reportedly found at one of the cross burning locations.
Investigators, however, have not linked the KKK with the these specific cross burnings.
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