A Warren County man is terrified that his home has been attacked again and feels local law enforcement have turned a blind eye to the problem.
Neal Moffitt Anthony, who lives in the Irving College community of Warren County, said another attack occurred during the May 19 weekend when four rocks crashed through his front windows.
The attacks come at the same time that U.S. Senator Bob Corker (R-Tennessee) is emailing his constitutes that he will not vote for the federal hate crimes bill that is currently before the Senate.
“I’m just terrified,” Anthony told Out & About Newspaper. “A deputy from Warren County Sheriff’s Department came out, but the officer said there was nothing they could do since the car was headed into an adjoining county where they have no jurisdiction.”
Anthony, who was home at the time of the attack, said the vehicle, possibly a red or burgundy Ford Explorer, had people in it who screamed “fags must die.”
It is the third attack in as many months. Earlier this month, three teenagers plead guilty to attacking his home with paint balls. Those teens were arrested in April and charged with delinquency to the act of vandalism for peppering the historic with more than 80 paintballs. That incident, along with the spay painting, resulted in several thousands of dollars of damage and required for the siding on the home to be replaced.
The juveniles were placed on probation on Monday, May 7 and were ordered by the juvenile judge to write an apology and mow yards for five weekends.
The other attack, where hate-filled anti-gay messages were spray painted on his home, remains unsolved.
Anthony has contacted the Tennessee Chapter of the ACLU for help.
The Tennessee Equality Project recently established a task force to deal with increasing cases of hate crimes across the state. The TEP Hate Crimes Task Force is lead by board member Rhonda White and board secretary Lisa Beavers, Ph.D., LPC, MHSP. TEP has also added web resources to develop a comprehensive approach that will include working with local law enforcement and media.
Anthony said he was terrified by the attack and frustrated at what appears to be disinterest from local law enforcement.
“I don’t know what else to do,” he said.
Anthony will appear on Out & About Today TV in June to tell viewers about his experiences.
