Two men from Columbia, South Carolina, Charles Antonio Clippard and Michael Joseph Knox, have been indicted on federal hate crime charges for a series of robberies targeting Hispanic customers outside of gas stations and a Mexican grocery store. The indictment, issued by a federal grand jury on Monday, accuses Clippard and Knox of forcibly taking cash, cellphones, and even a car from their victims after following them to their homes and holding them at gunpoint.
The U.S. Department of Justice stated that the men intentionally selected victims they identified as Mexican or Hispanic. Their actions highlight a disturbing pattern of racial discrimination and violence.
South Carolina, along with Wyoming, is one of two states in the country without laws that allow for harsher punishments for violent hate crimes. The absence of such laws has been a point of concern and has hindered the fight against hate crimes in the state. The 2015 racist massacre at the Emanuel AME church in Charleston, where nine Black members were killed, has intensified the push to establish a state-level hate crimes law in South Carolina. However, the proposal has faced repeated obstruction from some Republican state senators.
The indictment includes charges of hate crimes, firearms offenses, carjacking, and conspiracy against Clippard and Knox. The firearms offenses carry a minimum prison sentence of 21 years. Each hate crime charge can result in a maximum sentence of 10 years, while the carjacking charge carries a maximum sentence of 15 years.
The case is being investigated by federal authorities in Columbia, in collaboration with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department and local police. The seriousness of these crimes underscores the importance of addressing hate crimes and working towards a more inclusive and tolerant society.
