An African-American man in Malden, Massachusetts has now admitted that he fabricated a hate crime report when he claimed two white men accosted him, saying the U.S. is now “Trump country,” and threatened to lynch him.
A man in the suburb north of Boston told police on Tuesday that he was accosted by two white men after getting off a Boston mass transit bus near Broadway Square in Malden.
The complainant, who has remained unidentified, said the men used racial slurs and warned him he would soon be lynched because the U.S. is now “Trump country.” The man said he ran away and hid, waiting for the men to go away before calling police.
Malden police immediately prioritized the report as a “hate crime” and an investigation was opened. But now police are reporting that their investigation revealed a hoax had been committed.
“As a result, it has been determined that the story was completely fabricated,” Malden police Chief Kevin Molis said in a statement reported by the Boston Herald. “The alleged victim admitted that he had made up the entire story,” saying he wanted to raise awareness about things that are going on around the country.”
Malden Mayor Gary Christenson said he was relieved that the incident turned out to be a hoax.
“Our community reacted quickly, and 24 to 48 hours later, here we are feeling better about who we are and why we are one of the most diverse cities in the state,” Christenson told the media. “Residents like ours who are letting us know when they hear or see something like this, that is important to how a city like ours moves forward.”
This is far from the only so-called “hate crime” reported in connection to the recent election and other issues.
Last week a Muslim woman in Lafayette, Louisiana, admitted she lied about her claim that Trump supporters called her names and ripped off her Muslim head covering. The woman is now in trouble for falsely reporting a crime.
Then there was the recent case of the fake hate crime reported by The Islamic Center of Fort Pierce in Florida, which claimed one of its members was attacked for being Muslim. It was learned shortly thereafter that no such attack ever occurred. The Islamic Center of Fort Pierce was the same Islamic group that the Pulse nightclub killer frequented.
In another case, two teenage Muslims in New York City claimed they were beaten by a white guy because they were Muslim. It later turned out that the white guy caught them sexually harassing his girlfriend and confronted them over their actions.
Finally, a gay man from Canada reported that he was beaten up by Trump supporters in Santa Monica, California. But police found no evidence to substantiate the story and never even received any report of the incident. Police branded the report of the attack as nothing more than a rumor.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.
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