WEST ALLIS, Wis. — A 45-year-old West Allis man was sentenced on June 29 in federal court for intimidating and interfering with Black residents due to their race, according to the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ).
William McDonald was sentenced to 30 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. The DOJ says "McDonald vandalized a Black woman’s vehicle parked outside her apartment by slashing her tires and smashing her windshield in March 2021." He then left a note on her car filled with "racial slurs, threatening to slash her throat, and demanding that she move out of West Allis."
A week later, the DOJ says McDonald slashed two of her car tires and left another note with racial slurs. He gave her an ultimatum - move out of the neighborhood or suffer violence.
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In April 2022, another Black woman and her two minor children moved into the same apartment complex as McDonald. Shortly after, the DOJ says McDonald vandalized the woman's front door with racial graffiti. He also left her a note calling her family a racial slur and demanding they leave the building.
“Every person in the United States has the right to live in their homes and neighborhoods free from the threat of violence based on race,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will vigorously enforce federal laws that protect all residents against race-based threats like those made by this defendant. This sentence should send a strong message to others who would carry out similar acts that they will be brought to justice.”
McDonald pleaded guilty to the charges in March 2023. He was facing a maximum of 11 years in prison.
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