Columnist Leonard Pitts Could Testify in Neo-Nazi's Federal Trial

By: Joe Strupp Syndicated columnist Leonard Pitts may be among those called to testify in the federal trial of a neo-Nazi leader charged with making threats.

The Roanoke (Va.) Times reports that Pitts is among the alleged victims of William A. White, whose case goes to U.S. District Court in Roanoke Wednesday.

Pitts, a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist based at The Miami Herald, was noticed by White in 2007 after he wrote about the rape and murder of two white people in Knoxville, Tenn. Their attackers were allegedly a group of five black people.

In a June 2007 column, Pitts "derided claims from some critics that the national media -- always eager to report on cases in which whites are accused of victimizing blacks -- ignored this black-on-white crime out of political correctness," the Times reported.

Soon after, White called Pitts' home, and later e-mailed with the alleged threats, including this statement: "You and your fellow black filth are quickly losing ground, and I look forward to the rapidly approaching day when whites once again rise up and slaughter and enslave your ugly race to the last man, woman and child," the Times reported.

Later, White allegedly published Pitts' home address and telephone number on his now-defunct Web site, overthrow.com, and encouraged readers to call the columnist.

When the Herald asked White to delete Pitts' contact information from the Web site, he allegedly replied: "We have no intention of removing Mr. Pitts' personal information," the Times reported. "Frankly, if some loony took the information and killed him, I wouldn't shed a tear. That also goes for your whole newsroom."

E&P's call to Pitts was not immediately returned.