William McDonald, a man who was accused of intimidating and interfering with the housing rights of Black residents at a Wisconsin apartment complex, is facing up to 11 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to the accusations made against him.
McDonald, 45, admitted to being a menace who targeted neighbors of color on Thursday (March 23). His sentencing has been set for June 29. “The conduct at issue in this case strikes at the very core of the civil rights guaranteed to every American citizen under federal law,” said U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin Gregory Haanstad in a press release. “I commend the courage of those targeted by Mr. McDonald for coming forward.”
As previously reported by REVOLT, the West Allis man’s racist behavior dates back to March 2021, when he slashed the tires and cracked the windshield of a Black woman’s vehicle that was parked outside her apartment. “BETTER WATCH WHO THE F**K YOU TALK S**T TO UFLY FAT N**GER B**CH!” he wrote on a note. It continued, “I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE. IF I SEE YOU AGAIN, I’LL SLASH YOUR F**KING THROAT. GET THE F**K BACK TO THE NORTHSIDE WHERE YOU BELONG F**KING N**GER!” Two weeks later, he again slashed two of the woman’s tires and left another note laced with racial epithets and threats of violence if she did not move.
In April 2022, a Black woman and her two sons were targeted by McDonald three days after moving into the complex. Similar to the aforementioned incident, he attempted to intimidate the family with notes warning they would be victimized if they continued to stay there. Two more instances where a Black couple and a Puerto Rican woman received similar messages were left at their residences, which were located less than a mile from McDonald’s apartment. However, the Department of Justice did not specify if he also admitted to being involved in the latter events.
The FBI and local police connected McDonald to the federal hate crimes with the use of surveillance footage and by obtaining a handwriting sample that proved he wrote the threatening messages left on cars and at the front doors of his neighbors.