Random-American

“Hate” crimes have been defined as any crime whose motive is fueled by a “hatred” of the victim due to their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, etc.  Personally, I think calling something a “hate” crime is misguided.  ANY crime that is committed against a person due to a lack of respect of that person’s basic human rights can be argued to be fueled by “hate.”  Should one person’s assault victim status be any less than another’s simply because they don’t fit the hate crime definition?  An assault is an assault, regardless of the motive.  To say that one assault is deserving of greater punishment simply because the victim fits a particular category is in itself discriminatory to other assault victims.  Criminals should be punished for their actions and intent, not for their thoughts.  Anything else gets into mind-crimes, and I really don’t think we should go down that road.

That being said… could you imagine the outrage from the Reverrrrennnds Jackson and Sharpton if the races in this story were reversed?  (hat tip: MM)

From Examiner.com:

As Sarah Kreager, 26, tried to sit down on a Baltimore City bus Tuesday, police say, a middle-schooler told her she couldn’t. When she attempted to take another seat, a middle-schooler wouldn’t let her. Finally, according to police, Kreager just sat down.

She was “immediately attacked” by nine students — three females and six males — from Robert Poole Middle School. They punched and kicked her at 2:59 p.m. at the intersection of 33rd Street and Chestnut Avenue, according to Maryland Transit Administration police.

Kreager was dragged off the bus and her boyfriend, Troy Ennis, attempted to get her back on, police said.

She sustained “serious injuries” and had to be transported to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center, according to a police report.
Examiner.com Related Articles:

Kreager suffered two broken bones in her left eye socket, police said.

“She had eye muscles that were damaged,” a police report states. “She had deep lacerations on the top of her head and another above her neck.”

Victim Sara Kreager

Two seats and the bus’ rear glass were destroyed during the attack, police said.

The bus driver on the No. 27 line quickly called police, who responded and arrested the nine juveniles, said Jawauna Greene, an MTA police spokeswoman.

All nine suspects, ages 14 and 15, were arrested and charged with aggravated assault…

…The suspects in the incident are black. The victim is white, according to the police report.

Michelle Malkin points out that in an interview Kreager claims that that the accused assailants called Kreager and her boyfriend “white crackers” and “white m-f-ers.”  And, according to an article in the Baltimore Sun, the victim is now under witness protection:

A law enforcement source close to the investigation said yesterday that Kreager, who is homeless, has entered the state’s attorney’s office’s witness assistance program because officials are concerned for her safety.

And in another incident…

From Firehouse.com:

A Boston firefighter is mending from what could have been deadly stab wounds he suffered early yesterday morning when he was allegedly jumped in East Boston while off duty by a group of Hispanic males who told him they “don’t want any gringo here.”

Though police are not classifying the incident as racially fueled, the Boston Police Department’s Community Disorders Unit is investigating. The 32-year-old jake, whose name officials were not releasing, is white.

Ironically, the firefighter’s life was likely saved because he sought refuge from his alleged assailants at Engine 5 on Saratoga Street - the station house he’s assigned to.

As I stated before, I don’t like the concept of “hate” crimes, as I feel that any and all unwarranted assaults are crimes with a hateful motive.  However, if we are going to use the term and try to maintain fair standards, then someone please explain why there’s no outrage over these two purported “hate” crimes?

This entry was posted on Monday, December 10th, 2007 at 9:53 pm and is filed under All Posts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.