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Not a Hate Crime
Topic Started: Jul 25 2009, 08:39 AM (156 Views)
George K
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Finally
Police investigating brick thrown into East Austin home

By Juana Summers | Friday, July 24, 2009, 12:58 PM

Police are investigating a brick with an offensive message thrown into the window of an East Austin home.

The brick, thrown through a 4-year-old boy’s bedroom window, read “Keep Eastside Black. Keep Eastside Strong.”

The homeowner, Barbara Frische, who is white, said she has lived in the home for 10 years.

“It’s the first time anything like this has ever happened to me,” she said.

Frische was featured in a Statesman Watch article published in May in which she lobbied for action to be taken on a charred house that posed a safety hazard.

She has not received negative feedback from area residents about the article, she said, and does not believe this morning’s incident is connected to it.

Police have not classified this incident as a hate crime, said Austin Police Sgt. Richard Stresing, because hate crimes target an individual specifically because of an identifying characteristic, like race. Police say the incident has been classified as criminal mischief and deadly conduct.

Incidents found to be based on race, sexual orientation, ethnicity, disability or gender are flagged as hate crimes, Stresing said, so they can be referred to the Department of Justice.

Posted Image

In Austin, law enforcement agencies notified the Department of Justice of five hate crime incidents in 2007, the most recent year statistics were available in the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report. Two were based on race, two were based on ethnicity and one was based on sexual orientation.

That is a decrease from 2006, when the city reported 13 hate crimes, eight of which were racially motivated, one was religion-based, two were based on sexual orientation and two were on ethnicity.

The state reported a total of 242 hate crime incidents in 2007.

It’s difficult to count how many hate crimes occur in Austin because people often don’t report them, said Lisa Goodgame, director of the Austin chapter of the Anti-Defamation League. She said many people are too afraid to approach law enforcement officials or human rights agencies about their situations.

“Just because we haven’t heard reports of them doesn’t mean they don’t happen,” Goodgame said.


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Mikhailoh
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
This is not a hate crime. Huh.

I guess that's because it's OK to hate white people. This is the stuff that causes folks to join white supremacist groups.
Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball
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Axtremus
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HOLY CARP!!!
Looks like a hate crime to me.
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QuirtEvans
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I Owe It All To John D'Oh
I have a real problem with hate crimes anyway. Is the behavior worse because you hated while doing it? Punish the behavior, not the thoughts.

But yes, it certainly looks like a hate crime to me too.
It would be unwise to underestimate what large groups of ill-informed people acting together can achieve. -- John D'Oh, January 14, 2010.
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Mikhailoh
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
I agree with you on that Quirt. A crime is a crime. They seldom have altruistic motivations. Is greed worse than hate? How about a depraved indifference?

But if we're going to have that distinction it must be applied equally.
Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball
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George K
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Finally
Simple thought experiment:

How long after a brick was thrown through the window of a 4-year-old black child's room with a note saying "Keep Eastside White" would it be before Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson were there.

I'd guess about 15 nanoseconds.
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Dewey
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HOLY CARP!!!
Every crime is a hate crime.
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dolmansaxlil
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HOLY CARP!!!
QuirtEvans
Jul 25 2009, 08:50 AM
I have a real problem with hate crimes anyway. Is the behavior worse because you hated while doing it? Punish the behavior, not the thoughts.

+1

But if you're going to have the rule, it needs to be applied equally.
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Bernard
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Mik,
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But if we're going to have that distinction it must be applied equally.

I'm not a proponent of hate crimes legislation. It's already illegal to assault someone, to murder someone, to deface property.... It's a topic on my mind a lot recently because of the Matthew Sheppard Act. The only reason I would support this act is to put LGBT people on a par with the other groups protected but to my mind that's not a good enough reason. We spend too much time trying to advance these laws that apparently do little to deter crime, attempt to try a person's thoughts and emotions, and in some cases open the way for criminals to be tried twice, which I think is not a good idea.

But you just wait and see, if the MSA passes, the Dems in Congress and Obama will make sure they get full credit for advancing the rights of the LGBT community. Right. :rolleyes: Will they ever get real?
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