Two teens face hate crime charges for Beating a Transgender Woman in McDonald’s

The two women who beat Chrissy Lee Polis, a transgender woman in McDonald's were indicted on hate crime charges the other day.

Here's more:

Teonna Brown, 18, was indicted Monday on assault and hate crime charges in the attack on Chrissy Lee Polis at the restaurant last month. She is also charged with assaulting a customer and a McDonald’s employee who tried to intervene. A 14-year-old girl is facing the same charges in juvenile court. The Associated Press typically does not identify juveniles charged with crimes.

Both teenagers are being held, prosecutors said no one else would be charged.
Brown was defending herself and maintains her innocence, according to attorney Timothy P. Knepp. He declined to go into further detail.

“She’s a very nice young lady who lives with her mom and is not the person the press has made her out to be,” Knepp said.

A videotape of the April 18 beating showed a woman being attacked repeatedly while an employee and customer try to stop them, and the woman apparently having a seizure.

While some thinks the jail time is justice, others think counseling and anger management will help the girls stay away from future trouble.

Arizona justice: Shawna Forde death sentence a rebuke to border vigilantes

Shawna Forde

An Arizona jury on Tuesday handed down a death sentence for Shawna Forde, leader of Minutemen American Defense. She was convicted in the killings of 2 border residents in 2009 – a case Latinos say should have prompted greater outcry from political leaders.

Arizona is known for its tough stance against illegal immigrants, but this week a jury here sent a strong message of rebuke to anti-immigrant vigilante groups as well, sentencing the leader of a border watch group to death for her role in the 2009 home-invasion murders of a 9-year-old Hispanic-American girl and her father.

Latinos in Arizona had decried politicians' lack of attention to the brutal slayings, contrasting it with the more intense reaction to the murder of a white rancher in Cochise County last March, allegedly at the hands of an illegal border-crosser.

The death sentence handed down Tuesday in Tucson is against Shawna Forde, a resident of Washington State who headed the Minutemen American Defense group. She was convicted Feb. 14 of first-degree murder for orchestrating the killings of Brisenia and Raul Junior Flores of Arivaca, Ariz., a small community just north of the Mexican border.

“I think that the nation as a whole sees us as the wild, wild West, that things like that are going to be OK with us,” says Angie Thomas, who sat on the jury. “And they’re not.”

The case has drawn back the curtain to reveal the dark side of the debate raging in Arizona over illegal immigration.

Ms. Thomas and fellow jurors were told during the trial that Ms. Forde and accomplices gained entry to the Flores home with the expectation of finding drugs there, which could be sold to finance Minutemen American Defense's border-control operations. Finding no drugs, the intruders made away with inexpensive jewelry but, prosecutors said, not before fatally shooting young Brisenia and Mr. Flores. Both victims were American citizens born in the US.

“I see Shawna Forde as someone who would have liked to have been the face of a movement,” Thomas says.

Arriving at the death sentence was difficult, Thomas says, but it was aided by a picture of Brisenia presented during trial that was etched in her mind: “A little girl, with bright red fingernails; she’s wearing a white T-shirt and turquoise-colored pajama bottoms. She’s on a love seat. It’s a perfect, innocent picture until you realize that half of her face has been blown off.”

Brisenia’s mother and Mr. Flores’s wife, Gina Gonzalez, was wounded during the shooting but survived. She testified that her daughter was shot point-blank as the girl pleaded for her life.

To some here, the lack of public attention to the double slaying has left a bitter taste. When rancher Robert Krentz was killed in Cochise County last March, politicians quickly demanded increased border security, says Carlos Galindo, a community activist and radio talk-show host in Phoenix, who followed the Forde murder trial closely.

“We have failed leadership: They won’t speak up, they’re silent,” Mr. Galindo says. “To not say that it’s tragic for a child to die – that leaves it as acceptable to continue harming immigrants or Hispanics here in Arizona.”

The Krentz murder, which remains unsolved, has been largely blamed on an unknown illegal immigrant. A month later, Gov. Jan Brewer signed Senate Bill 1070 into law to clamp down on people living in the state without legal status. A federal judge put on hold key provisions of the law, and it remains in legal limbo.

Jennifer Allen, executive director of Border Action Network, a human rights group, concurs with Galindo. “We didn’t see a commensurate response after the shooting of Brisenia and her father, calling for zero tolerance of hate crimes or anti-Latino violence or zero tolerance for anti-immigrant groups.”

But even amid Arizona’s heated climate over illegal immigration, shootings like the one that took the lives of father and daughter are relatively uncommon, Ms. Allen says.

“Tragically, more common is the complacency on the part of government officials to attack it at its heart and call it for what it is: that it’s hate crimes,” she says. “These are anti-immigrant groups that have violent undertones and overtones.”

William Simmons, a border expert and political scientist at Arizona State University, views the Forde case as an exception – one of someone on the fringes. Forde’s group is an offshoot of the Minutemen movement launched in Arizona.

“These fringe elements get in the way of having civil dialogue about these issues,” he says.

Forde’s codefendants, alleged gunman Jason Bush and Albert Gaxiola, are expected to go to trial later this year. They also face the death penalty.

Source: Christian Science Monitor, February 24, 2011

_________________________

Use the tags below or the search engine at the top of this page to find updates, older or related articles on this Website.

EU tells Uganda to protect gays

David Kato

The European Parliament has urged Uganda to decriminalise homosexuality and protect gays and lesbians after a prominent gay rights activist was murdered last month.

The 27-nation assembly adopted a resolution on Thursday calling on Ugandan authorities to conduct an in-depth investigation into the murder of David Kato and probe individuals who publicly called for his killing.

It urged Uganda to ensure gays and lesbians "are adequately protected against violence, and to take prompt action against all threats or hate speech likely to incite violence, discrimination or hostility towards them".

The call came on the same day that a leaked US embassy cable on WikiLeaks revealed that Kato was mocked at a UN-backed debate on Uganda's anti-homosexuality bill where a member of the Uganda Human Rights Commission "openly joked and snickered" with the supporters of the bill.

According to the cable, the debate in December 2009 was organised with funding from the UN and sought to discuss a controversial bill seeking to impose the death penalty for "aggravated homosexuality" for consenting adults who have gay sex.

A US diplomat quoted in the cable said Kato delivered a well-written speech against the bill introduced by a born-again MP, David Bahati, but his words were almost inaudible due to "his evident nervousness".

Homophobia in Uganda runs deep and ministers and pastors often rail against gays and lesbians, accusing them of importing and adopting "rotten" Western culture.

Kato's murder on January 26 triggered a wave of condemnation from rights groups who criticised Uganda for ignoring the plight of gay people in the country and urged authorities to investigate the murder.

Although the Ugandan police have since arrested a suspect in connection with Kato's murder, they insist his death was a not a consequence of his gay activism.

The suspect is a male prostitute who confessed to murdering Kato after he reneged on an agreement to pay for sex, police say.

Last year, Kato was named and pictured by an anti-gay tabloid called Rolling Stone in a story that carried the headline "Hang Them" in reference to gay rights campaigners.

The people who appeared in the tabloid are "now in genuine danger of being persecuted, are in most cases now homeless, unemployed and forced to avoid public places, and must hide from public view," the parliament resolution said.

Source: Al Jazeera, Feb. 18, 2011

_________________________

Use the tags below or the search engine at the top of this page to find updates, older or related articles on this Website.

UK: Men charged with anti-gay hatred over execution leaflets

Two men in Derby are the first to be charged under new laws against stirring up hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation.

Razwan Javed, 30, and Kabir Ahmed, 27, were accused of handing out leaflets called ‘The Death Penalty?’ outside a Derby mosque.

It reportedly said that gay people should be executed and the pair are also accused of pushing it through letterboxes.

The pair were reportedly arrested after a tip-off from a member of the public.

If convicted at a crown court, they could face up to seven years in prison or an unlimited fine. They will appear before magistrates today.

This is the first time anyone has been prosecuted for inciting hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation, the Crown Prosecution Service said.

Sue Hemming, a lawyer for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “The charges relate to the distribution of a leaflet, ‘The Death Penalty?’, outside the Jamia Mosque in Derby in July 2010 and through letterboxes during the same month.

“This is the first-ever prosecution for this offence and it is the result of close working between the Crown Prosecution Service and Derbyshire Police.”

Stonewall chief executive Ben Summerskill said: “We welcome the Attorney General’s decision to allow this prosecution to go ahead. We lobbied for a number of years for a specific law to protect gay people, matching offences against inciting racial and religious hatred.

“Materials like the leaflets posted to homes in Derby create fear and inflame hatred and violence towards gay people. We uncovered a range of similar materials during our campaign to secure much-needed legal protections in this area.”

Source: Pink News, January 28, 2011

_________________________

Use the tags below or the search engine at the top of this page to find updates, older or related articles on this Website.

Ohio: Mercy plea rejected for convicted killer, Nazi sympathizer

The Ohio Parole Board says Spisak does not accept responsibility for his actions.The Ohio Parole Board has unanimously rejected a mercy plea by convicted killer and Nazi sympathizer Frank Spisak of Cleveland.

Spisak, 59, is scheduled to be executed on Feb. 17. He would be the 1st to die under the watch of Gov. John Kasich unless the Republican governor grants clemency.

The board, in a 9-0 decision, said that Spisak's argument that his life should be spared because his case was not "the worst of the worst" is invalid.

"Spisak killed 3 people, tried to kill at least 1 other, and shot at a 5th in his admitted plan to kill as many African Americans as possible and start a race war in Cleveland," the board said. "His victims were innocent, unsuspecting strangers."

The board said Spisak, who once asked the state to pay for a sex-change operation when he was in prison, does not accept responsibility for his actions and continues to blame others.

Kasich, who supports the death penalty, has the ultimate clemency power to spare Spisak's life, grant a reprieve for a period, or allow the execution to go forward.

Spisak committed the murders in 1982 on the campus of Cleveland State University. He blamed mental illness for his actions.

Source: Columbus Dispatch, January 21, 2011

_________________________

Use the tags below or the search engine at the top of this page to find updates, older or related articles on this Website.

Condemned Ohio killer of 3 asks panel for mercy

A condemned Ohio inmate with Nazi sympathies who killed 3 men at Cleveland State University is asking the state's new governor for mercy.

Frank Spisak blamed the 1982 murders on his hatred of gays, blacks and Jews and also claimed his crimes were sparked by mental illness related to confusion about his sexual identity.

His attorneys planned to tell the Ohio Parole Board Thursday that Spisak suffers from a severe bipolar mood disorder that was not diagnosed until years after he was convicted.

The lawyers argue the information could have led jurors to consider a different sentence.

Spisak's plea to spare his life will be the 1st death penalty case to come before newly sworn-in Republican Gov. John Kasich

Source: Associated Press, January 13, 2011

Montana: Death penalty, physician-assisted suicide, same-sex couples bills planned for 2011 Legislature

Montana lawmakers soon will be considering bills to ban the death penalty and to allow or forbid physician-assisted suicide when a terminally ill patient requests it.

The 2011 Legislature also will take up a proposal to add sexual orientation and "gender identity and expression" to the state Human Rights Act and protect those classes of people from discrimination.

Niki Zupanic of ACLU Montana said many of the new legislators were swept in with the national sentiment for a smaller, limited government.

"We're hoping that sentiment will hold true on social issues as well," she said. "Things like a woman's right to choose, reproductive freedom and freedom for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community."

The ACLU again will be working to ban the death penalty in Montana. The Senate approved a ban in 2009, but it stalled in a House committee on a tied vote.

"On the issue of whether the state should continue to hold onto this broken system of holding onto the death penalty, it costs way too much, it doesn't work and it's a poor use of tax dollars," Zupanic said.

Sen. Ron Erickson, D-Missoula, will sponsor the bill to abolish the death penalty.

As for physician-assisted suicide, Rep. Dick Barrett, D-Missoula, is introducing legislation to implement a 2009 Montana Supreme Court decision to allow this procedure when a terminally ill patient requests it.

"My sense is that terminally ill Montanans really do want to have this choice available to them, not that large numbers of people take advantage of it," Barrett said when requesting the bill draft earlier this year.

"We'll be advocating for Montanans to continue to have access in aid in dying and to make those decisions with their doctor without government interference," Zupanic said.

Jeff Laszloffy, president of the Montana Family Foundation, said his group stands against physician-assisted suicide.

"I think one of the big ones we're really going to be fighting is the legalization of assisted suicide in Montana," he said.

Meanwhile, Sen. Greg Hinkle, R-Thompson Falls, is requesting a bill to ban physician-assisted suicide in Montana. He has referred to it as "elder abuse."

The Montana Human Rights Network will try to expand the state's Human Rights Act to include "sexual orientation and gender identity and expression," program director Kim Abbott said. Among other things, that would forbid employment discrimination against this group.

"It's adding those classes to the bedrock human rights law in Montana." Abbott said. "We were able to get protection at the local level in Missoula, so we're feeling good about the effort."

However, Abbott predicted it would be an uphill battle at the Legislature because of its makeup.

"We think it's important to give lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people a space to tell their story and for people who are elected leaders to hear them," she said.

Sen.-elect Tom Facey, D-Missoula, has asked for this bill to be drafted.

However, Laszloffy said the Montana Family Foundation will stand opposed to any attempts to protect homosexuals under the state's hate crime law, to allow homosexual couples to get same benefits as heterosexual couples and to authorize civil unions between same-sex couples.

"This is probably not the best session for that agenda, given the numbers in the House and Senate," he said.

Source: Missoulian, December 8, 2010

And The Hate Continues

I seem to be posting a lot of disturbing pictures of Sikh brothers these days. I wish these pictures didn't exist. I wish I didn'y have to post them. But this needs to be known.

I heard someone on TV say that the election of Barack Obama - if it happens T-5 days and counting - would herald the end of racism in America. I don't think so. In fact, I know not. How very naive.

This is from SALDEF:

Hate Finds Another Victim in New Jersey


SALDEF concerned about potential backlash in the coming weeks after historic Presidential election

Washington, DC – October 29, 2008: On Monday, the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), the oldest and largest Sikh American civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States, documented a violent hate crime against a Sikh American man in Carteret, New Jersey.


Before dawn on Monday morning, Mr. Ajit Singh Chima walked out of his home in Carteret for his daily exercise. As he walked around his neighborhood, Mr. Chima was violently struck in the head by a Hispanic male who appeared to be in his twenties. As Mr. Chima fell to the ground, the assailant continued to violently punch and kick Mr. Chima in the head, neck and face before casually walking away from the scene. Nothing was stolen from Mr. Chima’s person.


Mr. Chima suffered four broken bones around his jaw and eyes. Other medical tests are ongoing to diagnose any possible effects on his vision or greater head injuries.

As of today, no arrests have been made. Upon learning of the incident, SALDEF alerted local police, the Mayor of Carteret, the FBI and other Justice Department officials and urged them to investigate the attack as a possible hate crime. Carteret Mayor Daniel J. Reiman acknowledged SALDEF’s concerns about post-9/11 hate crimes against Sikhs and reassured SALDEF that the attack would be properly investigated.


“In light of previous hate attacks against the Sikh American community, if theft isn’t an issue, and if the assailant isn’t known to the victim, we are left with a presumption that bias was a motive,” said Rajdeep Singh Jolly, Legal Director of SALDEF. “We want law enforcement officials to investigate this attack as a possible hate crime.”


The Potential for More


Over the past year, SALDEF and many other organizations have expressed concern about the use of ethnic and religious slurs in the context of the presidential campaign and the perceived acceptance from both campaigns that to be or perceived to be Muslim or Arab is negative. SALDEF has also documented an increase in verbal assaults directed toward Sikhs in the past 30 days.


For example, last month, a community member came to SALDEF regarding an incident that occurred in Providence, RI which could have resulted in violence. While waiting on the sidewalk for a companion to park their car, a Sikh American man was approached by a white male who got out of his vehicle and accosted him. The white male approached the turbaned Sikh male and allegedly stated, " I have a gun in my car and since you are a hajii no one will care if I kill you. You know why the police won't do anything? Because I got blond hair and blue eyes." As the assailant left, he screamed, "F*** Arabs and F*** Obama."


“The bias-filled rhetoric has reached a new high this campaign season and our community must be prepared for any potential increase in hate and bias crimes,” said SALDEF National Director Rajbir Singh Datta. “Individuals who feel no shame about verbally assaulting members of the Sikh American community usually just need a spark to turn violent. We fear the spark may be the outcome of the presidential campaign, regardless of who wins.”


This should not prevent Sikh Americans from voting on November 4, 2008. SALDEF urges all Sikh Americans to exercise their democratic right to cast a ballot for the candidate of their choice this election year.


As always, however, Sikh Americans should be aware of their surroundings; stay in contact with friends and family; and immediately report any incidents of harassment or violence to the police and to SALDEF at legal@saldef.org or via phone at (202) 393-2700.


CONTACT: Rajbir Singh Datta; media@saldef.org; 202-393-2700 ext 127