No indication they were targeted because they were Bosnian
Predictably, in the wake of the murder of a Bosnian man in St Louis by four hammer-wielding teenagers, authorities are rushing to tell the public that this was no hate crime.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/12/02/protests-sparse-after-pack-hammer-wielding-teens-beats-man-to-death-in-shadow/
St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson addressed protesters Sunday and pledged to crack down on crime in the area, but denied that Begic was killed because of his ethnicity.
“There is no indication that the gentleman last night was targeted because he was Bosnian,” Dotson said, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “There’s no indication that they knew each other.”
Excuse me, Chief, but could it just be that the victim was chosen for attack because he was white? From what we know, there were four attackers, three of whom were African-American and one Hispanic. Add to that the fact that it happened in a smoldering St Louis, and I think it's fair to ask the question.
The last thing I want to do is add fuel to what is already a fire in the St Louis area. However, does anyone doubt for a minute that if Begic were black and his attackers white, this would be called a hate crime? Al Sharpton would be Johnny-on-the-spot right back in St Louis instead of attending that Obama summit at the White House (another story in itself). Eric Holder would have already issued a statement that he was sending his investigators to conduct their own investigation.
If we are going to have hate crime legislation, then it must be fair and work for everybody no matter who the victims are and no matter who the perps are. To enforce these laws selectively does nothing for public confidence and nothing for the improvement of race relations.
1 comment:
This, once again, demonstrates the futility of "hate crime" as either a law or a concept. Now everyone is worrying about WHETHER he was killed for his light complexion, RATHER THAN focusing on the fact that a man minding his own business was set upon by four thugs. Who cares what color the thugs are, either?
Whether KKK or "we gonna get whitey," thugs relish the "hate crime" publicity. It makes them feel special, justified, and victims of oppression, now matter how thuggish their crime.
It was a mistake for local law enforcement to even mention the subject. It is a mistake for Fousesquawk to harp on the error.
The message to thugs should be, we don't give a darn WHAT your motive was, it has no standing whatsoever, the only thing relevant is you killed someone unlawfully, in cold blood, without an excuse. No, their color, nor yours, is no excuse at all. Now, back to the evidence of what you did.
Convictions obtained with that as the message will filter down much more effectively than trumpeting "hate crime."
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