Unbelievable - a mob attacked these people for nothing

[LuvOrlando]

double post

 

[LuvOrlando]

I'm not an advocate of segregation and would not go to a place that practices this way. However, it is the right of a private place to refuse guests on any pretext they choose just as it is my right to either opt in or opt out based on their criteria for admission. There is no comparison between a private entities behavior and that of a governmental institution.

What I find suspicious is the motivation behind booking this event in the first place. I mean, what are the chances that the people who booked these kids to visit this spot REALLY didn't know the place would react this way. Come on, I don't buy it for a second. I think this was a media stunt done specifically to draw a spotlight to the club. The biggest trouble with that is that someone may have intentionally scarred these kids by putting them in the line of fire to make a point. I felt so badly for the kids. Whoever organized this even should be reprimanded because it is his/her job to protect the kids, not use them. Seriously, if race is a point of contention for the club owners what are the chances it never came up. Does anyone really believe this was an accident?

No matter what happened, it is decidedly suspicious that the news is blitzed with that pool situation and no-one seems to care about this poor families brutal mob attack. For heavens sake, I just read about a fight between different Jews in Israel an ocean away yet this event is utterly ignored by most of our news. What does that say about us that we tolerate this from our media outlets?

 

[Wishing on a star]

I am amazed that I only heard about this incident hear and have not seen it on the news here in Philadelphia.

OH WAIT! Now I remember.

The Huntington Valley Swim Club told an inner city day camp that they wouldn't be allowed to swim at the club last week and returned their money. That was labeled as racist by all the news outlets and that's all we hear.

All the coverage on CNN is about the Philly incident but I have never seen one word about black racism in Akron.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/07/10/philly.pool.response/index.html

Good luck finding the Akron incident on CNN.

I am deeply irritated with our media coverage of black on white hate crimes. They have it covered for perceived white on black racial incidents.

Evidently, only whites can be racist in America.

(Am I allowed to speak this way in America without being labeled a racist?)

ITA!!!!

This is one of the best, and most observant and truthful posts on this thread.

Sad, but true.

 

[OceanAnnie]

That's funny, I heard about both issues.

So, what do you think about the pool issue? Do you think race played a part in it or do you buy the story that they over booked?

I agree that the media has an issue with race. They do report more about race based crimes when the victim is black. Just as they report more about white missing children/women.

Evidently, only white children/women can be abducted in America.
(Am I allowed to speak this way in America without being labeled a racist?)

True. I wonder how the media picks and chooses it's stories. Both races are equally newsworthy and should get attention.

ETA- Couldn't find the right words.

 

[Keli]

I don't like the police's attitude regarding the whole incident. It's as if they are trying to downplay it rather than make a full out effort to find the boys responsible and bring them to justice.
I think the whole 'hate' crime thing is stupid anyway. I don't think that one person getting beat to a pulp is less of a crime than another one getting beat to a pulp whatever races and/or motives are involved on either side.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Let's not forget that so called Hate Crimes are Federal crimes and therefore have the Federal Government's resources available. How is it ok to deny someone, anyone 'the best' available resources because of the color of their skin?

We haven't evolved as a society at all, and off we go telling the rest of the world how they should do things. No wonder they laugh at us

 

[Bobbles]

That's funny, I heard about both issues.

So, what do you think about the pool issue? Do you think race played a part in it or do you buy the story that they over booked?

I agree that the media has an issue with race. They do report more about race based crimes when the victim is black. Just as they report more about white missing children/women.

Evidently, only white children/women can be abducted in America.
(Am I allowed to speak this way in America without being labeled a racist?)

You are correct about the white/black abductions and how they are covered by the media.

And no, pointing that out doesn't "label" you a "racist".

I think it is quite possible that the swim club did, indeed, overbook. I do not believe they intentionally banned them because they were primarily black. That is almost impossible to get away with in America.

Do you not believe the President of the Swim Club's explanation? Do you believe he is lying?

The bottom line question here is simple. What is wrong with the media in America?

Watching commercials in the USA and we can see that the white male is usually the dopey person with the black or female person in the same commercial as the one who promotes the cure for the dopey white guy's problem.

I began to notice this about 5 years ago after living in South Korea for a couple of years. There are no multi-racial or multi-cultural commercials there.

I found it interesting.

 

[darlak]

Hate crime
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.....Hate crimes (also known as bias-motivated crimes) occur when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her perceived membership in a certain social group, usually defined by racial group, religion, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, gender identity, or political affiliation.


Sounds to me like it meets the criteria for a hate crime.

 

[LisaR]

I have a question for those of you that are so adamantly in favor of the hate crime laws instead of just charging the person with the crime they committed (murder, assault, etc).

Do you think the scum that killed Matthew Shepard would have grown up to be outstanding, productive citizens if there weren't any gay people in this world?

Do you think the black kids that jumped the family in this story would be great, wonderful boys if only there weren't any white people in this world?

Do you think the Sunni's would stop all fighting if there weren't any ****e's?

What if we got rid of all the Jews? Would the Muslim countries be at peace?

My assumption is that there would still be plenty of violence in this world. I would guess these people would find another outlet for their backwards way of thinking and their anger and rage.

A crime is a crime. Adding the word "hate" to it doesn't change it to me.

Get rid of all the white people in this world and it is a safe bet that the group of boys referred to in this story would find themselves beating the crap out of other black people because they didn't like their shoes or hair style. Violent, psychotic people love to have an excuse like skin color or sexual preference but they are still violent once you take away the excuses.

 

[darlak]

I have a question for those of you that are so adamantly in favor of the hate crime laws instead of just charging the person with the crime they committed (murder, assault, etc).

Do you think the scum that killed Matthew Shepard would have grown up to be outstanding, productive citizens if there weren't any gay people in this world?

Do you think the black kids that jumped the family in this story would be great, wonderful boys if only there weren't any white people in this world?

Do you think the Sunni's would stop all fighting if there weren't any ****e's?

What if we got rid of all the Jews? Would the Muslim countries be at peace?

My assumption is that there would still be plenty of violence in this world. I would guess these people would find another outlet for their backwards way of thinking and their anger and rage.

A crime is a crime. Adding the word "hate" to it doesn't change it to me.

Get rid of all the white people in this world and it is a safe bet that the group of boys referred to in this story would find themselves beating the crap out of other black people because they didn't like their shoes or hair style. Violent, psychotic people love to have an excuse like skin color or sexual preference but they are still violent once you take away the excuses.

I would still have to support the perpetrators being charged with a hate crime rather than simple assault, if for no other reason than this…someone charged with a hate crime potentially faces tougher sentencing guidelines than someone charged only with assault.

 

[disneyjunkie]

You are correct about the white/black abductions and how they are covered by the media.

And no, pointing that out doesn't "label" you a "racist".

I think it is quite possible that the swim club did, indeed, overbook. I do not believe they intentionally banned them because they were primarily black. That is almost impossible to get away with in America.

Do you not believe the President of the Swim Club's explanation? Do you believe he is lying?

The bottom line question here is simple. What is wrong with the media in America?

Watching commercials in the USA and we can see that the white male is usually the dopey person with the black or female person in the same commercial as the one who promotes the cure for the dopey white guy's problem.

I began to notice this about 5 years ago after living in South Korea for a couple of years. There are no multi-racial or multi-cultural commercials there.

I found it interesting.

I think the swim club reacted to the racist views of the members. If the club, (owners, managers...) had a problem with the campers, they would not have taken the money from the camp director.(A black woman)

Everything was fine until the parents (yes, I think they are racist) saw the campers and started to complain.

If the camp was over booked, the managers could have called several camps and asked them to share the slots. For example, instead of having one camp swim for 10 weeks, let each swim for 5 weeks and give each camp a 50% refund. Maybe allow those camps to be the first to book pool time for the 2010 season.

If the pool was over booked, why didn’t they inform the camp director sooner? I’m sure the swim times were booked late winter- early spring.
The contract has to state the dates, times and the number of swimmers. I don't believe the club would have allowed the camps to book peak swim times. How could the club not know they were over booked?

And what the heck did the President mean when he said the campers “changed the complexion and atmosphere of the club”?

I think the President is in COA mode right now.

 

[LisaR]

I would still have to support the perpetrators being charged with a hate crime rather than simple assault, if for no other reason than this…someone charged with a hate crime potentially faces tougher sentencing guidelines than someone charged only with assault.

Which is exactly why I DON'T support a hate crime law. It brings on more problems than necessary; just as this thread has shown. People are outraged over the fact that this might not be labeled a hate crime. There are two sides to every story. None of us were there. We have no clue what the white family said. The police, judge and jury would have to make the best decision they can in this case. If it isn't a hate crime, it can spark outrage. Make the punishments the same. Murder is murder. The penalty should be incredibly steep whether you murdered your spouse, a best friend, a total stranger or someone of the opposite race. Obviously this wasn't a murder case but the assault charge should hold the same water whether racial slurs were spoken or not.

I would also be curious how many of you would be screaming so loud for these black kids to be charged with a hate crime if someone comes along with cell phone video showing the white family calling the black kids names before a single punch was thrown? Wouldn't that make the case interesting?

 

[disneyjunkie]

I would also be curious how many of you would be screaming so loud for these black kids to be charged with a hate crime if someone comes along with cell phone video showing the white family calling the black kids names before a single punch was thrown? Wouldn't that make the case interesting?

This reminds me of the Jenna 6 threads that were on the DIS a year or so ago. Those threads were very interesting.

 

[darlak]

Which is exactly why I DON'T support a hate crime law. It brings on more problems than necessary; just as this thread has shown. People are outraged over the fact that this might not be labeled a hate crime. There are two sides to every story. None of us were there. We have no clue what the white family said. The police, judge and jury would have to make the best decision they can in this case. If it isn't a hate crime, it can spark outrage. Make the punishments the same. Murder is murder. The penalty should be incredibly steep whether you murdered your spouse, a best friend, a total stranger or someone of the opposite race. Obviously this wasn't a murder case but the assault charge should hold the same water whether racial slurs were spoken or not.

I would also be curious how many of you would be screaming so loud for these black kids to be charged with a hate crime if someone comes along with cell phone video showing the white family calling the black kids names before a single punch was thrown? Wouldn't that make the case interesting?

LisaR, I agree with you on more parts of your post than not. There are two (or more) sides to every story and we don’t fully know any of those at this point. I absolutely agree that overall, criminal punishments are too lenient and certainly those for violent crimes all too often are.

We’re all dealing in suppositions here with few hard facts. We know only part of one side of the story (I’m assuming here that the news story didn’t contain all details). To suggest the possibility that perhaps the attack was provoked in some way is certainly another supposition.

However, IF the attack was provoked only by the victims race, then I would still favor the perpetrators being charged with a hate crime because while all violent crimes should be prosecuted and penalized to the fullest extent of the law, in truth, without extenuating circumstances such as the hate crime element, such violent acts all too often are not.

 

[Bobbles]

This reminds me of the Jenna 6 threads that were on the DIS a year or so ago. Those threads were very interesting.

So true!

 

[Bobbles]

I think the swim club reacted to the racist views of the members. If the club, (owners, managers...) had a problem with the campers, they would not have taken the money from the camp director.(A black woman)

Everything was fine until the parents (yes, I think they are racist) saw the campers and started to complain.

If the camp was over booked, the managers could have called several camps and asked them to share the slots. For example, instead of having one camp swim for 10 weeks, let each swim for 5 weeks and give each camp a 50% refund. Maybe allow those camps to be the first to book pool time for the 2010 season.

If the pool was over booked, why didn’t they inform the camp director sooner? I’m sure the swim times were booked late winter- early spring.
The contract has to state the dates, times and the number of swimmers. I don't believe the club would have allowed the camps to book peak swim times. How could the club not know they were over booked?

And what the heck did the President mean when he said the campers “changed the complexion and atmosphere of the club”?

I think the President is in COA mode right now.

And how do we know what the parents said? Because the camp director said this?

I don't know what the general membership of the Swim Club is. Do we know that there are no black members? Or are we just assuming?

That's what is wrong with the whole issue. Not enough facts are known. Just assumptions.

 

[Wishing on a star]

I really do not know if I am for a special category for 'hate crimes'.

To me, that is really not the issue.... Because, the fact is that we do have definitions and punishments for hate crimes. So, that being the FACT, (which I will not ignore) then yes, it is a huge miscarriage of justice if these laws are not carried out 'equally'.... It is supposed to be all about 'equal justice under law'. (or have too many people forgotten that)

We can hem and haw and debate on whether we like the fact that we even have laws regarding hate crimes. But that does not change the facts or circumstances in this case.

IMHO, based on the info given, for law enforcement officials to make excuses and refuse to punish offenders of any race to the fullest extent of the law, is completely and totally inexcusable and objectionable.

At this time, the laws are on the books... Until such time as a case like this reaches the Supreme Court (like the recent reverse racism case brought by firefighters) then it is up to law enforcement to protect anybody of any race, and to fully prosecute any accused of any race.

But, so much for 'equality'....

Like somebody just posted. How can we even begin to think that we have evolved when the very laws put in place regarding racism are used to draw racial lines. Sad...

 

[disneyjunkie]

And how do we know what the parents said? Because the camp director said this?

I don't know what the general membership of the Swim Club is. Do we know that there are no black members? Or are we just assuming?

That's what is wrong with the whole issue. Not enough facts are known. Just assumptions.

Some of the campers overheard the comments the parents were making.

You don't think it's odd that they just found out that the pool was over booked? Do you have any idea how far in advance camps book their summer programming? I'm sorry but the over crowded story doesn't fly with me.

I believe the club's decision was based on the reaction of the idiot parents in attendance that day.

 

[wannagotodisney]

Let's not forget that so called Hate Crimes are Federal crimes and therefore have the Federal Government's resources available.

This is some info copied and pasted from ohio.com which it the Akron Beacon Journal's website. Sorry if this has been posted already--my computer is being really slow so I can't get back thru the prior posts:


The FBI has been asked to join Akron police in investigating the attack on a white family by a group of black teens near Firestone Park.

In a letter to the FBI dated today, Mayor Don Plusquellic asks the federal agency's local office to help determine whether any civil-rights violations or hate crimes occurred during the attack last month on Marty Marshall and his family.

The investigation is being supported by civil-rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton.

''Accounts from the victim have indicated his assailants prefaced the attack with statements that could indicate a racial motivation to the crime,'' Plusquellic wrote in his letter.

''Our priority is the same as it is with every crime: to find justice for the victims. But, it is also important that we carefully examine the motivation behind this attack and address that if necessary.''

Marshall, 39, spent five days in Akron General Medical Center after a group of black teens attacked him, his wife, two children and two adult male friends.

Akron police have confirmed from witnesses that the attack by 30 to 50 teens was unprovoked and that no words were exchanged before the attack.

The victims say the group shouted, ''This is our world,'' during the assault. Marshall says he also heard chants of, ''This is a black world.''

The assault, in which Marshall suffered extensive head injuries from repeated kicks and punches to his skull, has not yet been ruled a hate crime by Akron police.

Police told the Marshalls this week that they were unaware of the chants until reading about them in the newspaper.

Marshall, in an interview today, said police questioned him late Wednesday night about the attack and the chants he heard. His wife, Yvonne Marshall, said she recalls telling officers and a detective about the chants the night of the attack.

The remarks are not noted in a police report released by the department. A box to denote whether the attack was a hate crime is marked ''no bias/not applicable.''

''I was offended,'' Yvonne Marshall said today of the follow-up interview with police. ''The detective who was questioning me made me feel like I'm a liar, or that we didn't say it.

''I know I told them that night that the group was saying, 'This is our world.' The whole interview made me feel very uncomfortable.''

The assault occurred on Girard Street outside the home of a friend of Marshall. The friends had just returned from watching the fireworks at Firestone Park on June 27. Out of nowhere, the six were attacked by dozens of black teenage boys.

It started when one teen, without warning, stormed in and assaulted Marshall's friend, knocking him to the ground.

Marty Marshall, a construction worker, went to help his friend and protect his family and found himself being attacked by the growing group of teens.

His daughter, Rachel, 15, tried to come to his rescue. The teens pushed her to the ground.

A friend in a wheelchair was not assaulted.

Yvonne Marshall said she pushed their son, Donald, 14, into bushes to keep him protected.

After several minutes of punches and kicks, the group ran off. The Marshalls' two adult male friends were not seriously hurt.

Marty Marshall suffered a concussion and bruises to his head and eye. He spent five nights in the critical care unit at Akron General Medical Center. The family has no medical insurance and Marshall has not worked since the attack.

Marshall said this week he believed the attack was racially motivated.

Support for the Marshalls arrived this week from the Rev. Sharpton, a national activist for the black community. A spokesman said Sharpton is aware of the attack and does not condone the behavior of the teens.

Sharpton's National Action Network supports the FBI investigation, the spokesman said.

''These teens need to be punished as much as any dumb redneck in white sheets,'' said Richard Jones, a Sharpton spokesman based in Cleveland. ''Nobody should be attacked like this, whether they are black or white. These young men who are responsible need to be brought to justice.''

Plusquellic would not comment beyond the letter and a written statement, spokesman Mark Williamson said.

In the statement, the mayor said the investigation into the attack will try to determine whether it ''falls under the category of a violation of civil-rights protection and should, consequently, be considered a 'hate crime.'

''This ruling must, by law, be made by federal authorities, and therefore we are asking for their assistance in this matter. Make no mistake, most important is that the perpetrators are caught and brought to justice. I know that our police department is doing everything it can to aggressively pursue the investigation into this horrible incident.

''I ask our citizens to not confuse the technical/legal issue of a federally designated 'hate crime' with the fact that our police department is taking all necessary steps to solve this crime.''

Police Chief Craig Gilbride did not respond to phone calls or a text message sent to him today for comment. The department spokesman also declined comment other than to say the attack remains under investigation.

Tina Merlitti, the Ward 7 councilwoman for the neighborhood where the attack occurred, did not return two messages left on her cell phone.

Council President Marco Sommerville expressed outrage over the attack and said he is confident Akron police will make an arrest. The Marshalls have so far been unable to identify mug shots of potential suspects.

''I'm as outraged as anyone that innocent people would be assaulted, especially when it is unprovoked,'' he said. ''It doesn't make a difference whether you're black or white. What these young men did was absolutely wrong, and they should be brought to justice.''

The Marshalls said they have been inundated with support in phone calls and e-mails from people across the United States, some offering condolences, some offering cash to help pay for Marty Marshall's medical bills.

A fund to aid the Marshall family has been set up with the Charter One Bank branch at 2147 East Ave, Akron, 44314.

''I'm dumbfounded, actually, that there are that many caring people out there,'' Marty Marshall said today. ''I'm just having a hard time grasping all this.''

 

[Bobbles]

Some of the campers overheard the comments the parents were making.

You don't think it's odd that they just found out that the pool was over booked? Do you have any idea how far in advance camps book their summer programming? I'm sorry but the over crowded story doesn't fly with me.

I believe the club's decision was based on the reaction of the idiot parents in attendance that day.

As I said in my previous post...assumptions. You are basing your decisions on one side of a story. And that is how the media has positioned the story.

You are assuming that the parents are racists based on one side of the story and casting the other side away.

Why do you not believe anything that the Swim Club members, managers, president, etc. say? Do you assume they are just not telling the truth because they are white and/or racist?

Do you work in this business in some capacity? I saw the check that was returned and the date on the check was 2 July 2009. Seems like the camp just made payment. I don't know when they made reservations. I doubt you know either.

As I said before, we don't know the entire story but we are making assumptions.

Please understand that I am not arguing with you, DJ, as an individual.

I am arguing about the media's biased coverage and how it affects all of us.

"Innocent until proven guilty" is a long dead phrase in America. As soon as someone's name and face (black or white) are shown on TV news due to their arrest (not conviction), it is assumed by most viewers that that person is guilty of that crime.

And so ends their chance of "the pursuit of happiness" in America. Just ask their families. Ask their children.