Comments on: Arrest made in gay church arson; Sheriff sides with arsonist

By: Ian

Ian — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 14:31:17 +0000

i dunno… the reasoning doesn’t sound right. If i was sexually assaulted by a person in that church, i would stalk that person and set fire to his house instead of a church, that’ll do more damage to the person i’m taking revenge against.

Maybe its just me.

By: TampaZeke

TampaZeke — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 18:34:07 +0000

Excellent point Regan. One that is often overlooked in discussions about the efficacy of hate crimes laws.

By: Priya Lynn

Priya Lynn — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 17:34:12 +0000

Blake said “The perp is still going to get prosecuted to the full extent of the laws.”.

I’ll believe it when I see it.

By: Blake

Blake — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 16:15:22 +0000

Whoa now. Calm down. We suffer under enough without inventing imaginary slights.

The perp is still going to get prosecuted to the full extent of the laws.

Ohio does not have an omnibus hate-crimes statute nor does it’s local hate-crime laws cover bias crimes against folks for their sexual orientation. In order to get the Matthew Shepard Act to apply the perp would’ve had to have crossed state lines or attacked a federal employee or done something on federal land.

So the difference in motives is immaterial outside of the echo chambers.

This is still going to be a crime above a typical arson under Ohio Revised Code section 2927.11. While it will not be called a “hate crime,” but rather a Third Degree Felony “Desecration of a Place of Worship” & he’s still to be charged.

Now if this gets before a Grand Jury and they only charge him with plain ‘ole arson or if he is charged and the trial jury gives him a slap on the wrist or if he pleads out with sympathy because “them fags had it coming” THEN we can talk about a miscarriage of justice.

By: Priya Lynn

Priya Lynn — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 16:03:22 +0000

Now that you mention it Ben, it does look a lot like that.

By: Ben in Oakland

Ben in Oakland — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 15:47:50 +0000

Does this remind anybody of the Treyvon Martin case?

Nothing to see here folks. Just a white guy shooting an unarmed black boy.

By: Regan DuCasse

Regan DuCasse — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 15:22:34 +0000

This is why, my friends, it cannot be emphasized enough that a hate crime is not just about the motives of the perp.

But the bias in the chain of investigation and adjudication. When the law enforcement officers, the judges, juries or medical doctors share the SAME BIAS as the perpetrator, then justice cannot and will not be served.
The hate is pernicious to not just the crime itself, nor it’s result.

By: Snowman

Snowman — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 13:49:30 +0000

If the sheriff’s department won’t step up and do it’s job call the FBI.

By: Shannon Spencer Fox

Shannon Spencer Fox — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 13:09:57 +0000

Actually, if this was considered a hate-crime, shouldn’t under the Matthew Shepard law, this would automatically get the FBI involved? Not that there’d ever be a reason for them to be involved, since I’m sure the local law-enforcement office has it under control…

(… ‘For Brutus is an honorable man.’)

By: Hyhybt

Hyhybt — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 01:46:26 +0000

I’d be more inclined to believe he’d been assaulted if he’d pressed charges on that rather than coming up with the story after being arrested for arson.