More gay-bashing in Alberta
Ah, Alberta. Gay bashing capital of Canada.
I shouldn't read these articles, especially when I know the people involved. It's really rather sick how the comments section has turned into a 'blame the victim for being drunk' and 'hate crime is silly' and 'they must have done something to deserve it' fest.
"Barry, 31, is recovering in hospital after surgery to implant two plates in her face. She suffered a broken jaw, a crushed left eye socket and facial nerve damage when she was kicked in the face by a man who hurled sexual epithets at her before the attack...
The women called 911, and an ambulance arrived right away. However, it took 30 minutes for a police officer to arrive.
The women, who admit they were heavily intoxicated, told CBC the officer took their names but very little other information. They had to ask him for his business card, Gouchie said.
When Barry phoned police on Tuesday to ask about progress on her case, she learned there was no record of the incident, and the officer involved was off for four days.
CBC News has learned the investigating officer did not file a report. He also did not call in the dog team or Air 1, the police helicopter, in an attempt to track the four young men.
That is standard procedure for such a serious crime, according to one veteran of the Edmonton force, who spoke on condition of anonymity. He also said department policy requires officers to file reports on the same day, especially in a case involving a serious incident, such as an aggravated assault and potential hate crime."
Update on the story. Community response to this has been so overwhelming that it's put the pressure on officials to investigate. Friends of the victim have started a Community Response Page on Facebook.
It's scary to think that if Shannon herself hadn't agitated, and if she didn't have community support, that this crime would have gone unreported and completely unnoted. Which makes you think about other marginalised people who have no voice at all. Chilling.
Interesting developments from a notorious gay-bashing in Thunder Bay. The victim has found himself in the position of pleading guilty to assault charges - essentially because he felt he couldn't afford the costs of going to trial - speaks volumes about how the Crown operates, doesn't it? As is typical in incidencts like this, the Crown has opted not to lay hate crime charges against the thugs who initiated the assault.
Meanwhile, in Windsor...
:) @ bagkitty, this thread title was never good.
Yeah, I thought so too, but rather than go off on a rant about it, thought I would post a little information challenging that particular misconception. Of course, in support of Yiwah's very first sentence, I would be quite willing to believe that the likelihood of a bashing in Alberta being reported to and/or acted on by the local constabulary might be lower. My basic point is that people should definitely get past thinking that bashings only happen "elsewhere".
True enough bagkitty, some pretty good bashing going on here in the centre of the universe lately. QAIA excuse...
I am new to this Board but not new to this subject. Given that the LGBTQ community are the most targeted for hate crimes I wonder if we should not be speaking out more clearly in support of anti-hate regulations?
Clearly, this is a much less serious issue than anti-semitism, which is why we have the Canadian Parliamentary Coaltion to Combat Anti-Semitism. If homophobia were really a problem, these parties would all band together, to form a similiar committee to specifically combat homophobia.
Meanwhile, in Vancouver...
Yet again, in Vancouver...
...and a ferry ride away in the provincial capital
Xtra is keeping a tally, that makes three attacks in British Columbia in three weeks.
Interesting article on Canada's gay-bashing capital...
Back to Victoria again...
Vancouver, again (Oct 8) - interesting take on how the police respond.
Of course not everyone gets bashed, some have their house set on fire while they are still in it. dateline PEI
How come Yiwah is described as a "douchebag"? Post #1, under her name. Moderator notified.
I tried to fix that quite a while ago, but it seems to be beyond my powers. Perhaps a mod more clever than I will know how to do it. Also, doesn't look like Yiwah has posted in a long time.
And in Regina...
Update to the the incident referred to in post #14 to be found here. (If anyone is keeping track, that was still Vancouver)
Perhaps we should set up a hotline to report all homophobic incidents.
Actual assault is only one component. Gay slurs on the internet and at school would certainly count as incidents.
Perhaps then, our elected officials would recognize the seriousness of the issue and set up a committee to combat homophobia.
I've been neglecting this haven't I?
Center of the Universe
And not to be outdone, we return to British Columbia, at a resort just outside of Nakusp (although to be fair, the assailaint was overheard to say he was from Alberta).
Full story here.
Thanks bagkitty.
Discouraging to see in this country in this century. In the 1980s, I lived with a lesbian roommate, who told me about the people coming to Toronto's gay village specifically to yell slurs and sometimes throw things from the safety of their vehicles.
Question: is there is a psychological profile associated with perpetrators of homophobic attacks? Are they religious, or brought up in a religious home? They seem to be largely disaffected young men, the kind of guys that commit most crimes in general, but are there specific factors that seem to contribute to a higher risk of someone attacking gay people?
Alcohol and testosterone. There may also be some relationship to professional sports... during the brief period I resided in Toronto, it was an article of faith that the vicinity of Maple Leaf Gardens was an unsafe place to be game nights (obviously this was prior to the move).
Sentencing in Edmonton (and yes, Edmonton is actually in Alberta).
Verdict delivered in Oshawa - sentencing expected March 14.
UPDATE TO THE STORY THAT PROMPTED THE THREAD:
Sentencing, if you can call it that. This is the kind of thing that gives you a teensy bit of sympathy for the Cons law and order routine.
I have no sympathy for the idea that excessive sentencing reduces crime... they do fill our vicarious need for revenge (which is why some people push mandatory sentencing for one sort of crime but not another...)
Halifax, Nova Scotia.