Four Accused in (video)Taped Attack on Drexel University (Haitian)Student

[RedEarth]

Four University City High School students have been arrested on charges of randomly beating and nearly killing a Drexel University graduate student by shoving him into traffic in West Philadelphia - all the while videotaping the attack, police said yesterday.

"It's a very disturbing film," said Lt. John F. Walker of Southwest Detectives' Special Investigation Unit. "It's just mind-boggling."

The 30-year-old engineering student, a Haitian immigrant whose name was not released, was assaulted on 36th Street just south of Spring Garden Street at 1:10 p.m. Friday as he was walking northbound to his nearby apartment, Walker said at a news conference.

The victim wants to leave Philadelphia and return home to Haiti, Walker said. "He's very fearful of his life and of living in that area," he said.

The victim asked police not to release his name out of fear for his safety, said Capt. Benjamin Naish, a police spokesman. Police say they do not believe the attack was a hate crime.


http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/13695464.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

[Binka]

1. Not A Hate Crime? WTF? The Fascists Are Here!

Hey Capt Ben FUCK YOU

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. But they say on the tape they should 'pick anybody'

and 'hate crime' normally applies to a segment of society, not the entire human race. Capt Ben may have a point.

[Don Claybrook]

4. Hey, Binka

Nice to see you.

I have nothing to add other than the outrage that you've already expressed and that which will show up later in this thread. I just wonder if this is starting to become more the norm than the exception. It's the kind of country we're becoming, unfortunately. I grew up, like most, in a world where I just don't have a right to beat someone nearly to death and then shove them into traffic. It's not just that it's wrong, it's that I'm almost encoded not to be able to do something like that. But now, we're all being steeped in the dark and thuggish world of George W Warpig, and that has to take a toll.

[Binka]

5. Hey Don! Peyton Is A Thing Of Beauty To Soothe Me In This Trash World

[Igel]

9. I'm not sure hate-crime charges would stick.

My understanding is that hate-crimes require knowing the person's relevant trait. I'm not betting that way. It's possible the victim was visibly Haitian, or widely known to be Haitian, but there's no evidence this was the motive (so far). And while the victim was likely visibly "black", that's fairly irrelevant, I'm thinking.

Tyrez Osbourne? Ok, getting past my bad habit of trying to stereotype atypical names ...

Just playing the odds: 2010 students at their high school. 97% black. 1% "Hispanic", 1% API, the rest non-Hispanic white and Native American/Alaskan.

What are the chances that the 4 thugs were one of the 60 or so "whites"? (Gee ... what a redundant rhetorical question on my part.)

[Mithras61]

10. Re: the 4 thugs & Ethnicity...

Actually, according to the following web site, it appears that there are only 4 white males (out of 1166 male students) in the entire school...

http://www.penn-partners.org/wp/k12/uchs/profile.html

[Igel]

17. I'll go with the website I looked at.

http://www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/pa/other/2141
It cites 2003/04 data, and yours is from 1995.

In any event, we agree that the white population at the school is small. Unless we include white Latinos, which may increase the numbers a small amount.

In the absence of a pic or two of the perps, though ...

[INDIA]

12. Is it a hate crime?

I saw one of the suspects on the news, he is African American. I'm assuming the others were as well. Just curious on your definition of hate crime.

[Judi Lynn]

2. If he wants to return to that slaughterhouse Bush created, Haiti, you

know things got very, very bad for him in Philadelphia. What a goddamned pity.

[Binka]

8. Indeed

WTF is wrong with this picture? Gawd I am glad to live abroad the USA is a certified shit hole.

[bluestateguy]

6. These four punks need to be executed

Immediately.

I don't want them ever to be allowed to vote. Pennsylvania is a swing state.

[muriel_volestrangler]

11. You'd kill all of them for a group attack?

Without bothering to find out if their individual intentions were murder, or just severe assault? That's harsh. Most people would say they couldn't vote while in prison, rather than killing them.

[INDIA]

13. Read closer

If the article is correct, they tried to throw him under passing vehicles. Sounds like attempted murder to me. Just sayin.

[Mithras61]

14. I'd like to see them get a fair trial/hearing before...

we take any rash actions. At least one of the accused was supposedly on the other side of the street from where the attack took place, and the tape is currently unavailable for review by anyone other than the police.

I just think we ought to find 'em guilty before we decide IF they need to be executed. Presumtion of innocence isn't just wishful thinking...

[muriel_volestrangler]

15. Only one of them threw him into the road

The same 17-year-old then pushed the victim between two parked cars and into traffic on 36th Street, officials said. The victim was not hit by any vehicles.

He was treated for a dislocated jaw and cuts to his mouth at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center.

And, as pointed out above, one of them claims he was on the other side of the street when the attack took place. I think calling for all 4 to be executed is excessive.

[alcibiades_mystery]

16. Ridiculous

Absolutely ridiculous.

[hallc]

7. He was interviewed on the news last night...

the victim was interviewed on the local news last night (i live in philly) and he is still scared for his life - he wouldn't show his face or anything because he was afraid the kids would come back after him.

They've also been doing a story all last week about how the murder rate is climbing in Philly...scary stuff