school students accused of hate crimes towards gays

[Steve Savicki]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,275096,00.html
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/mchenrystory.asp?id=315686&cc=k&tc=&t=
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2007/05/24/133000.php

Okay, the schools have dealt with guns, how are they going to deal with this?

[Ally_Kat]

No bond for accused teen
By Charles Keeshan
ckeeshan@dailyherald.com
Posted Wednesday, May 23, 2007


A 16-year-old Crystal Lake girl facing a felony hate crime charge alleging she and a friend distributed anti-homosexual fliers at her high school must remain locked up until her case goes to trial, a McHenry County judge ruled Tuesday.

Citing concerns over the girl’s home environment and her already lengthy juvenile record, Judge Michael Chmiel denied the girl’s request for home detention. Instead Chmiel ordered her held in the Kane County Juvenile Justice Center while the case is pending.

The girl’s record, Chmiel said, features 13 contacts with police, including an arrest for marijuana possession in August. McHenry County court records show that within the past year the girl also has been charged for driving without a license, consumption of alcohol by a minor, possession of tobacco by a minor, trespassing and three curfew violations.

“I’m concerned about you having some potentially negative influences around you,” Chmiel told her. “I think the environment is ripe for failure.”

The girl’s mother said her daughter had gone through some “rough spots” but had not been a problem in the home for at least a year. She later declined comment on the judge’s decision or the charges.

In part because of Chmiel’s ruling Tuesday, the girl appears to be heading quickly toward a trial, which now is scheduled to begin Tuesday.

She and her 16-year-old friend each face charges of hate crime, disorderly conduct and resisting a peace officer stemming from their arrest May 11 outside Crystal Lake South High School. The charges allege the girls were distributing fliers showing two men kissing and containing inflammatory language toward homosexuals.

Authorities say the fliers were directed specifically toward a male classmate — and neighbor of one of the girls — with whom they had been feuding. Both girls are suspended from school as a result, authorities said Tuesday, and likely will not be allowed back until at least the next school year.

Chmiel agreed Tuesday to place the second girl on home detention. She will be placed on electronic monitoring and allowed to leave only for school, counseling, work or other activities approved by a probation officer.

Unlike her friend, her trial does not appear imminent. Instead her lawyer Tuesday filed a motion asking Chmiel to throw out the hate crime and disorderly conduct charges.

“I believe it more attacks the speech, and at this point, they haven’t shown what conduct was truly disorderly,” said her attorney, Charles McKenney. “The issue should be her conduct, not the content of the flier.”

The girl’s parents declined comment Tuesday. Chmiel scheduled a June 26 hearing on her motion to dismiss the charges


http://www.dailyherald.com/news/mchenrystory.asp?id=315686&cc=k&tc=&t=

[Ally_Kat]

I'd like to know exactly what the fliers said. We have free speech in this country, as long as you're not encouraging violence towards a group of people. If all that was on this flier was "God hates Fags" like it's being reported -- so what? If you're going to send this girl to jail based on that, then we seriously need to go after The Westboro Baptist Church. Hell, they accuse God of hating just about everyone.

Was it an asshole thing to say/do? Yes.
Is she allowed to express her opinion in this country? Yes.

Another note: I'm tired of schools having to be the ones that are looked at to "deal" with shit, like it's the schools' fault. America needs to take a good, hard look in the mirror and realize this shit starts at home. Parents need to start parenting their kids more/better.

[Steve Savicki]

What has happened to society? Can we blame the extreme right wingers?

[Ally_Kat]

Originally posted by Steve Savicki
What has happened to society? Can we blame the extreme right wingers?

Why just the extreme right wingers? Why not the extreme left wingers, too? Extremists in general fuck shit up

[Terry]

The whole "hate crimes" thing in nonsense, far as I'm concerned.

No, I don't advocate beating up anyone as a reaction to their sexual identity, preferences, color or choice of religion.

On the other hand, if someone wants to hand out flyers that proclaim homosexuality is wrong, don't they have a right to? Long as the flyers don't specify "homosexuality is wrong, therefore all gays must be killed at gunpoint"...am really not seeing the problem with it. People have a right to believe that homosexuality is wrong and express that in a non-violent way, although admittedly the schoolyard or workplace probably isn't the smartest place to do it.

[Nitro Express]

Just wait until gays start hating other gays and start shooting it out with each other with AK47's.