Police search for hate-crime suspect
Published: Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008 2:47 p.m. MST
Salt Lake City police have placed a Magna man on their "Most Wanted" fugitives list for his role in a hate crime.
Fa Junior Moi Moi, 20, is facing charges of aggravated assault, a first-degree felony, and a misdemeanor assault charge. Police said he took a picture with an 18-year-old man he met Aug. 9 at an overlook of the city on Churchill Drive.
"He took a photo with the victim, and when he found out he was gay, he assaulted him," police said in a statement Thursday.
The victim had severe broken bones in his face. Moi Moi is believed to have fled to Hawaii, police said.
— Ben Winslow
Source:
http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705264643,00.html
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Noose found in woods prompts hate crimes legislation
Noose found in woods prompts hate crimes legislation
By Beth Young
Nov 20, 08 1:54 PM
When a noose was found hanging from a Long Island Power Authority tower in the middle of the woods just west of the Southampton Town line in Bridgehampton on October 27, it sparked much public speculation about just what it meant.
It also sparked the Southampton Town Board to pass a resolution on November 14 establishing a policy for Southampton Town Police to follow when investigating hate crimes.
Town Board member Anna Throne-Holst, the board’s liaison to Southampton Town’s Anti-Bias Task Force, introduced the resolution as a walk-on item at Friday’s Town Board work session. She said that it was introduced in reaction to the discovery of the noose, but also in reaction to the heightened racial sensitivity in the wake of the election and the murder of a Hispanic man in Patchogue in an apparent hate crime in the weeks since the noose was found.
“We need to assure the public that we have a policy when things like this happen,” she said. “It’s also important that the Town Board be informed when something like this occurs.”
Though Police Chief James Overton said this week that he was not sure of the intent behind the display of the noose, he did say that the department takes it seriously. Calling the noose “offensive,” he also made reference to a November 1 change in New York State law that makes the display of a noose on “any building or other real property, public or private, without permission of the property owner,” an act of aggravated harassment in the first degree.
“I think there has to be some basic sensitivity to fact that if it looks like it, smells like it, tastes like it to anyone, it should be investigated,” said Ms. Throne-Holst. “What we want to avoid is that we fall into a gray area and something gets overlooked.”
“You can say it’s right near Halloween, it’s a hunting area or a kid’s prank,” she said. “It’s the kind of thing that we don’t take a chance on. As we know, things are happening right around the corner. We need to be very mindful of that and vigilant of that. This is not a thing that the town takes lightly.”
The resolution requires the police department to establish a policy within 30 days. “They haven’t had a specific policy. That’s not to say that they’ve been negligent,” she said.
Chief Overton said that he does not anticipate any difficulty in establishing the policy.
In the meantime, among the dog walkers and bicyclists who often hike the trails around Town Line Road, the noose is just another in a series of long-time problems in an area that neighbors call “no-man’s land.”
A Merchant’s Path resident who walks her dog in the woods near the power lines took a stroll through the woods with a reporter this week to talk about the ongoing problems of shooting and garbage dumping along the trails. She agreed to speak only on condition of anonymity, due to fear of retribution from the people who use the area as a shooting range.
“This is like the land of the lost,” said the woman, who said she’d seen two sets of policemen patrolling the area this past weekend, for the first time ever. She said that what tends to transpire in the woods is “yahoo-like messing around.”
The remains of bonfires were strewn all over the dirt Trustee road known as Town Line Road, which intersects the power lines just yards from where the noose was found about two dozen feet up LIPA tower No. 994. Shattered White Flyer skeet littered the ground, while a television set and a furnace door full of bullet holes were not far down the road. Abandoned couches were throughout the woods. The half-decomposed carcass of a deer that had been shot, stripped of its meat and left to rot was not far from the path. Crushed beer cans and empty shells were scattered on the ground. A bicycle hung precariously from the branches of a nearby tree.
The woman said that ATVs and dirt bikes are constantly digging up the road, which is severely rutted.
The property is not far from the Maidstone Gun Club, and the woman speculated that the location is a perfect auditory camouflage, since neighbors are used to hearing gunshots from the club.
Though she said she had been told by the Southampton Town Conservation Board that the shooting could continue as long as it was 500 feet from a house, police officers whom she met over the weekend told her that the shooting is illegal.
Officers of the Southampton Town Police Community Response Unit, which is conducting the patrols, could not be reached for comment.
Mike Bottini, an environmentalist and a Press columnist who often walks the trails, said that he has heard concerns of lead from the shot getting into the groundwater in the area. He said that the Southampton Town Trails Advisory Committee has held a number of cleanups to remove the junk that is often dumped in the woods. He also said that the town could consider fencing off the area around the power lines to keep mischief-makers out.
Source:
http://www.27east.com/story_detail.cfm?id=180937
By Beth Young
Nov 20, 08 1:54 PM
When a noose was found hanging from a Long Island Power Authority tower in the middle of the woods just west of the Southampton Town line in Bridgehampton on October 27, it sparked much public speculation about just what it meant.
It also sparked the Southampton Town Board to pass a resolution on November 14 establishing a policy for Southampton Town Police to follow when investigating hate crimes.
Town Board member Anna Throne-Holst, the board’s liaison to Southampton Town’s Anti-Bias Task Force, introduced the resolution as a walk-on item at Friday’s Town Board work session. She said that it was introduced in reaction to the discovery of the noose, but also in reaction to the heightened racial sensitivity in the wake of the election and the murder of a Hispanic man in Patchogue in an apparent hate crime in the weeks since the noose was found.
“We need to assure the public that we have a policy when things like this happen,” she said. “It’s also important that the Town Board be informed when something like this occurs.”
Though Police Chief James Overton said this week that he was not sure of the intent behind the display of the noose, he did say that the department takes it seriously. Calling the noose “offensive,” he also made reference to a November 1 change in New York State law that makes the display of a noose on “any building or other real property, public or private, without permission of the property owner,” an act of aggravated harassment in the first degree.
“I think there has to be some basic sensitivity to fact that if it looks like it, smells like it, tastes like it to anyone, it should be investigated,” said Ms. Throne-Holst. “What we want to avoid is that we fall into a gray area and something gets overlooked.”
“You can say it’s right near Halloween, it’s a hunting area or a kid’s prank,” she said. “It’s the kind of thing that we don’t take a chance on. As we know, things are happening right around the corner. We need to be very mindful of that and vigilant of that. This is not a thing that the town takes lightly.”
The resolution requires the police department to establish a policy within 30 days. “They haven’t had a specific policy. That’s not to say that they’ve been negligent,” she said.
Chief Overton said that he does not anticipate any difficulty in establishing the policy.
In the meantime, among the dog walkers and bicyclists who often hike the trails around Town Line Road, the noose is just another in a series of long-time problems in an area that neighbors call “no-man’s land.”
A Merchant’s Path resident who walks her dog in the woods near the power lines took a stroll through the woods with a reporter this week to talk about the ongoing problems of shooting and garbage dumping along the trails. She agreed to speak only on condition of anonymity, due to fear of retribution from the people who use the area as a shooting range.
“This is like the land of the lost,” said the woman, who said she’d seen two sets of policemen patrolling the area this past weekend, for the first time ever. She said that what tends to transpire in the woods is “yahoo-like messing around.”
The remains of bonfires were strewn all over the dirt Trustee road known as Town Line Road, which intersects the power lines just yards from where the noose was found about two dozen feet up LIPA tower No. 994. Shattered White Flyer skeet littered the ground, while a television set and a furnace door full of bullet holes were not far down the road. Abandoned couches were throughout the woods. The half-decomposed carcass of a deer that had been shot, stripped of its meat and left to rot was not far from the path. Crushed beer cans and empty shells were scattered on the ground. A bicycle hung precariously from the branches of a nearby tree.
The woman said that ATVs and dirt bikes are constantly digging up the road, which is severely rutted.
The property is not far from the Maidstone Gun Club, and the woman speculated that the location is a perfect auditory camouflage, since neighbors are used to hearing gunshots from the club.
Though she said she had been told by the Southampton Town Conservation Board that the shooting could continue as long as it was 500 feet from a house, police officers whom she met over the weekend told her that the shooting is illegal.
Officers of the Southampton Town Police Community Response Unit, which is conducting the patrols, could not be reached for comment.
Mike Bottini, an environmentalist and a Press columnist who often walks the trails, said that he has heard concerns of lead from the shot getting into the groundwater in the area. He said that the Southampton Town Trails Advisory Committee has held a number of cleanups to remove the junk that is often dumped in the woods. He also said that the town could consider fencing off the area around the power lines to keep mischief-makers out.
Source:
http://www.27east.com/story_detail.cfm?id=180937
Three men arrested after spouting racial slurs
Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office
COTTONWOOD - The following is a press release from the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office:
On November 15, 2008, at approximately 4 P.M., Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a reported disorderly conduct incident occurring near Western Drive and Highway 260 in Cottonwood. The victim, a Hispanic woman, told deputies she was driving near the “Sizzler” restaurant when 3 males pulled next to her in a truck and began yelling sexual and racial slurs. The males also “flipped” her off and threw things towards her and her passengers who included her mother, aunt and nephew. The truck also displayed a large flag in the bed. Deputies immediately contacted the Cottonwood Police Department requesting assistance to locate the vehicle and suspects.
A short time later, Cottonwood police officers located a truck in the area that displayed a Confederate Flag and contained three males. The victims were taken to the traffic stop location and confirmed identity of the 3 suspects. They were 21-year-old Curtis Alexander, 24-year-old Richard Alexander, and 21-year-old Logan Spude, all Cottonwood residents. Spude and Curtis Alexander admitted to the allegations while Richard Alexander denied involvement. Deputies detected the smell of intoxicating liquor on Spude’s breath.
The three suspects were arrested and booked at the Camp Verde Detention Center on four charges each of Disorderly Conduct. Spude was additionally charged with Interference of a Judicial Procedure for violation of a prior release condition restricting alcohol consumption. Curtis Alexander was charged with Identify Theft for possession of an Arizona Identification Card in Richard’s name with his photo displayed.
Source:
http://www.azfamily.com/news/local/stories/cottonwood-local-news-111708-racial-slur-arrest.1c06fd991.html#
COTTONWOOD - The following is a press release from the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office:
On November 15, 2008, at approximately 4 P.M., Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a reported disorderly conduct incident occurring near Western Drive and Highway 260 in Cottonwood. The victim, a Hispanic woman, told deputies she was driving near the “Sizzler” restaurant when 3 males pulled next to her in a truck and began yelling sexual and racial slurs. The males also “flipped” her off and threw things towards her and her passengers who included her mother, aunt and nephew. The truck also displayed a large flag in the bed. Deputies immediately contacted the Cottonwood Police Department requesting assistance to locate the vehicle and suspects.
A short time later, Cottonwood police officers located a truck in the area that displayed a Confederate Flag and contained three males. The victims were taken to the traffic stop location and confirmed identity of the 3 suspects. They were 21-year-old Curtis Alexander, 24-year-old Richard Alexander, and 21-year-old Logan Spude, all Cottonwood residents. Spude and Curtis Alexander admitted to the allegations while Richard Alexander denied involvement. Deputies detected the smell of intoxicating liquor on Spude’s breath.
The three suspects were arrested and booked at the Camp Verde Detention Center on four charges each of Disorderly Conduct. Spude was additionally charged with Interference of a Judicial Procedure for violation of a prior release condition restricting alcohol consumption. Curtis Alexander was charged with Identify Theft for possession of an Arizona Identification Card in Richard’s name with his photo displayed.
Source:
http://www.azfamily.com/news/local/stories/cottonwood-local-news-111708-racial-slur-arrest.1c06fd991.html#
Racial Slur On Receipt Prompts Call For Boycott
By Rhonda Swan Monday, November 17, 2008, 02:58 PM
A young black man who returned a pair of sneakers to a Journey’s shoe store in Kansas got a receipt with the words “Dumb Nigger” imprinted in the section that asks for the name of the Customer.
The college student was at home visiting parents and had left by the time KMBC Channel 9 reported the story.
His parents, however, are pretty upset. When they went back to the store, they were told that the employee entered a generic code that automatically imprints those words on the receipt.
The father of the young man wants that employee fired.
And now there’s an email campaign calling for a boycott of the store.
The real question is why would a store have those words in their computer system? The employee chose to press the button. The owners created the system. They should be held accountable.
Journey’s has 60 stores in Florida including five in Palm Beach County and one in the Treasure Coast. Those are at the Gardens Mall in Palm Beach Gardens, Boynton Beach Mall in Boynton Beach, Palm Beach Mall in West Palm Beach, The Mall at Wellington Green in Wellingtonl, Town Center Mall in Boca Raton, and the Treasure Coast Square Mall in Jensen Beach.
Source:
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/blackculture/entries/2008/11/17/racial_slur_on_receipt_prompts.html
A young black man who returned a pair of sneakers to a Journey’s shoe store in Kansas got a receipt with the words “Dumb Nigger” imprinted in the section that asks for the name of the Customer.
The college student was at home visiting parents and had left by the time KMBC Channel 9 reported the story.
His parents, however, are pretty upset. When they went back to the store, they were told that the employee entered a generic code that automatically imprints those words on the receipt.
The father of the young man wants that employee fired.
And now there’s an email campaign calling for a boycott of the store.
The real question is why would a store have those words in their computer system? The employee chose to press the button. The owners created the system. They should be held accountable.
Journey’s has 60 stores in Florida including five in Palm Beach County and one in the Treasure Coast. Those are at the Gardens Mall in Palm Beach Gardens, Boynton Beach Mall in Boynton Beach, Palm Beach Mall in West Palm Beach, The Mall at Wellington Green in Wellingtonl, Town Center Mall in Boca Raton, and the Treasure Coast Square Mall in Jensen Beach.
Source:
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/blackculture/entries/2008/11/17/racial_slur_on_receipt_prompts.html
On Fox 29 Tonight: Woman May Know Atlantic City Serial Killer
On Fox 29 Tonight: Woman May Know Atlantic City Serial Killer
Last Edited: Thursday, 20 Nov 2008, 1:50 PM EST
Created: Thursday, 20 Nov 2008, 1:33 PM EST
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- On Fox 29 News At 10, Sharon Crowley talks to a prostitute who thinks she knows the Atlantic City serial killer.Slideshow: Sharon With 'Denise' Two years ago, the bodies of four Atlantic City prostitutes turned up in a ditch behind a motel in Egg Harbor Township. The killings are believed to be the work of a serial killer who has never been caught.Denise, 36, tells Crowley she's been selling sex for 20 years.Denise says she believes she knows the man who is the killer, and that he may be one of her own customers.She also says she's given information about one of her own clients to police.Denise told Crowley that the man told her "I would never hurt you, but the other girls deserved it."In this special report, Crowley talks in-depth with Denise about her lifestyle - and the four women she knew who were killed in 2006.And she also talks with Denise about the changes she wants to make, to get away from her current profession.So be sure to watch this special report on Fox 29 News at 10 p.m. tonight.
Source:
http://www.myfoxphilly.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=7910192&version=2&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1
Last Edited: Thursday, 20 Nov 2008, 1:50 PM EST
Created: Thursday, 20 Nov 2008, 1:33 PM EST
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- On Fox 29 News At 10, Sharon Crowley talks to a prostitute who thinks she knows the Atlantic City serial killer.Slideshow: Sharon With 'Denise' Two years ago, the bodies of four Atlantic City prostitutes turned up in a ditch behind a motel in Egg Harbor Township. The killings are believed to be the work of a serial killer who has never been caught.Denise, 36, tells Crowley she's been selling sex for 20 years.Denise says she believes she knows the man who is the killer, and that he may be one of her own customers.She also says she's given information about one of her own clients to police.Denise told Crowley that the man told her "I would never hurt you, but the other girls deserved it."In this special report, Crowley talks in-depth with Denise about her lifestyle - and the four women she knew who were killed in 2006.And she also talks with Denise about the changes she wants to make, to get away from her current profession.So be sure to watch this special report on Fox 29 News at 10 p.m. tonight.
Source:
http://www.myfoxphilly.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=7910192&version=2&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1
Wis. firefighter union chief out over racial slur
Wis. firefighter union chief out over racial slur
1 day ago
MILWAUKEE (AP) — The head of the Wisconsin firefighters union resigned Tuesday over a racist comment he made the day after Barack Obama became the first African-American elected president.
Rick Gale, who had worked on Obama's Wisconsin campaign, apologized to the union and the public in his resignation letter.
The Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin said Gale's comment was "offensive, inappropriate and racially insensitive and does not reflect the views of our union."
Gale, who headed the union for eight years, admitted in his letter that he used the "single racially charged word" during a private, casual conversation while having drinks with several board members Nov. 5.
"The word has no business in my vocabulary and I should not have used it — not even in private," he wrote.
"In doing so I let myself, the PFFW Executive Board and the entire membership down," he added. "I am sorry. I have asked the PFFW and the public to accept my deepest and sincerest apology."
Gale, a lieutenant with the West Allis Fire Department, said he was also resigning from all the governmental and public boards on which he served.
Those posts include membership on the State of Wisconsin Retirement Board as an appointee of Gov. Jim Doyle, an ardent supporter of Obama throughout the presidential race.
Obama was endorsed for president by the International Association of Fire Fighters, whose general president Harold Schaitberger issued a memo to its Wisconsin affiliates commenting on the resignation by saying Gale's comments were "inexcusable."
"However, this is also an opportunity to restate clearly my fundamental goal of building a union that is free from all forms of bigotry and bias," Schaitberger said.
Gale did not return phone messages left Tuesday at his home and office by The Associated Press seeking comment.
Source:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hUz0IKZZNnc0N_lch1zTXE-6m-bgD94HO3MO0
1 day ago
MILWAUKEE (AP) — The head of the Wisconsin firefighters union resigned Tuesday over a racist comment he made the day after Barack Obama became the first African-American elected president.
Rick Gale, who had worked on Obama's Wisconsin campaign, apologized to the union and the public in his resignation letter.
The Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin said Gale's comment was "offensive, inappropriate and racially insensitive and does not reflect the views of our union."
Gale, who headed the union for eight years, admitted in his letter that he used the "single racially charged word" during a private, casual conversation while having drinks with several board members Nov. 5.
"The word has no business in my vocabulary and I should not have used it — not even in private," he wrote.
"In doing so I let myself, the PFFW Executive Board and the entire membership down," he added. "I am sorry. I have asked the PFFW and the public to accept my deepest and sincerest apology."
Gale, a lieutenant with the West Allis Fire Department, said he was also resigning from all the governmental and public boards on which he served.
Those posts include membership on the State of Wisconsin Retirement Board as an appointee of Gov. Jim Doyle, an ardent supporter of Obama throughout the presidential race.
Obama was endorsed for president by the International Association of Fire Fighters, whose general president Harold Schaitberger issued a memo to its Wisconsin affiliates commenting on the resignation by saying Gale's comments were "inexcusable."
"However, this is also an opportunity to restate clearly my fundamental goal of building a union that is free from all forms of bigotry and bias," Schaitberger said.
Gale did not return phone messages left Tuesday at his home and office by The Associated Press seeking comment.
Source:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hUz0IKZZNnc0N_lch1zTXE-6m-bgD94HO3MO0
NY hate crime suspect now charged with murder
NY hate crime suspect now charged with murder
By FRANK ELTMAN – 1 hour ago
RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (AP) — A grand jury has charged a Long Island teenager with murder as a hate crime in the stabbing death of an Ecuadorean immigrant.
Jeffrey Conroy was arrested on a charge of manslaughter as a hate crime. An indictment unsealed Thursday added a more serious charge, second-degree murder as a hate crime, in the death of Marcelo Lucero (mar-SEL-oh loo-SER-oh).
As Conroy's six co-defendants were arraigned on gang assault and other charges, prosecutors alleged the group also attacked another Hispanic man in Patchogue (PACH'-awg) who got away a half-hour earlier. Lucero was attacked Nov. 8 near the Patchogue train station.
Conroy's arraignment is scheduled for Monday. All of the teens' attorneys have said they are innocent.
Source:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iF4GJzkZAIbhbbVq7PMx-pVH8XMAD94IS0UG0
By FRANK ELTMAN – 1 hour ago
RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (AP) — A grand jury has charged a Long Island teenager with murder as a hate crime in the stabbing death of an Ecuadorean immigrant.
Jeffrey Conroy was arrested on a charge of manslaughter as a hate crime. An indictment unsealed Thursday added a more serious charge, second-degree murder as a hate crime, in the death of Marcelo Lucero (mar-SEL-oh loo-SER-oh).
As Conroy's six co-defendants were arraigned on gang assault and other charges, prosecutors alleged the group also attacked another Hispanic man in Patchogue (PACH'-awg) who got away a half-hour earlier. Lucero was attacked Nov. 8 near the Patchogue train station.
Conroy's arraignment is scheduled for Monday. All of the teens' attorneys have said they are innocent.
Source:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iF4GJzkZAIbhbbVq7PMx-pVH8XMAD94IS0UG0
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