Man Beaten By Mob In Detroit After Hitting Boy With Truck: Was It A Hate Crime?

[FrodosPet]

OK, it is terrible that the poor man got beat down and robbed.

But to call it a hate crime? Reality Check: White people are the perpetrators of racism, NOT the victims of it.

So, NO, people - this is not a hate crime the way Trayvon Martin or Matthew Shepherd is. It was a horrible, tragic robbery. but the usual suspects are going to try to make it something it is not, so be prepared.

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http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2014/04/04/white-man-beaten-by-mob-in-detroit-after-hitting-boy-with-truck-was-it-a-hate-crime/

As a 54-year-old Roseville man clings to life in the hospital following a brutal mob beating on Detroit’s east side, many are starting to wonder if the whole thing was racially motivated.

As first reported by WWJ Newsradio 950, an 11-year-old boy suffered a broken leg on Wednesday when he was hit by a pickup truck after walking into the street near Morang and Balfour. The driver, Steven Utash, immediately got out of his truck after hitting the boy and was viciously attacked by 10 to 12 men. The beating was so brutal, Utash was rendered unconscious.

Utash’s son Joseph told WWJ’s Gary Lundy Thursday night that his father remains in a medically induced coma, nearly unrecognizable due to his injuries. He also said his wallet was stolen from his truck.

~ snip ~

“I’ve talked to one Detroit police officer and I think that, personally in my own heart, I think it was all a setup from the gate,” he said, ”meaning that my dad’s been driving up and down Morang for 15, 16 years working for the same company and they know he has a job, they know he has money and they robbed him. You know, he had a bag with all his stuff in it. He showed me that he had all this money in his wallet that morning, telling me he just took the money out of the bank so he could pay his dentist.

~ snip ~

[penultimate]

1. Well, if it turns out it was racially motivated based on evidence

then I'm pretty sure that would fall under the definition of hate crime.

[DesMoinesDem]

3. Dontcha know only white people can be racist. Black people can't be racist.

This is the second time today I've seen that idea proposed here.

[AverageJoe90]

5. It *is* kinda fucked up, TBH.

Even though this is nothing more than a fringe, extreme position amongst liberals overall(yes, PoC included as well), many of those who do buy into it are often quite loud about it.

There is nothing wrong with pointing out the reality of structural racism that does still exist to some extent in this country. But to say that intrapersonal racism cannot be committed by bad actors who happen to be PoC(just look at Louis Farrakhan for example. The man OOZES racism) is nothing more than a complete logical fallacy.

[MattBaggins]

2. Your premise is incorrect

White people can be the victim of a hate crime and if it is found that this was planned and his race was a factor in them choosing him, then yes it is a hate crime.

Hard to tell at this point in time.

[AverageJoe90]

4. Honestly, it seems that there's no evidence either way.

And yes, by the way, white people *can* occasionally be the victims of intrapersonal racism. Just the facts, and nothing more, nothing less.

However, though, with that kept in mind, it can be said that the evidence has yet to conclusively point in either direction in terms of hate crimes. I do hope the perpetrators are caught and held accountable, though.

[davidn3600]

6. Dont think anything in the law that says it can only be a hate crime if the victim is black

That would be a violation of the 14th amendment. You can't have laws that apply to only one group of people differently than everyone else.

If a crime is racially motivated...that is a hate crime. End of story.

[raven mad]

33. +1

I hate racism - but know, because I'm white, I'm probably prejudging in some ways. After all, I was raised in the South, and am 60. But mom and dad hated racism. So maybe I got lucky.

But I've seen evidence of it in Alaska Native villages; I wasn't there to dispense charity or any crap like that - even though it's needed. I was there to provide information, only. And I was hated when I got off the puddle-jumper.

Not in all villages, only a couple. But it hurt. Badly. Be cause I wasn't raised that way, and didn't go there except to provide what turned out to be a valuable amount of information. I do NOT blame the folks of those villages - they've been treated horribly by whites from get-go.

I do blame not being able to see good when good is offered.

[DireStrike]

38. Hurt feelings are a little different than systematic economic oppression.

Not to belittle your experiences, but there is a reason racism is defined according to power relationships.

I think new terminology is needed.

[raven mad]

40. I agree on the new terminology.

Had I not been the only white person on the venture, I would chalk it up to hurt feelings. It wasn't. It was obvious and deliberate. I don't blame them; I blame their experiences. Yeah, it hurt - but I was also shocked, because I'd never experienced it before, especially here.

[kiva]

7. Of course it could be a hate crime.

But since that doesn't work with your narrative, believe what you will.

[maryellen99]

8. It is like a Klan rally reading the comments

On the Free Press site and of course it's Obama's fault.

[Art_from_Ark]

25. You aren't kidding

I just read through the comments

[maryellen99]

35. They think The Klan and Aryan nation should be brought in

And have a march and also to protect white people..yeah that's going to end well.

[etherealtruth]

42. Its always like a Klan rally there

The comment sections for all of the news sources in the Detroit area bring out the most illiterate racist scum i have ever seen. It is very frightening knowing that trash walks among us

[maryellen99]

45. Yes it is nt

[seveneyes]

9. A gang of many persons nearly killing the guy that stopped to help is a hateful crime

And the fact that observers are covering for them is a hateful and cowardly thing too. The poor man will be very lucky to live through his coma and beating. There is no excuse for what this gang of people did to this man.

[watchingoveryou]

10. Sounds more like a case of rage but the people who beat him are truly scum

While beating him they also robbed him.

[seveneyes]

11. Imagine a white crowd in Pleasantville doing the same to a minority in same circumstance

Rage crime or hate crime?

[watchingoveryou]

12. I'm not denying there's a double standard in many cases

with black on white crime . The MSM and authorities are at times very hesitant to call it a hate crime but
I can also point out many cases of black on white crime where they did call it and prosecute it a hate crime.


But to your exact question , this would be all over CNN , MSNBC tonight with a panel talking about hate crimes on blacks
if this happened in a white neighborhood and the person assaulted was black.

[regnaD kciN]

20. Hate crime, of course…

…because, after all, they were white.

[WestSeattle2]

13. Certainly appears to be a hate crime....

FTA to paraphrase "Police warning white eople to get back lthe 8 mile"

Wow. What a hellhole.

[NaturalHigh]

14. White people can't be the victims of racism?

Your OP is disgusting.

[uppityperson]

15. "White people are the perpetrators of racism, NOT the victims of it"? What the hell?

[bluestate10]

17. That was a truly senseless charge. Any race can be a victim of racism. nt

[bluestate10]

16. I would call it a hate crime if the only information that is given is what

happened. The driver should have been more careful, but him being beaten unconscious wasn't a legitimate response after he got out of his vehicle, presumably to render assistance to the boy.

[TransitJohn]

39. Been more careful?

The kid leaped in front of his truck, and he immediately stopped to render aid. Or be be more careful, did you mean he shouldn't have stopped?

[rollin74]

18. White people can be victims of hate crime

it's foolish and ignorant to pretend otherwise

[840high]

19. Are you for real? UNREC

[dionysus]

21. .

[Donald Ian Rankin]

22. Your post is both wicked and stupid, and you should be ashamed of yourself.

"But to call it a hate crime? Reality Check: White people are the perpetrators of racism, NOT the victims of it."

This is just nonsense. Most victims of racism are non-white, but not all are.

[pnwmom]

23. Here is the definition of a Federal hate crime:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hate_crime

In both crime and law, hate crime (also known as bias-motivated crime[citation needed]) is a usually violent, prejudice motivated crime that occurs when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her perceived membership in a certain social group. Examples of such groups include but are not limited to: ethnicity, gender identity, language, nationality, physical appearance, religion, or sexual orientation.

"Hate crime" generally refers to criminal acts that are seen to have been motivated by bias against one or more of the types above, or of their derivatives. Incidents may involve physical assault, damage to property, bullying, harassment, verbal abuse or insults, or offensive graffiti or letters (hate mail).

A hate crime law is a law intended to deter bias-motivated violence. Hate crime laws are distinct from laws against hate speech in that hate crime laws enhance the penalties associated with conduct that is already criminal under other laws, while hate speech laws criminalize a category of speech.

And in the state of Michigan:

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/msp/Bd-HateCrime07_263709_7.pdf

Hate crime incidents are identified on the motivation of the offender(s). Law enforcement investigations determine the objective facts to lead to a reasonable conclusion that the offender’s actions were motivated by bias against a racial, religious, ethnic/national origin, mental/physical disability, or sexual-orientation group. Accurate data collection of hate crimes depends heavily on proper training of law enforcement to recognize such incidents and the cooperation and desire of communities/victims to report these incidents to law enforcement.

And here are some numbers for these crimes, by bias group, reported by the State of Michigan in 2007

Michigan incident crime reporting

Totals by Bias Motivation, 2007

Anti-black 324
Anti-white 223
Anti-male homosexual 51
Anti-Islamic 46
Anti-Hispanic 33

(this is an incomplete list of some groups with higher numbers of reported victims because the format wouldn’t let me copy and paste)

[pipoman]

24. Stupidest post I've read here in months. ..

Truly, where do people get these idiotic ideas. ..

[LeftishBrit]

26. Not prejudging this particular case; but the idea that a white person CANNOT be the victim of a hate

crime is clearly wrong.

Especially in a white-majority country, white people are certainly much more likely to be the perpetrators than victims of hate-crimes; but the idea that they cannot ever be victims of hate-crime is a bigoted stereotype in itself.

[name not needed]

27. Ah, the old prejudice plus power canard

http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Prejudice_plus_power

"There is a neutral, universally-accepted term for 'prejudice plus power' that could be used by those who wish to communicate clearly and avoid heated terminology debates altogether: institutional racism. However, this doesn't have the beneficial side effect of immunizing oneself against criticism."

[LuvNewcastle]

28. White people can most certainly be victims of hate crime and a person

of any race is capable of committing a hate crime. I haven't seen enough evidence, however, to determine whether this particular crime was a hate crime. It could simply have been a vicious robbery, and the fact that people of one race were attacking someone of a different race could have been incidental. If detectives find reliable evidence that the man was attacked because of his race, the people who beat him should be punished severely. I hope the criminals are caught and punished.

[JustAnotherGen]

29. I'd like to wait and hear the facts

Before we jump to conclusions.

Could it have been a hate crime? Sure.

Could it have been racial prejudice? Sure.

But I would hope the same folks who were wait and see about Zimmerman will give the folks in this scenario the same benefit of the doubt they did Zimmerman. Let's Let the justice system do its job. I mean - It is flawless doncha know?

And if these guys have a good lawyer who makes the point the man was armed with a truck and was driving while white in a black neighborhood and they get off/walk - that I will see oodles of threads and posts about how justice was served.

OP - edit your post to read Dominant Culture and Racial Prejudice and you will get entirely different responses. The way you have framed the discussion raises the hackles of the average white guy in America with a professional victim mentality.

[bravenak]

30. +1

[JustAnotherGen]

31. You saw what I did here!

[bravenak]

32. It's my favorite thing.

They don't even know how they sound. Too funny!

[NOLALady]

44. You are GREAT!

[JustAnotherGen]

51. n/t

.

[Eleanors38]

34. You're right. The "usual suspects" ARE prepared. nt

Have anything more you want to add?

[Calista241]

36. I can almost hear the hate radio background sound effects reading this.

N/t

[LuvLoogie]

37. well there's this

http://www.foxnews.com/story/2002/07/31/mob-beats-two-men-to-death-in-chicago/

and this:

http://www.examiner.com/article/driver-beaten-after-accident-chicago-angry-mob-assaults-suspect

[etherealtruth]

41. It was a HATEFUL crime ....

... one for which I pray the perpetrators are brought to justice

[Motown_Johnny]

47. I heard that the 2 who were caught are minors.

So odds are that even if they are convicted they will be out in a couple years.


Hardly justice.

[etherealtruth]

48. A terrible crime

The local news is reporting that the two they apprehended are teens (under 18) ... tragic , horrible crime

[Motown_Johnny]

50. 16 and 17 years old are what I have read n/t

[cherokeeprogressive]

43. Nah. Simple robbery. Guy was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

[Motown_Johnny]

49. You don't put someone in a coma during a simple robbery.

Yes, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time but this was nothing like a simple robbery.

[Motown_Johnny]

46. Some blacks hate whites too.

Please delete this insensitive thread.


This happened a couple miles from my home and the victim is the father of a friend of my coworker.


You have no idea what the hell you are talking about. Please stop embarrassing the entire DU community with this thread. Delete this and then think twice before posting such outrageous statement again.



Thank you.

[FrodosPet]

52. I am terribly confused now

Over and over in these threads I am reminded of white privilege, and told that racism requires a power imbalance.

So it clicks for me, I start to see that imbalance more clearly, and then comment on it.

And then I am attacked for saying exactly the same thing said by others in thousands of posts.

Wow. Can someone make a quick and easy cheat sheet about what is proper to say and believe about racism and white privilege? No matter what, I cannot seem to get it right.