Oklahoma man files civil rights suit after home is burned following homophobic attacks

[TexasTowelie]

Randy Gamel-Medler, an Oklahoma gay man, filed a federal equal protection lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma against nine defendants from Blaine County, Oklahoma, including Hitchcock Mayor Rick Edsall, Blaine County Sheriff Tony Almaguer, and Undersheriff David Robertson.

The lawsuit also includes state law claims for assault, battery, destruction of real and personal property, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The complaint details months of police and government inaction in response to racist and homophobic threats and harassment.

"When our family moved to the town of Hitchcock in rural Oklahoma we thought we were buying our last house, we wanted to know our neighbors by their first names and grow old together, but we were soon met with hatred, suspicion, and discrimination,” said plaintiff Randy Gamel-Medler. “We were terrorized, murder threats were made against our seven year-old African-American son. Town officials conspired to run us out of office, all while local law enforcement ignored our pleas for help. We are now left with the last 27 years of our life literally erased. What do we do now?"

Gamel-Medler, a white gay man with a seven year-old African-American son, was first threatened in September 2016 at a town council meeting only one month after moving to Hitchcock, Oklahoma.

Read more: http://www.normantranscript.com/oklahoma-man-files-civil-rights-suit-after-home-is-burned/article_abc2719e-7b8b-11e7-b882-378eb60cc759.html

Cross-posted in the Oklahoma Group.

[Dustlawyer]

1. 2017 huh? Wow!

I hope he gets a good judgement that he can collect. I also hope the state police and the U.S. Attorneys office investigate and prosecute.

[salin]

2. *horrified gasp*

go read the story.

the police wouldn't take police reports. Fire dept (1 block away) doesn't arrive until after the house has burned down. Neighbor and family watch the house burn down - sitting in lawn chairs. Horrible.

[FreepFryer]

5. Not just a neighbor - the town's mayor. (n/t)

[salin]

6. Damn.

Read to quickly to refer back to the name and realize that was the mayor.

I think the town is going to have a hard time getting a new insurance policy after the liabilities are paid off from the undoubtable settlement that is going to have to be paid to this family.

[FreepFryer]

8. Not so undoubtable in the age of Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III.

[salin]

9. True...

but this is so flipping egregious, I hope that even Sessions can't turn a blind eye.

[FreepFryer]

10. Another test of our belief in and willingness to defend the idea that "All Men are Created Equal"

[salin]

11. these words

while reading more about the bs nazis in Charlottesville, just brought tears to my eyes.

[FreepFryer]

12. E pluribus unum :) we've got this.

[salin]

13. thx

I sure hope we do.

[FreepFryer]

14. We were made for these times. It's our duty.

[keithbvadu2]

3. A good 'Christian' community?

[SWBTATTReg]

4. my head is shaking sadly at this

Wow...how sad for my home state...and what a terrible experience for a 7 year old.

I hope Mr. Gamel-Medler wins, w/o negative consequences to him/family (e.g., move away to protect themselves)...

Unfortunately this sometimes seems to be more prevalent in more rural communities (gay bashing)...although in other cases, I have heard the opposite, that they (the gay family) was welcomed into the neighborhood w/ open arms.

Hopefully he/his family has documented proof for supporting his case, videos, audio recordings of phone calls, etc.

Good thing he filed in Fed. court, for I don't think in state court his case wouldn't go anywhere.

[Glorfindel]

7. Really terrible. I wonder if there is a Go Fund Me account to help this family?

I'd be glad to contribute. I'm afraid this kind of thing is going to get worse.