An instance of Republican Victimization: Feds charge 3 NY men in election bias attacks

[devilgrrl]

NEW YORK - Three white New Yorkers, riled by Barack Obama's victory, spent election night hunting down black people to beat up and yelling insults about the president-elect, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.

The men beat a Liberian immigrant teen, pushed a black man to the ground and drove their car over a white man they thought was black, according to the indictment unsealed in Brooklyn.

Ralph Nicoletti, 18, Michael Contreras, 18, and Brian Carranza, 21, were arrested early Wednesday. They were to be arraigned later in the day on charges of conspiracy to interfere with voting rights.

A fourth defendant was expected to separately plead guilty to unspecified charges, according to law enforcement officials. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the plea deal had not been made public.

The names of the defendants' attorneys were not immediately on record, according to prosecutors.

Before the rampage on Nov. 4, 2008, the teens had gathered at a makeshift clubhouse in the New York borough of Staten Island where they monitored the election results on the Internet.

"Shortly after learning of Barack Obama's victory, (they) decided to find African-Americans to assault in retaliation for an African-American winning the election," prosecutors said in court papers.

more: http://enews.earthlink.net/article/nat?guid=20090107/496436d0_3421_1334520090107-614564380

[Renew Deal]

1. Staten Island is one of the only republican counties in the state

It's literally a dump.

[musette_sf]

2. "the *teens* had gathered"

um, let's see, 18, 18 and 21? sounds like MENZ to me.

wonder if the defense is to say it was a "teen prank", like "hazing".

[Chulanowa]

3. You forgot how the Media and NYPD works

WHite people reach adulthood at 30. Blacks and Latinos are adults at age 12. Don'cha know.

[NJmaverick]

4. It's things like this

that make me fear for Obama's safety

[KansDem]

5. Please! Let's be tolerant and reach out to them!

:sarcasm:

[Donald Ian Rankin]

6. ..."and drove their car over a white man they thought was black"...

Not merely racists, but incompetant racists...