Ohio Hate Crime Beating: School Hid Critical Information From Authorities
Critical information was withheld from local authorities in the brutal hate crime beating that happened at Union-​Scioto High School in Chillicothe, Ohio. The beating was never reported as a hate crime, and reports show it was reported as a incident where the two boys “bumped shoulders.” Worse, local law enforcement authorities were not told that the 15-year old victim, whose name is being withheld because of his age, is gay, and that the teenaged boy who stalked, then beat him in a school classroom, had called him the “definition of a faggot” on Facebook just days before the attack.
WATCH:Â Hate Crime: Gay 15-Year Old Student Stalked, Brutally Beaten
As Equality Ohio has made clear, Ohio does not have anti-gay hate crimes laws. Nevertheless, there are federal hate crimes laws that can be used if local authorities request federal assistance.
The Chillicothe Gazette reports:
Rebecca Collins [the victim’s mother] aid Thursday she thinks the school has not done enough to address bullying.
“I’ve called and called and called … (The response) has been real lackadaisical, ‘kids will be kids,'” Collins said.
Officials, however, say they still are evaluating evidence, including a cellphone video and a Facebook post, that came to light after the school’s initial investigation, which indicated the fight was not motivated by the boy’s sexuality.
…
Unioto High School Principal Jim Osborne said he couldn’t talk about specifics, but he said that he had spoken with Collins about concerns she had.
“I’m sorry she feels that way (about our discussion). I feel our conversations were pretty productive,” Osborne said.
…
According to the initial report obtained Thursday by the Gazette, the two boys were on their way to a third-period class when they “bumped shoulders.” The 15-year-old suspect told deputies he has a mental illness, that he “just zoned out,” and didn’t know why he punched Collins’ son, according to the report.
Some media reports are labeling this attack as “bullying.” It is not bullying. It was a pre-​meditated assault and needs to be treated by the police as violent assault.
(h/t: Towleroad)
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