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Is there a double standard when it comes to hate crimes?
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The Marshall family
On the night of June 27, Marty Marshall and his family were standing outside a friend’s home in Akron, OH. The group had gathered to watch a fireworks display at nearby Firestone Park, the festive night ended suddenly, when the family as well as their friends were brutally attacked by a group of nearly 50 black teenagers. Marty Marshall, a 39-year-old construction worker came to the aid of his friend who was sucker punched by one of the teenagers, and was soon overwhelmed by the growing mob. His 13-year-old daughter Rachel was shoved to the ground, while mom Yvonne tried to shield their 14-year-old son Donald from the attackers by pushing him into the bushes. There was no incident which led to the attack, but as the black teenagers approached the Marshall family, they shouted: ''This is our world'' and ''This is a black world.'' The only motivation behind this crime seems to be the fact that the Marshalls are white. The savage beating went on for several minutes, but seemed like an eternity to the family. Marty suffered a concussion and several deep bruises to his eye. He spent five nights in the critical care unit at Akron General Medical Center. Marty told reporters: “My thing is, I didn't want this, but I was in fear for my wife, my kids and my friends. I felt I had to stay out there to protect them, because those guys were just jumping, swinging fists and everything.” He went on: ''I knew I was going to get beat, but not as bad as I did. But I did it to protect my family. I didn't have a choice. There was no need for this. We should be all getting along. But to me, it seems to be racist.'' Despite the obvious nature of the attack, Akron police have not classified the beating as a hate crime. Lt. Rick Edwards of the Akron Police Dept. said: ''We don't know if it's a known gang, or just a group of kids.'' The Marshalls say they now live in fear, and are reluctant to go outside their home. Marty may have best summed up the situation by adding: 'This makes you think about your freedom. In all reality, where is your freedom when you have this going on?'' Of course, many believe that this case is only the latest example of a possible bias by law enforcement in crimes which could seemingly qualify as so-called ‘hate crimes.’ In 2007, a mob beating of a white teenager in Norfolk, VA by black teenagers stirred-up racial tensions and had many of Norfolk’s white residents asking why the boy’s attackers had not been charged with a hate crime. The case gained national attention, after a video of the attack was given to the news media and was posted on Youtube. The video showed Damin O’Rourke, 13 standing in the street in his West Ocean View neighborhood when five black teens rushed towards him and began shoving him. O’Rourke was punched repeatedly, and kicked in the face after being knocked to the ground. Again, despite the overwhelming evidence, police did not charge the black teens with a hate crime and downplayed the obvious racial overtones to the case. Norfolk Police spokesman Chris Amos told reporters: “Investigators have determined that a non-race related altercation took place prior to the assault. Investigators believe that this earlier altercation escalated to the assault caught on videotape. Investigators have further determined that this incident was not gang-related in nature.” O’Rourke later said that he and a friend had been threatened and chased by seven black teens. The young man who captured the beating on video received threats of bodily harm from friends of the suspects. Ultimately, six black teenagers were found responsible for the attack, and were only charged with, and later convicted of misdemeanor assault. In 2007, there were 3,802 white Americans charged with hate crimes, while only 1,045 black Americans were charged with the same offense. ? ?
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