First Trayvon Martin - George Zimmerman related hate crime reported in Chicago

[Amerigo Vespucci]

First Trayvon Martin - George Zimmerman related hate crime reported in Chicago

http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/tea-party-report/2012/apr/22/first-trayvon-martin-related-hate-crime-reported-c/



CHICAGO, April 22, 2012 – The first Trayvon Martin-related hate crime has just been reported. Is the politically heated rhetoric surrounding the Sanford, Florida case to blame?

***

But now there is a real-life casualty of the heated - some would say politically-motivated - rhetoric: a 19-year-old white hate crime victim from Chicago.

Alton Hayes, 18, of Oak Park, Illinois and a 15 year-old accomplice threatened the victim with a large tree branch and said, “Empty your pockets, white boy.” After pinning the victim’s arms to his sides, Hayes allegedly threw the 19-year-old to the ground, robbed him, and repeatedly punched him in the head and back.

Hayes told authorities he was so upset about the Trayvon Martin case he beat up the man because he was white. He has been charged with attempted robbery, aggravated battery, and a hate crime.

[The Magistrate]

1. Oh Yeah, Sir, Like He Would Not Have Robbed Somebody Otherwise....

Lord knows I always go to 'Tea Party Report' in the Moonie Times for insight into suburban Chicago police news....

[cherokeeprogressive]

14. What if the story comes from the Chicago Sun-Times?

http://oakpark.suntimes.com/news/12035395-418/prosecutors-trayvon-martin-case-led-to-racial-beating-in-oak-park.html

[The Magistrate]

23. When You Have A Point, Sir, You Be Sure And Let us Know

The local paper ran a straightforward news account, of a local crime. It was headed with a picture of the adult offender.

The 'Tea Party Report' was ornamented with a picture of the offender grafted to a rally seeking the arrest of Zimmerman, who has been arrested for murder. It began with a lengthy attack on leading civil rights figures, accusing people who priotesteed that Zimmerman had not been arrested of stirring racial tensions, when of course, it was the killing of a black youth by a neighborhood bully and vigilante which has highlighted existing racial trensions. Here is a sample:

"The first Trayvon Martin-related hate crime has just been reported. Is the politically heated rhetoric surrounding the Sanford, Florida case to blame?

For weeks, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and other prominent political figures have been ratcheting up the rhetoric in the case of Trayvon Martin. Martin is the 17-year-old black teenager who was shot by volunteer neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman. Zimmerman is of white and Peruvian descent.


Critics have charged that Jackson and Sharpton have been using the Trayvon Martin case to fan the flames of U.S. racial discord and have intentionally focused their venom on the racial divisions between the white and black communities – Zimmerman’s mixed racial heritage notwithstanding.

Last month, Jackson launched what he termed the “Trayvon Martin-voter registration movement” with a goal of registering 1 million voters in Florida."

Indeed, it is six paragraphs before anything about the incident headlined is disclosed.

So the problem is that a source dedicated to rightist and racist propaganda was cited, and given wider circulation. The O.P. could have looked about a bit, and found the local story, if his interest was simply in reporting the incident.

No one doubts the attack occurred, or that the idiot in question claimed the motivation he did. The idea this crime of opportunity owes to the national agitation to see Zimmerman brought to the bar of justice is open to serious question, to put it mildly.

[cherokeeprogressive]

24. Well, when The Smartest Guy in the Room says it's just a stupid fuck saying stupid things...

I guess that's the end of it.

That you know he would surely have robbed someone makes me wonder... do you know Tuesday's Mega-Millions numbers? If you do, send them to me and I promise we'll split the pie.

[The Magistrate]

25. That's Right, Sweet-Heart: Live And Learn

"The chief use of reason is support of prejudice."

[cherokeeprogressive]

27. So, no Mega-Millions numbers then? Shame...

So then, you can speak to what would have happened, but not to what's going to happen?

I'm disappointed.

[The Magistrate]

28. As The Man Said, Sir

"I should like to take you seriously, but doing so would affront your intelligence."

[joeybee12]

2. Hmmm...the Washington Times...

I figure about 13% of this story is true.

[WillowTree]

5. Would CBS, ABC and the Chicago Trib and Sun Times be better?

'Cause it's been all over the news in the Chicago area.

[The Magistrate]

8. Actually, Sir, Yes, It Would

That 'Tea Party Report' feature linked to is garbage.

The incident itself is simply a stupid fuck doing something stupid, and saying something even stupider when interrogated....

[frazzled]

9. It has?

I live in Chicago, and I hadn't heard of this (not to say I watch the local news that carefully everyday). But google "Alton Hayes Oak Park" and you get almost nothing in the Chicago press. You find two Fox TV news and one ABC local news, and one Oak Park Leaf (a branch of the Sun-Times) article. That's about it. Just local TV news fodder. No Tribune or mainstream Sun-Times articles even.

We have dozens of serious incidents every day, and especially every weekend here in Chicago: murders and mayhem galore. A kid waving a stick at someone and robbing them is hardly news here.

[Lasher]

13. Here is a link to a similar article in the Chicago Sun-Times

http://www.suntimes.com/news/crime/12032142-418/officials-trayvon-case-cited-in-racial-beating.html

It was published two days ago.

[frazzled]

22. A three paragraph article is hardly an "everybody's talking about it"

kind of thing. This is a small-time story, barely noticed, with no follow-up (except by certain right-wing outlets).

[Lasher]

26. I don't know how much this is being discussed in the Chicago area.

But I think it's highly unlikely that everybody there is talking about it.

The Magistrate said upthread that something from the CBS, ABC and the Chicago Trib and Sun Times would be better. I furnished a link to a Chicago Sun-Times article about the incident, noting that it was published two days ago. I implied nothing more.

You said there were no "...mainstream Sun-Times articles...". You were wrong on that point.

[freshwest]

3. Thanks, Chicago PD for your quick work and charging them appropriately.

Arrests and charging will defuse a lot of bitterness on all sides of this. We need to stop having sides and realize that we're all on the same side of stopping brutality.

[karnac]

4. Totally Expected.

But not the first. Its already happened several times From LA to NYC.

Just that this idiot wanted it it to be blatantly obvious.

Somebody always want to be the first in a 'JUST' racial war.

[WillowTree]

6. Could be wrong, but I think the OP meant the first in the Chicago area.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

7. Right out of the box they blame Sharpton and Jackson for 'ratcheting up the rhetoric'

Wonder if the article writers have an agenda?

Conservative commentator and satirist William J. Kelly and Laura Kelly edit and manage the Tea Party Reports for Communities @WashingtonTimes.com. Kelly also pens Bill Kelly's Truth Squad and is a contributor to Breitbart.com. He is a native of Chicago's Southside. Email questions to him at [e-mail].

[Ecumenist]

11. Of course, they do. BREITBART, REALLY?

[Ecumenist]

10. Here's my opinion and this is coming from a BLACK WOMAN....HE'S A STRAIGHT UP THUG and needs to be

thrown under the jail. This is one time that is that poor 19 year old had a pocket cannon, had he popped a cap in his ass, I would understand.

[IndyJones]

12. How are they related? Oh, that's right. They're not.

[Quixote1818]

30. Of course they are, don't you know ALL blacks are going to kill whites now because of Trayvon Martin

And it's all Al Sharpton's fault.

[4th law of robotics]

31. Realistically? They aren't

but this guy *claimed* it was for that reason. The reporters didn't make that part up.

[IndyJones]

32. Yes, I see that's the headline. I just think it's ridiculous and irresponsible to report it that

way. The title could say that's what the idiot said, but it states it like it's fact...as if they really are somehow related. They aren't.

But I think we probably both agree to that.

[4th law of robotics]

34. Well, it's a matter of personal opinion

in a sane persons opinion the Zimmerman case in no way permits racial violence.

But this guy thinks it does.

Just like the jews aren't really trying to bring down the white race, but a skin head may very well cite that as a reason for committing a hate crime against them. I don't think it's dishonest to report the criminals stated motivation for the crime.

[surrealAmerican]

15. If the robber actually said that ...

... (and I have my doubts), then he's a stupid thug making excuses for his inexcusable actions.

Whether this is racially motivated or not, he's been caught, and charged. He's no longer a problem.

[cherokeeprogressive]

16. "Hayes told police he was upset by the Trayvon Martin case and beat the man up because he was white"

Who's lying; the police or the Cook County State's Attorney's office? Or both?

[vaberella]

18. It doesn't matter if he said it or not. He deserves to be put in jail for his crime.

Regardless of his words, no one who supports Trayvon Martin supports these actions by this criminal. He attacked someone unwarranted and from what I can see he used Trayvon as an excuse for his actions---he just really wanted to rob and hurt the victim. I get the feeling if Trayvon's case was not national this fool would have done the same. At least he's been caught and will hopefully spend a long time behind bards.

[surrealAmerican]

19. It's not a direct quote ...

... and it is The Washington Times. I suspect the author of the story is distorting or fabricating something.

[cherokeeprogressive]

21. Guess I should have put a link to the report I got that from... and though not a direct quote, it IS

attributed to a specific person at a specific agency.

This information doesn't come from the Washington Times.

And by the way, the person at the Cook County State's Attorney's office who this is attributed to is Tandra Simonton.

http://oakpark.suntimes.com/news/12035395-418/prosecutors-trayvon-martin-case-led-to-racial-beating-in-oak-park.html

[vaberella]

17. Good and he deserves to pay for his crime. n/t

[ZombieHorde]

20. Yikes. nt

[Quixote1818]

29. Interesting how the Washington Times reported the Tulsa black killing rampage so much differently

No mention of it being blacks they were killing in the headline at all. Interesting.



This was the only Washington Times article I could even find:

Title: 2 suspects in Oklahoma shooting rampage appear in court

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/apr/9/2-charged-murder-tulsa-shooting-rampage/?page=all

[JI7]

33. he is making excuses for his crimes since he got caught, he would have done it anyways