Police arrest hate crime victim and deny him medical treatment, protect skinhead group responsible

[Bjorn Against]

Meanwhile, Johnny Bonta was knocked unconscious with a bat, his nose and sinus cavities broken and bleeding, with stab wounds on his neck.

At this point someone must have called the police because they could hear sirens approaching. There was only one problem:

Lisa said Jacob Cassell taunted the family as the sirens approached, telling them, “You hear those cops coming? They’re not going to help you. My daddy is a cop in this town, and nothing is going to happen to me. You fucking niggers are going to jail.”

When cops arrived they refused to take statements from the victims, only interviewing the three white assailants. An ambulance took Lisa, Alyssa and Murray to the hospital. Police arrested Johnny Bonta even though he was bleeding and barely able to stand and took him back to the local jail. The three attackers, including Jacob Cassell, son of retired Sheriff officer Jim Cassell, were released at the scene.


Lisa Bonta assumed her husband was also on the way to the hospital, and panicked when she couldn’t find him. It turned out he was at jail and wasn’t given medical treatment for six days. When Lisa found him she was given the run-around by police and jail officials:

http://blogs.forbes.com/erikkain/2011/07/06/did-police-turn-a-blind-eye-to-attack-on-native-american-family-in-nevada/

I can not even express how disgusted I am by this story, not only do the skinheads need to be arrested, but certain members of the police department need to serve prison time for this as well. Right now it appears the Justice Department has opened an investigation into the hate crime itself, but it does not appear that they are investigating the police department. The investigation needs to be expanded, we can not continue to treat police as if they are above the law.

There is an excellent diary on Daily Kos that includes resources on how you can help bring justice in this case, please follow this link to read it in its entirety:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/07/10/993043/-Skinheads-Hunt-Native-American-Family:-Guess-Who-Gets-Arrested?via=siderec

[atreides1]

1. Well

Let's hear it from those that support the police...sometimes unconditionally!!!

Never mind, I'm sure there were extenuating circumstances like Mr. Bonta's face hitting their bat, that provoked this.

[Liberal_in_LA]

2. read the whole article: Cops saying that it was 'mutual' that middle agers took on 20 year olds

mutual my ass.

[Bjorn Against]

4. And if it were mutual...

Then why the hell was only one person arrested?

You are right, the evidence clearly suggests that this was not a fight it was an attack and only one side is responsible, but if what the police claimed was true then they better have an explanation as to why they only chose to make one arrest.

[LiberalAndProud]

7. He had an arrest warrant.

http://www.rgj.com/article/20110630/NEWS01/110630038/FBI-investigates-potential-Fernley-hate-crime
However, Bonta had an arrest warrant from Pershing County and was picked up on that unrelated charge.

Bonta pleaded no contest Oct. 7, 2010, to a misdemeanor bad check charge in Pershing Justice Court and was given $358 in fines and fees, Deputy District Attorney Bryce Shields said. When Bonta did not pay, the court issued an arrest warrant.

[Bjorn Against]

8. So they held him for six days for a $358 fine?

It appears he paid bail as well, I don't see any justification for holding someone for six days and refusing them medical treatment after they have been stabbed and beaten.

[PatrynXX]

11. Is this Africa or America

Reminds me of Biko. Wonder why that is. Cept he died because they refused medical treatment... And how long was Biko's rap sheet? You can figure that one out later.

[LiberalAndProud]

15. Justified? Hell no!

I think there is collusion and cronyism at work. They did withhold medical attention and it seems the deputy's son knew exactly what to expect when the police arrived. I have an opinion of the truth here, and it isn't flattering to the county police dept.

I was merely providing the explanation as to why only one man was arrested.

[hfojvt]

9. you are not really looking at evidence

you are hearing a story. A story which may or may not be true. This one gives a different account http://www.rgj.com/article/20110706/FERNLEY01/107060391/FBI-investigating-possible-hate-crime-Fernley?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Fernley%20Leader|s

This is perhaps a key "Cassell also noted that four workers from the Nevada Division of Transportation were witnesses to the incident and reported it to 911."

The FBI is investigating it, so hopefully justice will be done, although sometimes there is also no love lost between Native Americans and the FBI.

I notice one difference in the two versions. The Forbes link says that the Bontas drove off "The three men followed, cutting them off on the freeway ramp and causing them to crash."

and the other story says this

"Words were exchanged between the two groups, and the three men drove off in a Mitsubishi, followed by the Bontas."

and then differing versions of the accident

"The Bontas charge the individuals in the Mitsubishi were headed on Main Street toward I-80 and for some reason, the driver slammed on the brakes, which caused Bonta's Crown Victoria to crash into the Mitsubishi.

Dee Cassell, mother of Jacob, said her son told her the Bontas followed them onto Truckee Lane and crashed into his Mitsubishi."


One question that I have is, why would you follow people that you felt were threatening you? If I had three thugs threatening me, I would not be following them. And then if I rear ended them and they jumped out with crowbars, I'd drive right over one of the fockers.

That assumes, of course, that my car is still driveable.

But there's no way, really, that we can read two or three stories and have any idea what the facts are, what the evidence is. We will, however, jump to conclusions that fit right into some of our favorite narratives. We all do that.

[HankyDubs]

13. what a load of shit

both sides? How do you explain the facebook conversations these disgusting pigs had?

[hfojvt]

20. maybe I don't know the slang

but it does not say much more to me other than "I was in a fight and I won".

Does "just laid fists and boots into some dude" prove that he started the fight or just that he was in a fight (something that nobody is denying)?

[awoke_in_2003]

37. regardless...

as to who started it, he should not have been denied medical attention.

[naaman fletcher]

25. careful

Being sane and reserving judgement over conflicting stories gets you a lot of enemies here. I've been there before.

[toddwv]

10. Yeah, what a load of bullshit.

The attackers...I mean only one side of the "mutual physical altercationists" just happened to have knives, crowbars and baseball bats in the car.

Sounds like there's a police department that needs to be cleaned out lock stock and barrel.

[loyalsister]

5. Seriously

If you count the kid it was an even fight. Despicable!

[sakabatou]

3. ...

:wtf:

[LiberalAndProud]

6. I hope they have a kickass lawyer.

[Fastcars]

12. Sounds As If

Both sides are trying to paint the other in the worst possible light and the truth will come out when the investigators get a chance to get all the witnesses stories and put together what actually happened.

[Rex]

14. Wow what year is this again?

1950?

[butterfly77]

16. ...

[russspeakeasy]

17. It is indeed disgusting... unfortunately it is not limited to Nevada.

Parts of Florida have more skinheads per capita than anywhere else in the U.S. Mostly cowards and drunken dope peddlers.

[dissidentboomer]

22. Dallas has quite a few, as well as other violent, dangerous far

right groups. In Dallas, if you are sane, you have to remember to be aware of who could be around you when you talk about economics or politics.

[DFW]

31. Don't I know THAT's true!!

But Dallas is very heterogeneous. I'd rather take my chances in Dallas than in Waco.

[Jakes Progress]

18. Going to be more and more a problem.

Society had made people with attitudes like the skinheads reign in their craziness. Now the rw press and the rw electorate are egging them on.

Even on DU we get the "reasonable" people who want to believe that this stuff isn't real. It's real. It's happening again.

[McCamy Taylor]

19. Federal laws have been violated. Where is Holder and the DOJ?

[gtar100]

33. Who? I think they're on vacation for th next few years.

[Harry J Asslinger]

34. They're busy with the greatest threat to this nation: the vile marijuana.

[sulphurdunn]

21. If arresting someone

who just had his faced smashed with a baseball bat and keeping him in jail for a week with neither due process nor medical attention isn't a crime, then what is? Maybe they were deciding if he should hang himself in his cell.

[backscatter712]

23. Reason #68790234780965026 why this country should implement the death penalty for racist cops. n/t

[rasputin1952]

24. Horrific story...if there is a saving grace to this...

the FBI is investigating the situation and they have a relatively good record prosecuting hate crimes.

If these 3 are guilty of the crimes they were accused of, they need to spend a lot of time behind bars.

[bertman]

26. I vote for community service on the rez where these folks are from. nt

[provis99]

27. and a murderous cop in a story on the same page:

http://blogs.forbes.com/erikkain/2011/06/29/fairfax-county-police-officer-fired-for-shooting-death-of-unarmed-motorist/

[Enthusiast]

28. What does SpiralHawk call it?

Oh yeah, Republican family cesspool values.

[midnight]

29. K&R

[pipoman]

30. It is really so much more interesting

when the OP doesn't fail to put the important information in the OP...

When Johnny and Lisa Bonta were attacked near a gas station in Fernley, Nevada

[Shining Jack]

32. "protect skinhead group responsible"

They protect their own or at least the ones with a similar disgusting mentality. :puke:

[hakko936]

35. Unreal.

It amazes me to see these stories. Regardless of it being "mutual", it wasn't, you still need to get the man medical attention. So many hateful things went on here that it is just unimaginable.

[Name removed]

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