Some who have posted on this thread, state that this incident does not rise to the level of a hate crime. I disagree. Most crimes have an element of plain vanilla "hate", but what we have to consider here is what is a "hate crime?" "Defining Hate Violence and Hate Crime The terms hate violence and hate crimes first appeared in the Final Report of the Attorney General's Commission on Racial, Ethnic, Religious and Minority Violence issued in April, 1986. It defined hate violence to be: Any act of intimidation, harassment, physical force or threat of physical force directed against any person, or namely, or their property or advocate, motivated either in whole or in part by hostility to their real or perceived race, ethnic background, religious belief, sex, age, disability, or sexual orientation, with the intention of causing fear or intimidation, or to deter the free exercise or enjoyment of any rights or privileges secured by the Constitution or the laws of the United State of California whether or not performed under color of law." What differentiates a hate crime from plain vanilla crime is the motivation of the perpetrator. One such qualifying motivation can be "hatred" of the victim's religious beliefs. The purpose of a hate crime is to deter the victim's Constitutional rights. Here, Lady Liberty and her family believed in celebrating Christmas, and expressed that belief by putting up Christmas decorations on her private property. The US Constitution protects one's rights to celebrate religious holidays on private property, without fear or intimidation. Obviously, the JW/Frosty Attack gang hated Lady Liberty's change from being a fellow JW who would not celebrate the "pagan" holiday....to her celebrating this Christian holiday. The JW gang conspired inside their house to "take out" Lady Libery's Christmas decorations and to egg her house. Why? To intimidate & harass Lady Liberty & her family in order to deter Lady Liberty's current & future holiday celebrations this JW gang (who were all grown adults) considered pagan. The JW gang did not do this as a disinterested "teenage prank" for the mere thrill of it. Why do you think these grown JW men did this to an ex-JWs house? To build intimidation & to deter Lady Liberty from going back to, what they perceived as, her "worldly ways." Let's break down the elements of a "hate crime as defined by California's Attorney General & see how they fit into Lady Liberty's situation: 1) Any act of.... physical force...= egging & Frosty "killing" are acts of physical force 2) against any person or their property..... = Lady Liberty, her family, their house, cars, and personal property are people & property 3) motivated either in whole or in part by hostility to the victim's religious beleif = the JW gang hated Lady Liberty's changed religious belief to celebrate Christmas as evidenced by her outdoor display 4) with the intention of causing fear or intimidation or to deter = the JW gang wanted, at least, to make Lady Liberty "think twice" before celebrating another Christmas & wanted to prevent her enjoyment of the current Christmas. 5) the free exercise or enjoyment of any rights or privileges secured by the Constitution or California = Lady Liberty has a right to display Christmas decorations & to celebrate Christmas on her property - see the 1st Amendment (freedom of religion & expression). Skeeter
UPDATE!: THEY ALL ADMITTED EGGING US -Elders now know, heads are rolling!!
by Lady Liberty 184 Replies latest jw friends
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UpAndAtom
I suppose my answer depends on the spirit in which the 'crime' was committed. I can't have you thinking I'm insensitive. I draw a distinction between groups that actively promote hate, and spur of the moment immature behaviour which I think this was.
Regardless, I hope that I would have the courage of conviction to forgive and forget in any scenario you present me with, and to ask for forgiveness from my maker when I found it too hard.
There's nothing to be gained by escalating this.
I like your screen name. -
LongHairGal
I would definitely report them. This must be made PUBLIC. While this may fall in the grey areas of a "hate crime" or "prank", the most important thing is that the public must be made aware of this. This isn't about hurt feelings or damaged plastic ornaments. There is a bigger issue here: keeping their scandals hidden from the world. That is what their apologies are about. They are hoping to keep you quiet.
The biggest tragedy, in my opinion, would be if if this were covered over and swept under the rug like all their other embarrassments. March yourself down to the police station or wherever and make out the report and make sure to mention about the religion and how you are an ex member and they have it in for you. Don't chicken out now!
LHG
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skeeter1
When crimes are not prosecuted, they are much more likely to reoccur. If no one was reprimanded, where would we be? The days of Cain & Abel. Turning the cheek is laudable, but does nothing to stop repeat offenses or give the victim, or society at large, peace of mind that the perpetrator would not reoffend. Personal forgiveness is great, and we see it alot with murder victim's families....but society as a whole still needs protection from the criminal and to impose sanctions so that the criminal does not reoffend. Legislatures pass sanctions to fit the crime. I do not see the JW gang getting 20 years of jail time or the electric chair, but perhaps community service such as picking up trash and, perhaps, a few nights in the pokey. They will have plenty of time to relect on their actions.
I read somewhere on this thread that "good fences make good neighbors." I assume that Frosty was in the front yard. How high of a fence would it have taken to deter the JW gang? A 3 foot picket fence (appropriate for a neighborhood front yard) would not have done it. Perhaps Lady Liberty should put up a 10 foot chain link fence with barb wire on top, thus imprisoning herself inside her own house? How much would such a fence cost? Would the fence have prevented the eggs from hitting her house? A a 10 foot fence is probably a violation of covenants, and an eye-sore. Plus, why should Lady Liberty shell out hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars to put up a fence to protect her right to display Frosty or to peacefully worship? Physical barriers can only work so much, but a law which imposes sanctions (criminal and civil) will do more to change the perspective of the perpetrator. Should Lady Liberty sell her house and move away in order to protect her right to display Frosty? Again, this will cost thousands of dollars in moving, real estate commission, and hassle.
Skeeter
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sf
Perhaps Eduardo overlooked my inquiry.
Ed, you out there?
sKally