Saturday, December 27, 2008
Double Homicide Victims "Lived Alternative Lifestyles"
Indianapolis' latest homicide victims, two males who lived together on Rosslyn Avenue near Keystone Avenue and Kessler Blvd, "lived an alternative lifestyle" and were targeted, not random victims according to IMPD Lt. Kevin Kelly. You can click on this link to WTHR and listen to the video which accompanies the story and watch Kelly's statement to the media. Although Kelly did not expound on what he meant by "alternative lifestyle", police often use the term when referring to a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. Both of the victims, 34-year-old Avery Elzy and 22-year-old Michael Hunt, have prior criminal records for drug-related arrests. Police have not determined the motive for the crime, but they have a person of interest who may be driving Elzy's car, a blue, 4-door 2001 Mercury Sable with "sexy and independent" painted on the trunk. The person of interest is believed to be from the Marion or Ft. Wayne area. If it turns out the victims were killed because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, IMPD would not categorize it as a hate crime because the department stopped tracking hate crimes a couple of years ago.
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7 comments:
It's a double homicide. Belaboring 'hate crime'-ness of it is rather pointless. Multiple life or death in the gas chamber is surely going to be the penalty in this case under current law.
I don't see the point in labeling crimes "hate crimes". All crime is full of hate, isn't it? I don't see a gay victim being anymore special than a straight victim regardless of the motive for the crime.
And by that thinking the Holocaust was no different than other casualties suffered during war.
The Holocaust was bad because it was committed against civilians, not soldiers. It had nothing to do with the war, other than occurring at the same time.
Anyway, I suppose you think the fact that these guys were drug dealers had nothing to do with their deaths.
How many times do you suppose someone takes a life because they 'like' the other person? If there needs to be a distinction for 'hate crime,' then there must be 'like crimes.' But I plcan't think of one.
D, I have no idea whether the victims were drug dealers and I doubt you do either. Again, I think some of you are misguided on the need for hate crime laws. Someone tossed a molotov cocktail at Chicago's oldest synagogue this morning. Skinheads burned houses on Indianapolis' southeastside when they thought they were going to be occupied by blacks. Skinheads also beat a black man right downtown in front of dozens of witnesses for no other reason than he was black. You may see these crimes as no different from ordinary crimes but I would contend they impact everyone. That makes these crimes different than other crimes.
And by that thinking the Holocaust was no different than other casualties suffered during war.
Why are the deaths of Jews in concentration camps more important, or worse, than any other death during that time? It is this blissninnie logic that astounds me, that raping a woman for certain reasons makes the rape worse than someone who rapes a woman for a different set of reasons.
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