( - promoted by Juan Melli)
Terrance Aeriel, Dashon Harvey and Iofemi Hightower are gone, a loss which rips at the soul of the city of Newark and staggers us all with the brutality of it. Natasha Aeriel was tortured. What hell she's lived through we can only imagine. What's left for all of us now is to come to terms about how and why all this came to be. To face it. And then to rise to the challenge to protect all vulnerable youth, and make sure this doesn't happen ever again.
Some leaders in Newark's LGBT community are calling on mayor Cory Booker, the City Council and police to answer the question: "Why is the recent execution style slaying of three young people in Newark not being investigated as a hate crime?"
We are told that friends of the victims have come forward to ask why the identities of the murdered teenagers, and the lone survivor, have been suppressed, claiming that "at least one or more of the victims were gay". Media reports indicate that two of the victims were sexually molested before being killed. Though authorities suggest robbery was the motive, some in the community say they were targeted because they were gay.
A letter to Booker (below the fold), signed James Credle on behalf of LGBTIQ & Two-Spirited Concerns Group, asks why none of the public statements made by the mayor or police director mention the sexual orientation of the victims "despite the fact several sources including friends, boyfriends/lovers of at least one of the victims and perhaps one of the parents knew that one or more of the murdered students were gay." Copies of the letter were also sent to U.S. Attorney Chris Christie.
Newark's politicians and police already know that this is a possibility and of course they're privately looking into whether this was in fact a hate crime. But the issue is much larger than these four students and requires a more thorough response. We've moved beyond keeping this quiet.
Almost 10 years after the town of Laramie, Wyoming came to terms with the homophobia-driven murder of college student Matthew Shepard, Newark is a long way from making similar progress. In a press release issued this morning, Garden State Equality responded to the possibility that these heinous murders may have been hate crimes, noting the city's past struggles with the issue: "If that turns out to be the case, then shame on authories that did not do more to prevent hate-crime violence after the murders of Sakia Gunn and Shani Baraka in Newark in 2003." At the time, almost no news reports mentioned Shani Baraka's sexual orientation or that of the other victim, her lover, until a New York Blade story. This needs to be prevented from happening again, which is why we can't bury our heads in the sand.
Whether this particular case is a hate crime remains to be determined by the courts, but there is a well-known and largely unspoken epidemic in Newark of gays being targeted for their sexual orientation. The homophobia in parts of the black community makes this a politically unpopular issue for leaders to address. But it's a real problem and pretending it's not there only perpetuates the cycle of hate.
There are well-meaning and deeply caring people who don't want any of this public. And they are right to be concerned that talking about this publicly may put the families through additional pain. This is a delicate situation involving young students, and it makes the decision to write this a very difficult one. In the end, because of the possible implications, remaining silent isn't an option. We need to talk about this.
While it's important to respect the wishes of the families in their time of grief, it's also important to determine with certainty whether this was a crime based on sexual-orientation. The challenge we all face is to get to the bottom of things and to ensure these tragic events aren't repeated. To do otherwise is unthinkable.
We still have vulnerable young people whose freedom we are honor-bound to safeguard. They live in the city of Newark and in every town, city and suburb in this state. How can we ensure they have every chance for a long, free life if we do not do everything we can do now to understand all that happened to Terrance, to Dashon, to Iofemi and to the fragile Natasha? And why. Update: The Washington Blade reports that they have been looking at this for a while: The Blade has been investigating the hate crime angle for two weeks. A spokesperson for the mayor told the Blade last week the incident "was not a hate crime." [...]
When asked if the murders could be hate crimes, [Essex County Prosecutor's Office spokesperson Paul] Loriquet said, "All I can tell you is that all angles are being looked at very carefully in terms of a motive. Besides that, we really can't comment any further at this date," he said. |
The Honorable Cory Booker, Mayor
City of Newark
City Hall
Newark, New Jersey 07102
September 17, 2007
Dear Mayor Booker:
After the alleged perpetrators took the lives of Terrance Aeriel, Dashon Harvey and Iofemi Hightower, and robbed, abused and shot Natasha Aeriel, leaving her for dead early Sunday, August 5, 2007, one of the motives for this murder was speculated as gang or drug related. Although motive must be proven in our courts of law, the media and the numerous sound- bites about this matter have consistently emphasized the 'execution style' of the murders or 'unfortunate situation' of these promising young, college-bound people. Should the pursuit of true justice for Terrance, Dashon, Iofemi and Natasha exist in Newark, this pursuit would also include the possibility of whether the taking of their lives was driven by some type of bias or hate.
When the element of criminal offense committed against a person, property or society which is motivated, in whole or in part, by the offender's bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or ethnicity/national origin, a bias or hate crime has been committed. Where there is a crime in which the defendant intentionally selects a victim because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, gender, disability, or sexual orientation of any person, a bias or hate crime exists. It has come to our attention that the attackers selected the victims because of a perceived bias against the race and sexual orientation of the victims. We are aware the victims were African American and at least one or more of the victims were gay. Therefore, this letter is an official document to inquire about the procedures to investigate the murders of Terrance Aeriel, Dashon Harvey, Iofemi Hightower and abuse of Natasha Aeriel as hate/bias crimes in the City of Newark. Furthermore, the US Attorney General for New Jersey, Chris Christie, is copied on this letter so that the Federal Government, which has authority to address a limited number of cases, may be made aware of the relationship between the murders and the Hate Crime Prevention Act.
To date, in public statements by you, Mayor Booker, Police Director Garry McCarthy, including all newspaper articles, radio and television reports and/or statements from the parents of the victims, there has been no mention of the sexual orientation of the victims or that there was the possibility of a bias/hate crime based on race and/or sexual orientation. Further, we want to know why, although the murders were committed more than a month ago, the fact of the sexual orientation of the youth has never been a part of the media or public discourse or media regarding the murders? This happened despite the fact several sources including friends, boyfriends/lovers of at least one of the victims and perhaps one of the parents knew that one or more of the murdered students were gay. At the same time, failure to fully expose and examine this issue will mean that the clarity that comes with the truth is clouded with distortion and rhetoric. We believe that if we keep silent, we will surely be an accessory to future tragedies like these in our community. Our silence would send the wrong message: "You can attack and even murder lgbtiq&two-spirited residents of Newark and you will not be prosecuted and convicted under hate/bias crime laws."
A formal letter will be sent to the parents/guardians of the murdered youth informing them of this letter and our request that the City of Newark and the Federal Government review these murders as hate/bias crimes. We do not wish to add to the pain and suffering of the parents or loved ones of the youth and we empathize with what they have already undergone and will continue to experience as this matter is adjudicated and beyond. However, we believe in full disclosure so that the truth may prevail.
We look forward to meeting with representatives of your administration including Councilman Rice, Councilwoman Rone, LGBTIQ&Two-Spirited Liaison Mattes, a representative from the Police Department and any other key personnel they desire to discuss this and relate issues/concerns facing the lgbtiq&two- spirited community in Newark. Your cooperation and assistance is anticipated and would be greatly appreciated.
In Peace,
James Credle in behalf of Representatives of the LGBTIQ&Two-Spirited Concerns Group
Cc: Chris Christopher, US Attorney General for New Jersey, LGBTIQ&Two-Spirited Concerns Group Interested Others |
