larch 1.2002
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federal
civil
rights
claim
was filed Feb. 7 in
Denver to ensure jus
tice is served after
the brutal February
2001 beating of Kyle
Skyock, a 16-year-
old from Rifle. The
Garfield County Dis
trict Attorney’s office
has not yet charged
the suspects with any
crime, a decision that
has come under
heavy public fire.
Sk yock
was
found unconscious
on the roadside by a
jogger after allegedly
Kyle Skyock holds hands with his mother, Sharlene, as his father, Mike,
being beaten by four
stands next to them at St. M ary’s Hospital in G rand Junction, Colo.
teen-age boys be
cause they thought he was gay. After leaving a
legislation also promotes the use of restorative jus
party with them, he said the car soon halted, and
tice and law enforcement training.
he was pulled from it and thrown to the ground.
“The plea bargain does not resolve the out
The hoys quickly overpowered Skyix:k, kick standing issue of whether this murder will be clas
ing him and ramming his head into the bumper.
sified as a hate crime,” said Kathy Keyes, Four Cor
They threw him back in the vehicle and
ners Gay and Lesbian Alliance for Diversity board
punched him some more, then pulled him out
chairwoman. “Pauline Mitchell deserves to know
and kicked him again.
that, and so dix» the rest of the community that
“Faggot,” Skyock said he heard. “1 want a i Fred was a part of. If you ltxik at the federal defin
turn with the bat! G ive it to me. It’s my turn, it’s
ition of a hate crime— a crime motivated all or in
my turn.”
part by bias— it seems clear from witness’ state
ments that Fred’s murder was bias-motivated."
Police initially believed that Skyix:k was
dmnk and that his injuries were a result of
“falling down.” Yet doctors said he suffered a
NATIONAL
X Dixon O sbum , Servicemembers Legal
fractured skull, a circle o f bum blisters on his
shoulder, a black eye, three broken ribs and
^ Defense Network executive director, criti
cized a cartoon by Phillip Thom pson appearing
bruises in the shape of a fixit and a 2-by-4.
in the Feb. 11 issue o f Marine Corps Times as
<•
offensive and disrespectful to military personnel
everal organizations expressed cautious opti
and called on editors to issue an apology.
mism at the announcement that Shaun Mur
The drawing, titled “In the Trenches,” refers to
phy plead guilty to second-degree murder Feb. 8
an Assixiated Press photo taken aboard the U SS
in Cortez for killing a 16-year-old Navajo youth.
Enterprise last year in which the phrase “Highjack
Fred Martinez’s body was discovered June 21,
This Fags" was scrawled across a bomb onboard
2001, almost a week after he was chased, blud
the aircraft carrier. Osbum called on Navy leaders
geoned and left to die of blcxxl loss and expo
to hold accountable servicemembers who were
sure. A witness is reported to have claimed Mur
involved in writing the epithet.
phy bragged he “beat up a fag."
In response, Rear Adm. S.R. Pietropaoli issued
In exchange for the plea, a first-degree mur a statement calling the graffiti “inappropriate." He
der charge was dropped. A sentencing hearing is
pledged the Navy’s commitment to ensuring such
scheduled to begin May 16.
statements were not used in the future.
“Nothing will bring back my son,” Paula
Thom pson’s cartoon, which depicts a serv-
Mitchell said. “ I hope that we will find out what
icemember writing on a bomb, includes the fol
really happened during the sentencing hearing.
lowing language, which O sbum says clearly
I hope that Shaun Murphy will be punished for
implies the artist considers anti-gay animus
this crime."
acceptable in the armed forces: “Dear {Cen
If the case had gone to trial, Mitchell might
sored], We can’t write ‘inappropriate’ notes on
have had to spend weeks listening to the details of
bombs anymore, but we’re still going to kick
her son’s murder, being cross-examined and listen your (Censored], you |Censor|ing (Censored].
ing to a defease attorney minimize the violent
Love, U .S.M .C .”
assault. “We hope first and foremost that the plea
Osbum added: “Our men and women in uni
bargain reduces the amount of trauma and emo form deserve better than the second-class treat
tional hardship that Pauline Mitchell and Fred’s
ment this cartoon advocates. T he message
family have to endure and that they feel that— to
behind this cartoon— that anti-gay sentiment is
the extent possible within the law— this feels like j acceptable in our military— contradicts Penta
accountability
and
gon policy. Mr. Thom pson
In th e T r e n c h e s • *
some form of justice,"
would, we hope, never suggest
said Denise de Percin,
that a racial epithet or disparag
DEAR! ctNtontp |
Colorado
Anti-
ut cun t write
nrm Tf." N otts on
ing remark against religious
BO
M
BS
ANYMORE
but WERE 5UU
Violence
Program
groups is acceptable.”
GOING TO KICK YOOR HHEE3. YOU
| cw « m > o | |KM
T Ittutptto I,
executive director.
LWE. U6.M.C.
The Colorado Sen
•s*
ate is considering state
r
he National
Education
Rep. Mark Larson’s
I A ssixiation’s hoard of direc
Bias-Motivated
tors O K ’d a series of task force rec
Crimes Bill, which
ommendations Feb. 8 to encour
amends the Ethnic In
age the adoption of inclusive anti-
timidation Act to in
harassment policies and develop
clude sexual orienta
ment of factual materials for class-
tion, gender identity,
rtx>m and community discussion
age and disability. The
on these issues. Statistics indicate
(
Someone new ruling
your roost?
vV A> ^
m
J*
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"X ? l !
fcA&l
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