Gay man attacked by two marines in Georgia / FBI and Justice Dept ponder filing Hate Crime charges

[telemann.livejournal.com]

Cpl. Keil Joseph Cronauer, 22 (left) and Lance Cpl. Christopher Charles Stanzel 23 (right)

Two Marines have been arrested [misdemeanor battery charges] for allegedly beating a gay man in Savannah, Georgia. Keil Cronauer and Christopher Stanzel are accused of attacking Kieran Daly so badly that he suffered bruises on his brain, reports the Savannah Morning News. In addition to the bruises, Daly suffered two seizures immediately after the attack. His friends performed CPR. While Cronauer and Stanzel told police that Daly was harassing them, Daly explained that the two were mad because they thought that he had winked at one of them. The Morning News reports: "The guy thought I was winking at him," Daly said. "I told him, 'I was squinting, man. ... I'm tired.'" Daly said one of the men told him he demanded respect because he served in Iraq. And at least one hurled slurs at him as he tried to walk away."That's the last thing I remember is walking away," Daly said. Because Georgia is one of just five states that does not have legislation requiring stiffer penalties for hate crimes, the marines were released to military police. The station reports that Cronauer and Stanzel are based at the Marine Corps Air Station in Beaufort, South Carolina and are currently restricted to the base.

There are many sad things in the story, but the most perplexing question for me is why aren't these Marines in a brig and just merely confined to their base? This story during Gay Pride month confirms for me precisely the need for hate crimes laws: states and localities refusing to treat these cases in a serious manner. The FBI and Justice Dept are looking into the possibility of filing charges under the recently enacted Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

Source.

Here's more information, and check out their commanding officer's reaction to all this. It will make your blood boil!

Comments

[montanaisaleg.livejournal.com]

If they are convicted then no I will not support them.
Ok, let's say there's irrefutable evidence that the victim's flirted with these guys, they asked him to stop, he didn't so they beat him up. Maybe there was a bystander with a video camera who caught every detail of the events. Then say the case got dismissed because of some technicality. They're absolutely guilty, even admit to it, but they get off free and clear because, I dunno, the arresting cop mispronounced a word when reading them their rights. Would you support them then?

If they were harassed and warned the guy then so be it what happened, happened.
Let's say a female friend or relative of yours is at a bar. She flirts with a guy in a military uniform, who says "I'm not interested" or "I'm married." Or maybe she's just unattractive or annoying or something. Doesn't matter. He's not interested. Despite his request that she back off, she keeps flirting with him. He finally gets sick of it and punches her square in the face, full force. You would, I assume, be ok with this and defend the guy who was being harassed.