A gay man was attacked and beaten by a gang of youths early Saturday morning, and the news had been going around by facebook. Finally it made the newspaper… NOT the local daily, but an on line mouthpiece for local tv and radio stations. Dougal Media is not my preferred media outlet, but right now its the only coverage of this incident. The Chronicle Journal’s top story is “Country Charm Lives on” about the annual agricultural fair in Hymers.
So, firstly I am upset about hate crime happening in the city I live in and (mostly) love. I go to that bar its not “a gay bar” per se, but it is “gay friendly” (inside). I know several of the staff, my boyfriend does business with that bar, and actually was probably walking past a half hour before the incident happened. Jake is a friend of several of my friends, I may have met him, although Im not sure.
Im sickened that this happened and sickend that the local paper hasn’t covered it. Googling the incident this morning the second hit about thunder bay was the joe.my.godblog about this. Other blogs are picking this up, many people have links on facebook.
I am seething mad. Maybe to some this is RO, but its my town, its happened to someone I know of (vaugely) and my local newspaper has nothing to say. Today I was going to re start my subscription after the holidays, but forget it. I told the managing editor that as well on his voicemail.
It’s awful this happened to this poor man, but I think the accusation that the Thunder Bay daily is ignoring this is very unfair; it is certainly not based on any logic or evidence. It’s virtually certain they weren’t aware of the assault until after they hit the presses. The incident happened after last call, so the guy probably didn’t get to the hospital until at least 3-4 AM, the police would not have been notified until about that time, and the paper wouldn’t have known about it until the start of the business day; I sincerely doubt they have beat reporters working through the night. A little paper would have gone to print long before they could possibly have been aware of this story, and they don’t have the resources to continuously update their Web page the way a big paper or CNN does.
I think you’re jumping the gun on this one. Big time.
Although what RickJay said is reasonable, thanks for circulating this news item to the board, Julie. I understand that this fellow wants his story spread as far and wide as possible, which is what I would want in this circumstance (which Gods forbid) as well.
Facebook informs me he’s a friend of a friend of some friends of mine. Good grief. It’s really vicious.
This happened early Saturday Morning. They published a paper on Sunday, and one today. Two issues and not a single word about this. Country Charm Lives on though, the Fall fair on Sunday and Monday get top coverage. The webpage is updated regularly.
TBay newswatch is a much smaller organization, they have no problem with the story.
And yes, Matt, I’m spreading the word. I’ve been aware of issues pertaining to the gay community for sometime, but Im pretty much an outsider. But something in this story has pulled a switch in me, my latent activism has been refired.
(Latent activism is a heck of an oxymoron, but I guess that’s me)
What a bunch of hateful cowardly assholes. I hope they each get a long, long time to think about what actual idiots they are—that they each ruined their life because they chose to beat on some kid like a bunch of animals. They should be locked up with Queer as Folk the only thing playing on the TV.
No, what they’ll get is a long, long time of raping other men in prison, filing nuisance lawsuits, writing manifestos, converting to Islam, getting to hang with other sociopaths; they’ll have a gay old time in there. The last thing they’ll be doing is “thinking” or “reflecting” on the crime they committed. This is such a laughably naive thing to think.
I recieved a letter back from the editor of the Chronicle Journal. They were only informed about this on Tuesday morning. (Huh?) and claim that the police never told them about this incident, while they were informed about other violent crimes that happened over the weekend.
Somethings rotten here in the state of denial, Im not sure what is worse… the police not telling the press or the local rag being scooped by a weekly. Someone has their fingers in their ears going “Not listening not listening”.
Whatever you say. Because no one in prison regrets their actions and would undo them to sleep in their own homes and be with their family in friends enjoying freedom and sunshine. :rolleyes:
I really do not have time today to update this but there is new information summarized on the facebook page here.
Thank you to all who are following this and care. I’m embarassed for my city, and not sure who’s asleep at the switch, the newspaper, the police or both.
Sorry to those who do not have facebook, but I did want to inform the Straight Dope Message Board.
Sunday papers are published on Fridays to save overtime money. Only the stalest news and long-running investigative reports (equally stale, if not worse) make it to their front pages. Monday papers are clapped together from the news that came in over the weekend, and you are competing with everything that came in between Friday afternoon and early Monday morning.
Since then everybody has had a chance to reflect on how, as Thunder Bay goes (been there and it’s equivalent to the smallest suburb of any town that means a shit), so goes the several thousand people who reside between it and Grand Marais, MN. Most are appalled, but that’s much like being appalled at a story in the Keokuk (Iowa) Daily Gate City, currently promoting the Clark County Mule Festival.
Juliefoolie, I can understand your outrage. I’m not from anywhere near your town and I find this horrific and upsetting. I hope some awareness can be raised and thus something good can come from this.
Sadly, for Thunder Bay on a Saturday night, it is typical. There are a lot of bar fights in this city, particularly outside bars following closing or in or about booze cans. Often the attacks are extremely violent (e.g. head to curb stomping and gut stabbing), causing permant disability or death. I’m relieved that the victim was not more seriously injured.
There is a high degree of acceptance of gays in TBay, but there is also a very seedy underside of violent people who like nothing better than to hurt others, and gays are on their list.
Julie, I just got back in town, so I missed the rally. I hope you were able to participate.
Indians – one of whom was treated in the hospital at the same time as the victim, who had kicked the assailant in the head while defending himself.
I expect the police would rather keep their cards to their chest while they complete their investigation.
As far as the media not noting the description of the assailants, if they come out and state that the assailants were Indians, then it will inflame racial tension. If they do not describe the assailants, then it leaves an Elephant sitting in the corner. Since we have a problem with Indians getting drunk and violent at both municipal bus terminals (the attack was near one of the terminals) and other areas in the city, I would rather that the issue be brought out in the open.
Coincidentally, last year I had a client going for criminal injury compensation who was attacked in the same area by people of the same description after that same bar had closed and suffered remarkable similar injuries. There really is a nasty underclass here.
I only caught part of the Rally because I was involved with a fundraising event for that night. Infact, part of why I missed some of the rally was because the traffic was so bad through the downtown core.
At least www.chroniclejournal.com has come through. Maybe I was too hasty condemning the silence, because they finally started publishing articles, good well researched articles, but like Muffin said there is this weird tension in town not to identify crimes as being committed by First Nations people. (North American Indians)
The area where the crime was committed is not good. Its near an addiction treatment centre (methadone clinic) lots of closed businesses, down the hill from a drug/alcohol in patient facility, a liquour store, bus terminals. Not far from rooming houses, and residential hotels. And yet, downtown core isn’t all urban decay and underclass. It has a cool arts and music scene, lots of collaborative projects, and a lot of greenspace, walking paths, a waterfront park. Its where I grew up and my family goes back in that part of town 4 generations.
I’m a straight, employed, professional, 40 year old woman. But its my city and I want it to be safe, and fun, and cool. I want people to come down and check out local bands, art galleries, theatre. Comedy shows and film fests happening in the next month.
So thank you for my maybe not Pit worthy (but I had no idea how it would turn, if it would turn ugly) post. Thanks for those who checked out and joined the facebook pages.