Spring Break
Hate crimes against the homeless
Robert Sanchez
Issue date: 7/18/07 Section: Forum
The headlines are more and more common. From Bend: "Teen hits, kicks, and stomps homeless man to death." From Keizer: "Homeless woman suffocated." From Corvallis: "Teens brutally beat homeless man to death." These incidents occurred in 2004, as detailed in a report by the National Coalition for the Homeless.
From 2002 to 2005, violence against the homeless increased by nearly 300 percent. Fatal attacks rose by 67 percent. Children as young as 11 have participated in these cruel and brutal acts, the majority of which are committed by teenagers. The youngest victim was only 4 months old, while the oldest was 74.
These attacks are hate crimes - crimes in which the perpetrator selects the victim based on a desire to express their negative opinion of a specific group.
One possible reason for the increased violence against the homeless is the "Bum Fights" video series. First released in 2001, "Bum Fights" portrays the homeless as alcoholic, drug addicted, and generally willing to do anything for a bit of cash. They encourage viewers to send in their own 'amateur footage,' and many teenagers serving jail time for murdering homeless people have cited the videos as the inspiration for their assaults.
The videos show people abusing themselves in horrific and degrading ways, yet they must be perversely "entertaining" since they have grossed millions of dollars. In one clip, a man known as Bling Bling is put into rehab for his drug addiction. He is chained to a lamppost and verbally and physically abused. As his withdrawal symptoms worsen, the filmmakers taunt him with money and crack that is just out of his reach. Eventually, Bling Bling is released and given crack after bungee jumping into a swimming pool from the roof of a building.
In another skit, the "Bum Hunter" pays tribute to the late Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin. The Bum Hunter finds homeless people and attacks them in their sleep, tying and gagging them with duct tape, and pretending they are animals, taking their measurements and commenting on their distinguishing features. Upon release, the homeless people are offered a few dollars or some other bribe if they sign a waver to make the assault legal.
From 2002 to 2005, violence against the homeless increased by nearly 300 percent. Fatal attacks rose by 67 percent. Children as young as 11 have participated in these cruel and brutal acts, the majority of which are committed by teenagers. The youngest victim was only 4 months old, while the oldest was 74.
These attacks are hate crimes - crimes in which the perpetrator selects the victim based on a desire to express their negative opinion of a specific group.
One possible reason for the increased violence against the homeless is the "Bum Fights" video series. First released in 2001, "Bum Fights" portrays the homeless as alcoholic, drug addicted, and generally willing to do anything for a bit of cash. They encourage viewers to send in their own 'amateur footage,' and many teenagers serving jail time for murdering homeless people have cited the videos as the inspiration for their assaults.
The videos show people abusing themselves in horrific and degrading ways, yet they must be perversely "entertaining" since they have grossed millions of dollars. In one clip, a man known as Bling Bling is put into rehab for his drug addiction. He is chained to a lamppost and verbally and physically abused. As his withdrawal symptoms worsen, the filmmakers taunt him with money and crack that is just out of his reach. Eventually, Bling Bling is released and given crack after bungee jumping into a swimming pool from the roof of a building.
In another skit, the "Bum Hunter" pays tribute to the late Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin. The Bum Hunter finds homeless people and attacks them in their sleep, tying and gagging them with duct tape, and pretending they are animals, taking their measurements and commenting on their distinguishing features. Upon release, the homeless people are offered a few dollars or some other bribe if they sign a waver to make the assault legal.
Note: writers will not reply to comments.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Tony
posted 7/18/07 @ 3:52 PM PST
This is an outrage! The makers of those videos and ridiculous shows should be put in jail and serve the same sentence the teenagers are serving. Why would anyone ever want to intentionally harm another helpless person? I'll never know. (Continued…)
Brett
posted 7/18/07 @ 4:31 PM PST
Unfortunately, this sort of "entertainment" goes beyond the homeless. How many "girl fights" or fights involving young kids get looked at on youtube every day?
I'm just glad Robert branched out a little instead of writing about how sensitive he is. (Continued…)
Post a Comment
Comments by registered users are approved by default.