The Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project is concerned that Provincetown Police will not aggressively investigate the September 10th gaybashing where a New Bedford resident was found unconscious on the beach at 3 AM. Because the victim may have suffered partial memory loss due to the head trauma, he was left with the impression that there was nothing the police could do.
The serious facial abrasions the victim suffered suggest that he was dragged some distance from Spiritus Pizza, a popular late night gathering spot, to town beach while unconscious. Since the victim last remembers being near Spiritus Pizza at 12:30 AM, there are bound to be other witnesses.
Please email both Town Manager Sharon Lynn and Acting Chief of Police Warren Tobias to demand that police search for other potential witnesses to this horrific crime. Here are the email addresses:
There is another crime against the GLBT community to sweep under the rug.
The Anti-Violence Project is concerned that Provincetown Police are not conducting an active criminal investigation of the anti-gay hate crime which occurred near Spiritus Pizza early AM Monday, September 10th and left a New Bedford man bloodied, lacerated, bruised, and unconscious on the beach.. The victim remembers leaving Spiritus Pizza, a popular late-night LGBT gathering spot, around 12:30-1:00 AM. He saw three hostile-appearing young men. He was attacked with a blunt object from behind and blacked out. The last thing he remembers hearing is the word “faggot.” He was discovered unconscious on Town Beach at approximately 3 AM, suffering severe head and facial trauma and partial memory loss. He had apparently been dragged for some distance while unconscious, given the extensive facial abrasions revealed in photographs. The responding officer failed to summon an ambulance, and the victim was allowed to drive home to New Bedford without receiving any medical care, in a trip he can barely remember given his traumatized state. The victim was told that the felony hate crime could not be investigated because he could not sufficiently identify the perpetrators. As of September 16, the only investigation is internal to the police force and concerns the responding officer’s failure to get medical help. However, the attack occurred near a popular late-night LGBT hang-out at a peak time, and he was dragged to a place on Town Beach. It is highly probable that somebody saw or heard something. The 911 caller at least saw something. According to Anti-Violence Project Chairperson Don Gorton, “Provincetown Police need to make a public appeal for anyone who might have witnessed any stage of this horrific crime to come forward, in the interest of justice and humanity.” Gorton added that Provincetown Police had a duty to make inquiries in an effort to seek out witnesses and find the perpetrators. “Spiritus Pizza has a web cam. They could start by checking out the footage from the relevant time.” Gorton said it would be flatly unacceptable to use a “blame the victim” excuse not to investigate. “The victim was left with the impression that without his solid ID they had nothing to investigate. That’s so not true and characteristic of the ‘keystone cops’ that it causes me to question the investigative competence of the PPD. They need to energetically ferret out witnesses and apprehend these thugs. Gaybashers are terrorists who cannot be left at large.”
What do you define as an “aggressive” investigation? Few things make me more verious than giving the police leave to be “aggressive”.
The Anti-Violence Project will be posting an updated statement on this thread shortly to answer your question.
I remember when the Truro Police were demanding DNA samples from every adult male in town because they couldn't solve the murder. When I hear “aggressive investigation”, that's what comes to mind. Or even better, criminal investigations in Japan, where some 90-95% of all investigations end with a confession.
I remember when the Truro Police were demanding DNA samples from every adult male in town
<
p>
but did they have search warrants? They would need to have search warrants in order to make good on such a demand.
<
p>
I had read of a circumstance in Britain shortly after DNA testing was introduced in the 1980s in which the police demanded DNA samples from every male in a region. But the Brits don’t have a 4th amendment.
<
p>
As an aside, I will have another prediction. In the not too distant future, when someone is born or naturalized in the US, a blood sample will be taken, and the DNA scanned and made available, not only to law enforcement, but also to other “interested parties” such as insurance companies. That is what the National Security State in the USofA is coming to.
In Truro, the cops had a DNA sample, but it didn't match anybody on file. So they publicly asked every adult male to provide a sample, saying that anyone who didn't had something to hide and that denial would be considered during the course of the investigation.
…what was the Truro police department’s threat against those who did not want to voluntarily give up a DNA sample? Publication of their names in the local newspapers?
<
p>
If that were the case, that would be tantamount to “search warrant” by blackmail.
Truro is a Cape Cod town that has a wintertime population of about 2,000 people. Police wanted samples for all those to match up with DAN found at the scene of a murder committed three years previous — not even identified as the murderer. In a town of 2,000 (which of course includes many children who would be ruled out prima facie) you don't need to publish in a local newspaper — you go down to the town diner. Same result.
Requesting DNA samples is going too far. The police need to use ordinary and reasonable investigatory methods, such as would have appropriately been used if the victim were killed. I think P-Town is at the opposite extreme from Truro and it's got to be the same reason the fictional Amity Islanders in Jaws didn't issue a warning about shark attacks.
props
But has anyone noticed that KnowThyNeighbor.org has listed Yvonne Cabral as the caller of the complaint that started the whole Barry Scott issue? Remember, Yvonne is the woman that owns the P-Town Trolley and was called out for signing the failed anti-gay marriage petition. I wonder why the police made that fact so difficult to find, and I wonder why they seem to be dragging their feet in properly handling this new matter. Is there a pattern to the police's actions, or am I far off base?
http://knowthyneighb…
Using the listed addresses this map should show how far away the caller was from the Barry Scott Party last July.
http://www.mapquest.com/directions/main.adp?go=1&do=nw&rmm=1&mo=ma&2si=navt&un=m&1rc=L1AAA&cl=EN&qq=IEaKSvfsRsoEUP0r5eJRzX7qYmW%252bAyeyTQ3j6GqcSBootQGEhDI8wVQQQ%252bgr%252b93%252fVC7qQYe0up5pgysZzElFlrTJPqx4aDIeY3k7WMgSWBRfMVz30oWk5Bs9qw1BgSSV23uFC7VGNeAlQ1uVCs83MfYdISlR3HLHPqSIAJL6lv4kB%252fCt%252bRi%252fbYe58FAkSoWPbdpU3mjFNJ89a1aZG%252bwACrtmFqkC7ZgkDAJX9oSuI%252fUiod8%252b6Eiw2cNxr6FdSWEDgFJK75TyIrSoDQBuYDSWt9HgdBf86K%252bc6RSHTaSuRIKkqJesvd8DSjsu7gN%252fQW5p%252fuj6MSJN8rj55M2w9Eh7%252fCblWo2I%252bjMUqp41kC9pzU6rcL35Bkq4PW6KjEMKrsi7tpPRjm1frMLkCuY7rWfjVhK%252f5vgiXQ8sI3cisucUNT6t2ucWTdBt7w%253d%253d&ct=NA&1si=navt&2rc=L1AAA&did=1190029402&rsres=1&1y=US&1ffi=&1l=FC6tTmMbxdyRL5%252bfj10wYw%253d%253d&1g=SuOA9spffz%252fCoeYTkhcFrg%253d%253d&1pl=&1v=ADDRESS&1n=BARNSTABLE+COUNTY&1pn=&1a=4+Holway+Ave&1c=Provincetown&1s=MA&1z=02657-1327&2y=US&2ffi=&2l=&2g=&2pl=&2v=&2n=&2pn=&2a=37C+COURT+ST&2c=PROVINCETOWN&2s=MA&2z=02657-1378&panelbtn=2
…with the properties abutting each other. But hard to tell on the map…but certainly as a crow flys…not that far away. And honestly, if I were calling the cops about a noisy neighbor, I would like them to omitt my name.
When you look at one facet of this issue it can seem like nothing is off. When you consider all things together however, I arrive at the conclusion that there is something not right. Why would a police officer put a bloodied and confused man in his car to drive home without medical treament? Why would the same officer tell that man that there is no point in pursuing the matter? Why would the caller of the Barry Scott complaint just happen to be one of the biggest pains in the ass for the Provincetown GLBT? It all fits together into a bigger picture in my eyes, and one that spells trouble for everyone.
I've heard it said that freedom is never free. We get the justice we demand. What should we do in this instance?
…and maybe there are. But you have two different incidents one month apart. In the first incident–Barry Scott–it was immediately charged here that it was a case of police gay bashing. When people here questioned it because the evidence presented to not justify the accusation, the post was pulled by the author (which may have been you if my memory is correct). As for the “coincidence” of this woman who signed the anti-marriage petition living next to the party and who apparently called the cops. Well, based on the map…she lived next to the party…not sure what can be made of that. I'm sorry if I ignore the fact that this was a party hosted by and attended by gay people (I assume that is the case). I just don’t see the relevance of that. Summer cops are summer cops–and any cop gets pissed off if they feel people are ignoring a request to quite down. And cops get really testy when they think people are “mouthing off” to them–which they apparently felt when Barry blamed the cops for ending the party. I learned a long time ago to just say “yes” and “no” to cops and saying anything else has a chance of getting me in trouble. The second incident is obviously more troubling in that the cop (who I assume was a “regular” cop) did not seek medical attention for this man. That needs to be fixed and the Select Board should come down hard on the department and find out what happened. Beyond that things are very unclear–the victim (he was bruised and therefore I assume assaulted) does not remember much except someone yelling “faggot”. Was this person drinking and his memory impaired? Unless he can provide more information, one could not prove–in a court of law–that he was even a victim of a crime, never mind a hate crime. (Again, I assume he was a victim of a crime, but that has to be proven and not assumed. He could have been falling down drunk and that's how he was injured. Very unlikely, but things have to be proven here.) There certainly is the possibility that there was a hate crime. But even you (I don’t think) are not accusing the cop ignoring the possibility that a hate crime occurred—just that he failed to seek medical attention for an injured person (which is very troubling.)Frankly I see two different incidents that you’re trying to connect and it's all based on loose conjecture. When folks cried “wolf” immediately after the Scott incident and that was judge (here) to be overplayed, one becomes skeptical when the same cry is sounded again (especially with the vague information that has been provided regarding the second incident.)In a previous thread I came to the defense of Sarah Peake and the reason I did is the “self-appointed” efforts KTN has taken to indict, try and convict the Police and elected officials (some like Sarah, have no official role here) in public with only innuendo. That's not how things should be done.A perfect example of innuendo that turned up to be nothing was when I looked on the map you provided. Based on what you wrote, I expected the houses to be a mile or two apart, but they appeared to be neighbors. That, and the other things I cited, makes me question the credibility of everything that has been “charged” by KTN.
You ahve to preview everything…there should be a bout 5 paragraphs in that post.
Just let me use my HTML tags in peace.
there should be a bout 5 paragraphs in that post.
<
p>
Double carriage returns (two clicks on the “enter” key) equals one paragraph separation
<
p>
At least with my old version of Internet Explorer (v. 5)
<
p>
One carriage return does not result in a paragraph separation. Same as before.
<
p>
I’ve forgotten the HTML for “line break” and “paragraph” but I wouldn’t want to use them here, anyway.