[quote author=Karalicious link=topic=27198.msg1726306#msg1726306 date=1285895788]
Coastal is literally my backyard. woot. Also, that case sucks because it was about a guy suing them because they gave him a random drug screen, he failed and was fired.
[/quote]
Slow, Amy. Mike Did Already
Oh God, Stop The Voices *SCREAM*
Was It a Hate Crime?
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-a...te-crime/full/
This whole story really gets to me. I truly hope those two get some serious charges.Prosecutors are considering additional charges against two Rutgers students involved in a bullying incident that may have contributed to the suicide of their classmate, Tyler Clementi.
For Dharun Ravi and Molly Wei, the two Rutgers students under criminal investigation following the suicide of fellow student Tyler Clementi, the future now hinges on a critical question of motive. The day after Clementi's body was found in the Hudson River, Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce Kaplan and Rutgers University Police Chief Rhonda Harris announced that they are searching for "probable cause to bring additional charges" against Ravi and Wei.
"We will be making every effort to assess whether bias played a role in the incident,'' Kaplan said, an indication that if bias is found, Ravi and Wei could potentially be open to federal charges for hate crimes. Expert lawyers not affiliated with this case declined to speculate on what those charges could be, citing the obscurity of some Supreme Court decisions, but a Facebook page calling for manslaughter charges had sprung up by Thursday, with 7,488 fans at the time of this posting.
“Right now, we do not know exactly what happened in those few days.”
The freshmen have already been charged with two counts each of invasion of privacy, carrying maximum sentences of five years in jail, after Ravi allegedly videotaped and transmitted footage, at least once from Wei's dorm room, of Clementi in private sexual encounters. Clementi discovered his roommate had videotaped him and became distraught, then committed suicide by jumping off the George Washington Bridge.
Felony rap sheets were not part of the plan for Wei and Ravi, high school pals who arrived at Rutgers from cabbage-patch communities in central New Jersey: Ravi from a computer technician's family in a comfortable home in a leafy Plainsboro cul de sac, and Wei from the household of a Princeton Junction chemical engineer working on patents with pharmaceutical giant Bristol Myers Squibb. The families of both appear to be engaged citizens, campaign contributors on both sides of the aisle, who sent their children to one of the best public high schools in New Jersey.
West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North, from which Ravi and Wei graduated this year, educates around 1,500 kids from diverse backgrounds typical of that part of the state: recent immigrants, second-generation Americans, and families, like that of 2003 graduate Ken Walling, with deep local roots.
"I don't know [Ravi or Wei] and I don't know what they were thinking, but this kind of taunting would not have been condoned or accepted," said Walling, who was class president one year, and remembers only openness and congeniality among his student body. "In my time, we had kids who were openly gay. It isn't a problem."
"I wasn't out at the time, but I never thought it was the kind of place where that kind of energy would be supported," he said.
Walling eventually became the director of communications for Equality Maryland, the state's lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender advocacy group. His grandfather, Don Walling, had been a dean of education at Rutgers, and his father was also a graduate of the college. Though Walling did not attend Rutgers himself, he suggested Rutgers would have had the same tolerance for any other student differences as his high school did.
Christian Oliveira, a senior double-majoring in political science and sociology at Rutgers, who is affiliated with some LGBT groups, agreed.
"This is not the norm at Rutgers; it's a very supportive institution," he said. "There's a social-justice office, LBGT groups, gay fraternities … It's a wonderful place to be if you're gay. It's tragic that someone felt that this was a solution to the problem."
Oliveira expressed concern that people are rushing to a conclusion about what role Ravi and Wei played in the lead-up to Clementi's death; he does not know any of the three students personally.
"Right now, we do not know exactly what happened in those few days," he said. "Right now, people are shocked more with the act, rather than the reaction. People want to mourn as a group." To that end, there will be a campus-wide vigil on Sunday night at 7 p.m.
Michael Lasala, a Rutgers professor and the director of the school's master's program in social work, sees things in more black-and-white terms.
"Young people of [Clementi's] age are completely vulnerable to suicide," said Lasala, who also did not know the three students. "I could understand how growing up gay, finally coming to terms with your sexuality, and then having your sexuality used to humiliate you could be absolutely devastating. I'm a gay man myself, and I can't imagine what it would have been like to have my sexual behavior filmed and then broadcast."
He also said, "I think this is an issue of gay-bashing, and I think that is getting lost. People are focusing on tools of social media being abused, or saying, 'Let's look at lack of civility.' But if the things that we heard were posted on the Web were true"—and here Lasala offered the caveat that everyone is innocent until proven guilty—"there's a strong homophobic-heterosexist aspect that I would argue is as hurtful or destructive as bricks or bats."
The university is unable to comment officially until the investigation closes.
The hate-crimes bill that President Obama signed into law last year may come into play soon enough in a Middlesex County courtroom, and several others in the country. In the past two weeks, three other teenage or adolescent boys have killed themselves as a result of gay taunting.
"Billy Lucas, 15, Seth Walsh, 13, Asher Brown, 13, and Tyler Clementi, 18, all faced violence from their peers simply for being perceived as LGBTQ and each young person reportedly committed suicide rather than endure the daily violence of anti-LGBTQ harassment, bullying, and hate," said Thursday's statement from the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs. The bill was prompted by the case of Matthew Shepard, a young man who was beaten to death in a hate crime in 1998. People have already begun to make connections between Shepard's death and the recent rash of deaths, hoping that perhaps there is a silver lining.
"It's so critical that President Obama signed the hate crimes bill," Walling said. "We didn't have lots of protections on the books. But it's so startling that this on the rise. What's most surprising, though, is that this is generational—this is younger people doing this to young people."
Also, the family hasn't come out with a statement. It didn't seem like much of a secret but I do wonder if he was out to his parents. Also, it doesn't say whether people that went to high school with him also knew this as well. College can be a liberating experience and I'm just not sure that he was as "free" with his preferences before arriving there.
Originally Posted by ZoMyGoddess!
She's not Oriental? She looks it.
[quote author=Ron_NYC link=topic=27198.msg1726647#msg1726647 date=1285944356]
She's not Oriental? She looks it.
[/quote]
She has a lovely pattern and a really tight weave?
[quote author=irishkat link=topic=27198.msg1726765#msg1726765 date=1285952702]
She has a lovely pattern and a really tight weave?
[/quote]
No, she's not Black.
[quote author=Ron_NYC link=topic=27198.msg1726647#msg1726647 date=1285944356]
She's not Oriental? She looks it.
[/quote]
politically incorrect word there my friend.
Oriental is a rug.
First, these two kids are totally responsible for Tyler's death. Second, whether he was out or not, think of the embarrassment and repercussions from that being online? What if potential employers, etc. stumbled across that? Think of all the areas of his life that could have been majorly impacted if he was totally out of the closet? I just can't imagine WHY they did this other than it was anti-gay.
[quote author=HockeyGirl link=topic=27198.msg1726768#msg1726768 date=1285952875]
Oriental is a rug.
[/quote]
And they say I'm racist.
[quote author=sarabei link=topic=27198.msg1726774#msg1726774 date=1285953516]
First, these two kids are totally responsible for Tyler's death. Second, whether he was out or not, think of the embarrassment and repercussions from that being online? What if potential employers, etc. stumbled across that? Think of all the areas of his life that could have been majorly impacted if he was totally out of the closet? I just can't imagine WHY they did this other than it was anti-gay.
[/quote]They're assholes, and they broke the law and should be punished for it, but that's not true.
Emotions run high at Rutgers after teen's suicide
By GEOFF MULVIHILL and SAMANTHA HENRY (AP) – 24 minutes ago
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. — Rutgers University students wore black on Friday to remember a classmate who committed suicide as a lawmaker proposed stiffer penalties for invasion of privacy — the charge levied against the roommate accused of secretly streaming online video of the victim having sex with a man.
Calling it "Black Friday," students at New Jersey's largest university were encouraged to leave flowers or mementoes at a makeshift memorial for 18-year-old Tyler Clementi, the violin-playing freshman who jumped off the George Washington Bridge into the Hudson River last week.
The Rutgers football team also planned a moment of silence before its game Saturday against Tulane.
The saga that unfolded this week at Rutgers has become a flashpoint for debate after the revelation of Clementi's suicide.
Shortly before he died, a post appeared on a website catering to gay men that sought advice on what to do after learning that a roommate secretly filmed a liaison. While it's impossible to be certain that that post and subsequent ones were made by Clementi, they mirror the same timeline as the alleged filming and reflect the anguish likely in such a situation.
Clementi's roommate, Dharun Ravi, of Plainsboro, N.J., and another student, and Molly Wei, of Princeton, N.J., both 18, are charged with invasion of privacy, with the most serious charges carrying a penalty of up to five years in prison.
If the freshly introduced bill passes and even if they're convicted, their penalties would stick under the old law providing for up to five years in prison.
But Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce J. Kaplan said Thursday that more charges were possible under New Jersey's hate-crimes law.
"We will be making every effort to assess whether bias played a role in the incident, and, if so, we will bring appropriate charges," he said in a statement.
The legal question has to do with the motive.
People can be found guilty of a bias crime in New Jersey if a jury agrees they committed a crime because of a belief that the victim is a member of a protected group, such as a racial minority or gays and lesbians.
Ravi's lawyer has not responded to requests for comment. Messages left with an attorney believed to be representing Wei were not returned.
Sen. Shirley Turner's bill would raise the maximum fine for privacy invasion from $15,000 to $150,000 and would increase the possible prison sentence to five to 10 years, from the current three to five years.
"Whether this was a cruel joke or outright harassment of this student, what happened on Rutgers University's campus was a crime," the Democrat said. "Videotaping someone without their knowledge, especially in an intimate setting, and distributing the images over the Internet is serious. We need to send a clear message that we're not going to take this lightly."
High school friends of the suspects, both 2010 graduates of West Windsor-Plainsboro High, say the suspects have no problem with gay people.
"He had gay friends," Derek Yan, 16, told The Associated Press. Yan said that he chatted online with Ravi, an Ultimate Frisbee player, about college life in recent weeks. "He said he was lucky to have a good roommate," Yan said. "He said his roommate was cool."
Jim McGreevey, the former New Jersey governor who resigned after he announced he was a "gay American," said Friday he was "filled with great sadness" at Clementi's suicide. He talked about the difficulties of coming to terms with being gay, especially while young.
"He was trying to find a community online, but at the same time basically being terrorized online, by roommates," he told ABC's "Good Morning America."
Websites have popped up in defense of the suspects, with some proclaiming their innocence or calling their alleged actions a prank. Countless other sites, however, were dedicated to bashing the suspects or calling for stiffer charges, including manslaughter.
The comments on the pages are emotional and sometimes vitriolic. Some postings call the suspects "sickos" and "cold-blooded killers" while others display homophobia and racism (both suspects are minorities), even thanking the suspects for their possible role in a gay man's death.
The saga took another twist when the website Gawker reported that someone started a discussion on a graphic gay-oriented website after realizing his roommate was "spying" on him with a webcam.
The author described his conflicted feelings after reading his roommate's tweets about the author kissing a guy in their room while he watched from afar. Should he report his roommate or request a room change? Would either help or just make things worse? The author later wrote that he told a resident assistant about the filming — and that he unplugged his roommate's computer and searched the room for hidden cameras before another liaison.
The last known communication from Clementi was on his Facebook page. It said, "Jumping off the gw bridge sorry."
Friends were shocked that Clementi, a talented violinist who was known as quiet but happy, would have been embroiled in scandal — or would have killed himself.
"I would never expect this to happen to him," said John Shen, a student at the New York Institute of Technology and a high school friend of Clementi's who last saw him about a month ago. "He's such a good kid. I've never seen him angry."
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i1iMYHMsNbOUJOaBvP10z2VkrP_AD9IJ1E980?docId= D9IJ1E980
[quote author=deeply shaded link=topic=27198.msg1726799#msg1726799 date=1285955140]
But Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce J. Kaplan said Thursday that more charges were possible under New Jersey's hate-crimes law.
"We will be making every effort to assess whether bias played a role in the incident, and, if so, we will bring appropriate charges," he said in a statement.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i1iMYHMsNbOUJOaBvP10z2VkrP_AD9IJ1E980?docId= D9IJ1E980
[/quote]
I didn't know he did stand-up. :lol:
[quote author=Ron_NYC link=topic=27198.msg1726767#msg1726767 date=1285952788]
No, she's not Black.
[/quote]
Rugs have weaves and patterns too :lol:
[quote author=sarabei link=topic=27198.msg1726774#msg1726774 date=1285953516]
First, these two kids are totally responsible for Tyler's death.
[/quote]
I'm not buying it either. They didn't push him off the bridge. Maybe this is an unpopular stance, but I don't think they should be charged with a hate crime.
Also getting fairly tired of seeing this Ellen clip posted on everyone's Facebook:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hl7z1N6LFh8
How about a PSA about "sticks and stones breaking bones, but words will never hurt"?
Grow a thicker skin kids. 
[quote author=M link=topic=27198.msg1726811#msg1726811 date=1285955655]
I'm not buying it either. They didn't push him off the bridge. Maybe this is an unpopular stance, but I don't think they should be charged with a hate crime.
Also getting fairly tired of seeing this Ellen clip posted on everyone's Facebook:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hl7z1N6LFh8
How about a PSA about "sticks and stones breaking bones, but words will never hurt"?
Grow a thicker skin kids.
[/quote]
How about you shut the fuck up?
[quote author=Ron_NYC link=topic=27198.msg1726818#msg1726818 date=1285955781]
How about you shut the fuck up?
[/quote]
Why's that? Because I believe this was a prank gone wrong?
[quote author=Nancy Drew link=topic=27198.msg1726788#msg1726788 date=1285954763]
They're assholes, and they broke the law and should be punished for it, but that's not true.
[/quote]
Yeah, I think they are. Had they not done this he wouldn't be dead. Unless it comes out that he was depressed or suffered suicidal tenancies then I think the blame rests squarely on them.
[quote author=M link=topic=27198.msg1726811#msg1726811 date=1285955655]
I'm not buying it either. They didn't push him off the bridge. Maybe this is an unpopular stance, but I don't think they should be charged with a hate crime.
Also getting fairly tired of seeing this Ellen clip posted on everyone's Facebook:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hl7z1N6LFh8
How about a PSA about "sticks and stones breaking bones, but words will never hurt"?
Grow a thicker skin kids.
[/quote]
This couldn't be further from the truth and anyone who tells me they have never been hurt by words is a liar.
[quote author=M link=topic=27198.msg1726822#msg1726822 date=1285955963]
Why's that? Because I believe this was a prank gone wrong?
[/quote]
I don't care if it IS a prank gone wrong, what they did caused the death of someone and I hope they are punished for it as they deserve.
[quote author=M link=topic=27198.msg1726822#msg1726822 date=1285955963]
Why's that? Because I believe this was a prank gone wrong?
[/quote]
Gone wrong? Someone is dead.
If you ever get a jury duty notice, ignore it.
Now go back to obscurity. I didn't miss you when you were gone, and I promise no one else does. Including your parents.
[quote author=deeply shaded link=topic=27198.msg1726825#msg1726825 date=1285956037]
This couldn't be further from the truth and anyone who tells me they have never been hurt by words is a liar.
[/quote]
Let me rephrase. Words CAN hurt, but they shouldn't cause one to jump off a bridge. That's a personal decision IMO.
[quote author=Ron_NYC link=topic=27198.msg1726833#msg1726833 date=1285956224]
Now go back to obscurity. I didn't miss you when you were gone, and I promise no one else does. Including your parents.
[/quote]
:lol:
[quote author=M link=topic=27198.msg1726835#msg1726835 date=1285956278]
Let me rephrase. Words CAN hurt, but they shouldn't cause one to jump off a bridge. That's a personal decision IMO.
[/quote]
But wouldnt you agree that this goes further than "hurtful words"?
[quote author=HockeyGirl link=topic=27198.msg1726840#msg1726840 date=1285956397]
But wouldnt you agree that this goes further than "hurtful words"?
[/quote]
No one said shit.
[quote author=M link=topic=27198.msg1726835#msg1726835 date=1285956278]
Let me rephrase. Words CAN hurt, but they shouldn't cause one to jump off a bridge. That's a personal decision IMO.
[/quote]
In this case it wasn't WORDS that caused "one" to jump off a bridge; it involved taping said "one's" sexual encounter and putting it and their sexual orientation on blast that caused "one" to jump off a bridge and die.
[quote author=sarabei link=topic=27198.msg1726832#msg1726832 date=1285956224]
I don't care if it IS a prank gone wrong, what they did caused the death of someone and I hope they are punished for it as they deserve.
[/quote]
Or maybe they will be acquitted as Lori Drew was?
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/07/drew_court/
Which IMO, was a more heinous crime based on the age of the victim.
Tyler was 18 (a legal adult) who could make his own decisions.
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