Hate Crime Hypocrisy
Source: The Associated Press | May 25, 2001
Hate Crime Hypocrisy
By LUIS CABRERA
A hate crime charge will not be filed against a black man accused of assaulting a white man in Seattle’s Mardi Gras riot, King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng said Friday.
Khalid Adams, 17, was charged with fourth-degree assault for allegedly joining a group of young men who were kicking a man on the ground.
Maleng said Friday that police referred the assault charge to prosecutors as a possible hate crime after Adams told a detective
that the “most likely” reason he kicked the man was because he was white.
He said Adams’ statement was not sufficient reason to prosecute him for a hate crime. Prosecutors would have had to show that he joined the melee intending to target a white victim. Instead, Maleng said, it appeared Adams just became caught up in the violence.
Adams also was charged with first-degree robbery in a separate incident in which a man was robbed of $100 during the alcohol-fueled melee in Pioneer Square on Feb. 27. Charged with him in that robbery were Calvin E. Williams, 20, and Demarr L. Goldsmith, 18.
In addition, Adams and Williams had been charged with having forced sexual contact with a woman during the riots, but those charges have since been dismissed because the victim said she was unsure who had attacked her, Maleng said.
One person was killed and more than 70 people were injured as roving roups of young men attacked people at random during the rioting, which came as some 4,000 people crammed the streets of the Pioneer Square historic district on Fat Tuesday.
After the riot, a police task force pored over videotapes of the riot.
The task force made 41 arrests before it was disbanded earlier this month. Another 30 suspects were identified but remained at large.
Goldsmith was charged with first-degree robbery of an Associated Press stringer photographer who was kicked, beaten and robbed of his cell phone.
During earlier disturbances in the city’s weeklong Fat Tuesday celebration, police had used tear gas to clear drunk, violent crowds from the area. On Feb. 27, police commanders ordered officers to stand by as the violence escalated, because they feared interfering would make the situation worse.
Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske drew harsh criticism for the lack of direct action, including from more than 100 officers. The police officer’s union commissioned a study of tactics and command decisions after some members called for a vote of no confidence.
Seattle Mayor Paul Schell formed three panels to look into the rioting and related race and other issues.
