Not A Hate Crime?

MarineReconDad — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:59:26 GMT

Akron police say they aren't ready to call it a hate crime or a gang initiation.

But to Marty Marshall, his wife and two kids, it seems pretty clear.

It came after a family night of celebrating America and freedom with a fireworks show at Firestone Stadium. Marshall, his family and two friends were gathered outside a friend's home in South Akron.

Out of nowhere, the six were attacked by dozens of teenage boys, who shouted ''This is our world'' and ''This is a black world'' as they confronted Marshall and his family.

The Marshalls, who are white, say the crowd of teens who attacked them and two friends June 27 on Girard Street numbered close to 50. The teens were all black.

''This was almost like being a terrorist act,'' Marshall said. ''And we allow this to go on in our neighborhoods?''

They said it started when one teen, without any words or warning, blindsided and assaulted Marshall's friend as he stood outside with the others.

When Marshall, 39, jumped in, he found himself being attacked by the growing group of teens.

His daughter, Rachel, 15, who weighs about 90 pounds, tried to come to his rescue. The teens pushed her to the ground.

His wife, Yvonne, pushed their son, Donald, 14, into bushes to keep him protected.

''My thing is,'' Marshall said, ''I didn't want this, but I was in fear for my wife, my kids and my friends. I felt I had to stay out there to protect them, because those guys were just jumping, swinging fists and everything.

''I'm lucky. They didn't break my ribs or bruise my ribs. I thank God, they concentrated on my thick head because I do have one. They were trying to take my head off my spine, basically.''

After several minutes of punches and kicks, the attack ended and the group ran off. The Marshalls' two adult male friends were not seriously hurt.

''I don't think I thought at that moment when I tried to jump in,'' Rachel Marshall said. ''But when I was laying on the ground, I was just scared.''

Marshall was the most seriously injured. He suffered a concussion and multiple bruises to his head and eye. He said he spent five nights in the critical care unit at Akron General Medical Center.

The construction worker said he now fears for his family's safety, and the thousands of dollars in medical bills he faces without insurance.

''I knew I was going to get beat, but not as bad as I did,'' Marshall said. ''But I did it to protect my family. I didn't have a choice. There was no need for this. We should be all getting along. But to me, it seems to be racist.''

Akron police are investigating. Right now, the case is not being classified as a racial hate crime. There were no other reports of victims assaulted by the group that night.

The department's gang unit is involved in the investigation, police said.

''We don't know if it's a known gang, or just a group of kids,'' police Lt. Rick Edwards said.

The Marshalls say they fear retaliation at home or when they go outside. They are considering arming themselves, but they're concerned about the possible problems that come with guns.

For now, they are hoping police can bring them suspects. They believe they can identify several of the attackers.

''This makes you think about your freedom,'' Marshall said. ''In all reality, where is your freedom when you have this going on?''

If you are waiting for the DOJ to step up on this one don't hold your breath. By their standards there are no hate crimes against caucasians.

You can see their direction in dropping the charges against the Black Panthers in Philadelphia on election day!

RE: Not A Hate Crime?

str8 — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:00:55 GMT

Of course it was a hate crime motivated by race. I believe that if it was an African American family confronted violently by a caucasion group, it would have received media coverage and possibly a visit by the reverans J.Jackson and A.Sharpton right after the circus ends honoring "one of their own" (M.Jackson). This crime and reverse discrimination situations in all cities are growing every day. It is time to stand up and be heard. The violence is just unacceptable. The workplace has become another area that needs to be heard on reverse discrimination. The CT Fire Department is just one situation of many that received media coverage and it took 5 years to get that resolved. I do not have much faith in this Dem controlled Congress and biased mainstream media to change much in the next few years.

RE: Not A Hate Crime?

Bronze Double Eagle Sculpture — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:37:55 GMT

Out of nowhere, the six were attacked by dozens of teenage boys, who shouted ''This is our world'' and ''This is a black world'' as they confronted Marshall and his family.

To me, and I'm sure others, this says it all. What do they mean "no hate crime"? You've got to be kidding. Common sense says that if the Marshalls had been black this would not have happened. Our judicial system is indeed broken as a lot of American citizens agree. I see no attempts to fix it either.