Continued
what he had actually stumbled upon was
a badly beaten and nearly dead young
man, he notified authorities.
Shepard was soon taken to
Poudre Valley Hospital in nearby Fort
Collins, Colorado where he lay in a coma
until the early morning hours of October
12. It was then that he died as a direct
result from the injuries received from the
cold-blooded ruthless beating which
took place only five days before. Two
men, Russell Henderson, 21, and Aaron
McKinney, 22, where found October 8
and charged with first degree murder,
kidnapping, and aggravated robbery.
Their girlfiiends, 18 and 20, were appre
hended as well because of the false alibis
they supplied the assailants as well as
assisting them hide clothing which had
been stained with Shepard’s blood.
Matthew, as I’m sure you re
member, was gay. He was ultimately
killed in an apparent display of hatred for
his sexual orientation. His death has
prompted a heated debate around the
propriety of hate-crime legislation, par
ticularly new federal legislation sup
ported this year by the Clinton Adminis
tration. The President’s initiatives to
combat hate crimes include; having all
93 US attorneys establish hate crimes
working groups to develop enforcement
strategies, obtaining 50 more FBI agents
and procecutors which would be as
signed to work on hate crimes enforce
ment, having the Departments of Justice
and Housing and Urban Development
assist victims of housing-related hate
crimes to bring action against their at
tackers and win monetary damages, and
Page5,Nouemlier1998
having the Departments of Justice and
Education distribute manuals to the na
tion’s school districts encouraging
schools to confront hate-motivated be
havior among students.
Most states which have hate
crime statutes, including North Carolina,
only cover incidents of violence directed
against individuals because of their race,
religion, or ethnicity. Most states do not
cover all areas of bias, however, includ
ing gender, disability, and sexual orienta
tion. And as
these exclu-
not enough,
lowing states
failed to es-
hate crimes
Arizona,
though
sions are
the fol-
h a V e
tablish
statutes:
Wyoming
, Nebraska, Kansas, Texas, Arkansas,
Louisiana, Indiana, Kentucky, South
Carolina, Georgia, New York, and
Hawaii - that’s not to mention other US
possessions such as Guam, Puerto Rico,
and the US Virgin Islands.
The question you should be
asking yourself now is “WHY?” Why
doesn’t our government press for
harsher penalties for those who commit
crimes against others for reasons of bias?
It’s because not enough people have
shown support for them. I strongly urge
you to contact your senators and con
gressmen to convey your feelings con
cerning the subject. How many more
senseless crimes must occur before we
see the light? The truth is, it’s up to
make that determination.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat
to justice everywhere. We are caught in
an inescapable network or mutality, tied
in a single garment of destiny. Whatever
affects one directly, affects all indi
rectly.” —Martin Luther King, Jr.