Gay man beaten to death in Vancouver park

[Guynemer]

This item was in today's Detroit Free Press, one of two major papers in town...

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Gay man is beaten to death in park

A gay man was beaten to death over the weekend in a park in Vancouver, Canada, apparently the victim of a hate crime, people said Monday.

Aaron Webster, 41, was found near death in Stanley Park by his best friend, authorities said. The friend, Tim Chisholm, tried to revive Webster but he died before help arrived Saturday.

Police said Webster had been beaten with either a baseball bat or a pool cue by a group of three or four men. They said they did not have any suspects.
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Now, the other reason we got even this much information was due to our proximity to Canada; every Saturday night, you can hear the opening theme of Hockey Night in Canada wafting over the Detroit River from Windsor. Have any of our Canadian posters heard more about this?

I'm rather shocked. I spent some time in Vancouver this summer, including the better part of a day in Stanley Park. It was--by a country mile--the most beautiful city I had ever seen, and Stanley Park was magnificent. I saw gay & lesbian couples walking around, hand-in-hand, carefree and open--it was a great thing to see, the only time I've seen it outside of Ann Arbor. But now someone's been beaten to death for it? In Stanley Park? This shakes my whole perception of the city... I know it shouldn't, probably just an isolated incident, but still. Has anyone else experienced something like this, finding a place that they just instantly fall in love with, and then later hear a horrible story like this one?

[faded glory]

Has anyone else experienced something like this, finding a place that they just instantly fall in love with, and then later hear a horrible story like this one?

What kind of sparkling ferry world are you living in

This **** happens everywhere...there are always bad apples.

[SlowwHand]

"Fairy" world, unless you're living in Water World.

Send the perps to Texas, we'll hasten their punishment.

[drake]

Why is it automatically a hate crime when a gay guy gets beat up? Straight guys get beat to death and hey, no biggie right? No one deserves to get beat to death (besides maybe Osama), but because he was gay does not necessarily make this a hate crime.

It's like saying because a black guy beat up an asian man it was racially motivated. Not necessarily.

[General Ludd]

Originally posted by drake
Why is it automatically a hate crime when a gay guy gets beat up? Straight guys get beat to death and hey, no biggie right? No one deserves to get beat to death (besides maybe Osama), but because he was gay does not necessarily make this a hate crime.

It's like saying because a black guy beat up an asian man it was racially motivated. Not necessarily.

If he was beaten up because he was gay, it is obviously a hate crime.


Already there's been 2 hijacking attempts on this thread.

[Giancarlo]

What if he was mugged? That is the thing about the media... those idiots make assertions without any evidence. A person gets beaten up in the park... big deal... that always happen. I am sorry to say but that is how it is. You can get beaten up for a wallot or some money.

However, I do recognize this could infact be a hate crime. But my opinion is always a possiblity.

[drake]

I'm not trying to hijack anything os...as usual, you don't know what you're talking about.

I never said it wasn't a hate crime and I am not in-sensitive to hate crimes, as they are inherently worse than say a random mugging.

But why the assumption that it is a hate crime? He was gay, he got beat up....not necessarily related!

[Guynemer]

Originally posted by Giancarlo
What if he was mugged? That is the thing about the media... those idiots make assertions without any evidence. A person gets beaten up in the park... big deal... that always happen. I am sorry to say but that is how it is. You can get beaten up for a wallot or some money.

However, I do recognize this could infact be a hate crime. But my opinion is always a possiblity.

I certainly don't discount that possibility; I'm only saying what was in the paper, that police are investigating this as a "hate crime." (By the way, for the record, I'm against "hate crime" legislation.)

However, the description doesn't quite fit my mental picture of a mugging. Three or four perps? A mugging, I'd expect one; two max. Otherwise, there just isn't enough cash to go around to everyone. Plus, baseball bats/pool cues? Again, I'd expect a different weapon; perhaps a knife. Easy to conceal. Plus, you've got to really want to hurt someone to kill with a bat or a cue; one or two hits aren't going to do it, unless you get "lucky".

Anyway, have you heard anything about this, Osweld?

[General Ludd]

Originally posted by drake
I never said it wasn't a hate crime and I am not in-sensitive to hate crimes, as they are inherently worse than say a random mugging.

But why the assumption that it is a hate crime? He was gay, he got beat up....not necessarily related!

The newspaper no doubt has a much better knowledge of the circumstances and current investigation of the crime then you have. But they didn't say that is was deffinately a hate crime anyways...


Wait untill they know what actually happened.

[General Ludd]

No, I haven't heard about it... I get most of my news second-hand from the internet.

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by drake
I never said it wasn't a hate crime and I am not in-sensitive to hate crimes, as they are inherently worse than say a random mugging.

How so?

[Solly]

Such a tragedy.

I wish it had happened to a straight guy.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Giancarlo
That is the thing about the media... those idiots make assertions without any evidence.

So you're looking into a career in journalism then?

[drake]

Wait untill they know what actually happened.

"A gay man was beaten to death over the weekend in a park in Vancouver, Canada, apparently the victim of a hate crime, people said Monday. "

I would be happy to wait...it i them that have already jumped to the conclusion!

[drake]

quote:

Originally posted by drake
I never said it wasn't a hate crime and I am not in-sensitive to hate crimes, as they are inherently worse than say a random mugging.

How so?

Hating someone for WHAT they are, rather than WHO a person is a very detrimental to society, way of thinking. It breeds fear within minority populations and causes huge backlash. It throws a huge wrench in the progress for a society that is trying to promote equality and fairness. How can we be seen as tolerant as a people if others are killed because of what they naturally are? It's impossible. Therefore, hate crimes be held in a different light than "conventional" crimes.