Hate Crime Arrest in Davis

Sometimes the most revealing stuff are the little news items and other blurbs rather than the big headlines.

Yesterday Lauren Keene of the Davis Enterprise writes about an arrest made in a hate crimes case.

“The victim was identified as an 18-year-old Jewish man who reportedly walked by six to seven people chanting “white pride” and racist comments outside the Rite-Aid store on Russell Boulevard and Anderson Road shortly before 1 a.m.

As the victim walked by, one of the suspects said to him, “You’re down with that, right?” according to police reports.

When the victim said he was not, several of the suspects attacked him, with one allegedly removing a silver-studded belt from his waist and hitting the teen with it”

Okay, now a couple of things about this incident are particularly concerning. This incident provides valuable lessons for future prevention.

It’s 1 a.m., and you see a group of six or seven people chanting scary stuff, why would you walk by them?

Second, remember the lessons from Ghostbusters. At the climax of the movie, the demigod asks Dan Ackroyd’s character if he’s a god, and he answers no. She proceeds to beat the crap out of them with her magic, prompting a member of the group to declare, “IF someone asks you if you are a god, you say YES.” Let me tell you, if a crazy group who outnumbers you six or seven to one, asks you if you are down with something, it could be the most disgusting and horrendous thing in the world, you say YES. Don’t get me wrong I’m not making light of the situation, but there is a time stand up for your principles and a time to keep quiet. This was a time to keep quiet. Again, not blaming the victim, but I think we all have to be careful.

Third, if you are going to walk alone at 1 am, even if you are a guy, it’s not a good idea. We teach women to not walk alone at night. Guys, myself included, take it for granted in places like Davis. We ought not to.

So far two teens from Vacaville have been arrested. That leaves five of them presumably at-large or otherwise not arrested. Where do they live?

Hate crimes are clearly a continuing problem in this community, this is just another reminder of that.

—Doug Paul Davis reporting

Author

  • David Greenwald

    Greenwald is the founder, editor, and executive director of the Davis Vanguard. He founded the Vanguard in 2006. David Greenwald moved to Davis in 1996 to attend Graduate School at UC Davis in Political Science. He lives in South Davis with his wife Cecilia Escamilla Greenwald and three children.

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52 comments

  1. Certainly not blaming the victim. But I think this has valuable lessons for prevention. People think they are safe walking around Davis at night alone, and perhaps they are if they are careful.

  2. Certainly not blaming the victim. But I think this has valuable lessons for prevention. People think they are safe walking around Davis at night alone, and perhaps they are if they are careful.

  3. Certainly not blaming the victim. But I think this has valuable lessons for prevention. People think they are safe walking around Davis at night alone, and perhaps they are if they are careful.

  4. Certainly not blaming the victim. But I think this has valuable lessons for prevention. People think they are safe walking around Davis at night alone, and perhaps they are if they are careful.

  5. People in Davis certainly lack that finely honed wariness that is developed when living in a more urban environment. But we do encourage speaking up and promote not minding our own business (the Harper situation), but doing so also risks putting your self in the line of fire. I think we need to understand that there are times that you should confront bullies and times that you should just be a credible witness. Notice that the thugs ran away when someone yelled that the police were on their way, that they had a good description and the license plate of the car that they were in. They assisted the police in following up. However, there were most likely witnesses to the chanting beforehand. The police should have been called earlier. But now that these kids have clearly crossed the line, maybe they can be banned from coming to Davis to spew their hatred.

  6. People in Davis certainly lack that finely honed wariness that is developed when living in a more urban environment. But we do encourage speaking up and promote not minding our own business (the Harper situation), but doing so also risks putting your self in the line of fire. I think we need to understand that there are times that you should confront bullies and times that you should just be a credible witness. Notice that the thugs ran away when someone yelled that the police were on their way, that they had a good description and the license plate of the car that they were in. They assisted the police in following up. However, there were most likely witnesses to the chanting beforehand. The police should have been called earlier. But now that these kids have clearly crossed the line, maybe they can be banned from coming to Davis to spew their hatred.

  7. People in Davis certainly lack that finely honed wariness that is developed when living in a more urban environment. But we do encourage speaking up and promote not minding our own business (the Harper situation), but doing so also risks putting your self in the line of fire. I think we need to understand that there are times that you should confront bullies and times that you should just be a credible witness. Notice that the thugs ran away when someone yelled that the police were on their way, that they had a good description and the license plate of the car that they were in. They assisted the police in following up. However, there were most likely witnesses to the chanting beforehand. The police should have been called earlier. But now that these kids have clearly crossed the line, maybe they can be banned from coming to Davis to spew their hatred.

  8. People in Davis certainly lack that finely honed wariness that is developed when living in a more urban environment. But we do encourage speaking up and promote not minding our own business (the Harper situation), but doing so also risks putting your self in the line of fire. I think we need to understand that there are times that you should confront bullies and times that you should just be a credible witness. Notice that the thugs ran away when someone yelled that the police were on their way, that they had a good description and the license plate of the car that they were in. They assisted the police in following up. However, there were most likely witnesses to the chanting beforehand. The police should have been called earlier. But now that these kids have clearly crossed the line, maybe they can be banned from coming to Davis to spew their hatred.

  9. Doug… you sound like you too were raised in a more urban environment.
    Yes.. the world can be a “jungle” out there and you have to keep your wits about you. Your blog is a valuable public service message to Davis parents whose youngsters’ survival instincts have not been honed by the
    cold realities outside of Davis.

  10. Doug… you sound like you too were raised in a more urban environment.
    Yes.. the world can be a “jungle” out there and you have to keep your wits about you. Your blog is a valuable public service message to Davis parents whose youngsters’ survival instincts have not been honed by the
    cold realities outside of Davis.

  11. Doug… you sound like you too were raised in a more urban environment.
    Yes.. the world can be a “jungle” out there and you have to keep your wits about you. Your blog is a valuable public service message to Davis parents whose youngsters’ survival instincts have not been honed by the
    cold realities outside of Davis.

  12. Doug… you sound like you too were raised in a more urban environment.
    Yes.. the world can be a “jungle” out there and you have to keep your wits about you. Your blog is a valuable public service message to Davis parents whose youngsters’ survival instincts have not been honed by the
    cold realities outside of Davis.

  13. The northern California region, inland from the Bay Area( I believe it was centered around Tracy at the time) was a focus of White Supremacy that rivaled western North Carolina(top KKK location) some decades ago. While I would hope that this “plague” has been largely irradicated, most Davisites are unaware of this most unsavory regional history.

  14. The northern California region, inland from the Bay Area( I believe it was centered around Tracy at the time) was a focus of White Supremacy that rivaled western North Carolina(top KKK location) some decades ago. While I would hope that this “plague” has been largely irradicated, most Davisites are unaware of this most unsavory regional history.

  15. The northern California region, inland from the Bay Area( I believe it was centered around Tracy at the time) was a focus of White Supremacy that rivaled western North Carolina(top KKK location) some decades ago. While I would hope that this “plague” has been largely irradicated, most Davisites are unaware of this most unsavory regional history.

  16. The northern California region, inland from the Bay Area( I believe it was centered around Tracy at the time) was a focus of White Supremacy that rivaled western North Carolina(top KKK location) some decades ago. While I would hope that this “plague” has been largely irradicated, most Davisites are unaware of this most unsavory regional history.

  17. Davisite: I was raised in a town, San Luis Obispo which is very similar to Davis. But, I worked a couple of years in Washington DC, and you are very aware of your surroundings. You get lulled into a false sense of security in a place like Davis and probably let down your guard.

  18. Davisite: I was raised in a town, San Luis Obispo which is very similar to Davis. But, I worked a couple of years in Washington DC, and you are very aware of your surroundings. You get lulled into a false sense of security in a place like Davis and probably let down your guard.

  19. Davisite: I was raised in a town, San Luis Obispo which is very similar to Davis. But, I worked a couple of years in Washington DC, and you are very aware of your surroundings. You get lulled into a false sense of security in a place like Davis and probably let down your guard.

  20. Davisite: I was raised in a town, San Luis Obispo which is very similar to Davis. But, I worked a couple of years in Washington DC, and you are very aware of your surroundings. You get lulled into a false sense of security in a place like Davis and probably let down your guard.

  21. I learned from my kung foo san soo master, the absolute best defense to a thrown punch is not to be there at all.

    Yes, don’t blame the victim but responsibility should be taken on both sides.

  22. I learned from my kung foo san soo master, the absolute best defense to a thrown punch is not to be there at all.

    Yes, don’t blame the victim but responsibility should be taken on both sides.

  23. I learned from my kung foo san soo master, the absolute best defense to a thrown punch is not to be there at all.

    Yes, don’t blame the victim but responsibility should be taken on both sides.

  24. I learned from my kung foo san soo master, the absolute best defense to a thrown punch is not to be there at all.

    Yes, don’t blame the victim but responsibility should be taken on both sides.

  25. These stories are intriguing because the intial “facts” always seem to change. I have three questions –

    What was the real reason the thugs were there? It seems a little odd that people from Vacaville would show up at midnight to promote white pride in Davis.

    Why did it take two months for the arrest to happen? That seems like a long time considering they had the license number and description of the car.

    How does the fact that the victim is Jewish really fit into the arrest? I assume this is a hate crime because a person was beaten and the act happened because he did not agree with white pride – I understand that. However, did the fact that he is Jewish tie in also? If that is the case then how did the agressors know he is Jewish? I doubt anyone would walk up to a group of white supremists and announce he was Jewish in the middle of the night. The victim and the thugs also have a common friend also – that is also a little odd.

  26. These stories are intriguing because the intial “facts” always seem to change. I have three questions –

    What was the real reason the thugs were there? It seems a little odd that people from Vacaville would show up at midnight to promote white pride in Davis.

    Why did it take two months for the arrest to happen? That seems like a long time considering they had the license number and description of the car.

    How does the fact that the victim is Jewish really fit into the arrest? I assume this is a hate crime because a person was beaten and the act happened because he did not agree with white pride – I understand that. However, did the fact that he is Jewish tie in also? If that is the case then how did the agressors know he is Jewish? I doubt anyone would walk up to a group of white supremists and announce he was Jewish in the middle of the night. The victim and the thugs also have a common friend also – that is also a little odd.

  27. These stories are intriguing because the intial “facts” always seem to change. I have three questions –

    What was the real reason the thugs were there? It seems a little odd that people from Vacaville would show up at midnight to promote white pride in Davis.

    Why did it take two months for the arrest to happen? That seems like a long time considering they had the license number and description of the car.

    How does the fact that the victim is Jewish really fit into the arrest? I assume this is a hate crime because a person was beaten and the act happened because he did not agree with white pride – I understand that. However, did the fact that he is Jewish tie in also? If that is the case then how did the agressors know he is Jewish? I doubt anyone would walk up to a group of white supremists and announce he was Jewish in the middle of the night. The victim and the thugs also have a common friend also – that is also a little odd.

  28. These stories are intriguing because the intial “facts” always seem to change. I have three questions –

    What was the real reason the thugs were there? It seems a little odd that people from Vacaville would show up at midnight to promote white pride in Davis.

    Why did it take two months for the arrest to happen? That seems like a long time considering they had the license number and description of the car.

    How does the fact that the victim is Jewish really fit into the arrest? I assume this is a hate crime because a person was beaten and the act happened because he did not agree with white pride – I understand that. However, did the fact that he is Jewish tie in also? If that is the case then how did the agressors know he is Jewish? I doubt anyone would walk up to a group of white supremists and announce he was Jewish in the middle of the night. The victim and the thugs also have a common friend also – that is also a little odd.

  29. I think less in terms of–it’s not the victims fault and more in terms of, avoid walking down the street at 1 am and confronting an angry (drunk?) group shouting white power?

  30. I think less in terms of–it’s not the victims fault and more in terms of, avoid walking down the street at 1 am and confronting an angry (drunk?) group shouting white power?

  31. I think less in terms of–it’s not the victims fault and more in terms of, avoid walking down the street at 1 am and confronting an angry (drunk?) group shouting white power?

  32. I think less in terms of–it’s not the victims fault and more in terms of, avoid walking down the street at 1 am and confronting an angry (drunk?) group shouting white power?

  33. Yes, the responsibility of not being there. Like Doug said, don’t walk down the street at 1am and don’t say no if they ask. Protect yourself first and stand up for your rights later. Again, just my opinion.

  34. Yes, the responsibility of not being there. Like Doug said, don’t walk down the street at 1am and don’t say no if they ask. Protect yourself first and stand up for your rights later. Again, just my opinion.

  35. Yes, the responsibility of not being there. Like Doug said, don’t walk down the street at 1am and don’t say no if they ask. Protect yourself first and stand up for your rights later. Again, just my opinion.

  36. Yes, the responsibility of not being there. Like Doug said, don’t walk down the street at 1am and don’t say no if they ask. Protect yourself first and stand up for your rights later. Again, just my opinion.

  37. doug paul davis wrote:

    “It’s 1 a.m., and you see a group of six or seven people chanting scary stuff, why would you walk by them?

    Let me tell you, if a crazy group who outnumbers you six or seven to one, asks you if you are down with something, it could be the most disgusting and horrendous thing in the world, you say YES.”

    You are telling people to let fear dictate their choices. Why would you do that? That’s what they want. You are giving them power that way.

    No need to alter your course or even engage them by lying. Why not simply ignore them — be confident, keep walking, and look straight ahead.