EARLIER STORY: Attacker Knocked on the Door to Brag About the Hate Attack on Davis Man
A Facebook page that has been set up this week to share information about the incident asks “that anyone in possession of any details about the assault please refrain from publicly posting information at this time.”
They continue, “We will no longer be sharing any explicit details of the incident or the extent of the physical injuries Mikey sustained to protect fidelity of the criminal investigation.”
Earlier posts describe that Mr. Partida had attended a party at his cousin’s apartment and apparently left his keys there and returned to retrieve them, “when a man began kicking and beating him while yelling homophobic slurs.”
He suffered a fractured skull, bleeding on his brain, multiple fractured bones in his face and a laceration to his head that left a pool of blood on the lawn where he was beaten.
According to his family, the bruising and swelling around his eyes is so bad he still has not been able to open them, along with having a cut under one eye that went all the way though the lid. The trauma to his ear was so severe it caused his ear to swell three times its normal size and it had to be lanced to release the pressure.
The family claims that he was not in a fight or doing anything wrong, and they believe his only crime was being gay.
According to the official police report, at approximately 3:50 am, the Davis Police Department received a 9-1-1 call requesting an ambulance and the police to the 300 block of I St.
When officers arrived, they found a male subject who had sustained moderate to major injuries and was unconscious.
In addition, a second male subject was located with minor injuries. Although the investigation is continuing, officers were able to determine that there was a physical altercation that took place in the front yard of a residence where a house party had just finished.
The unconscious male was transported to the UC Davis Medical Center, where he remains hospitalized. The second male subject refused medical treatment.
“Based on statements from the residents, the Davis Police Department is investigating this incident as a possible hate crime,” the report said.
The victim’s mother posted on the Facebook site, “I wanted to express my gratitude for the huge support we have received. Every time I look at my son I think of every victim that has been assaulted for their race, religion, sexual orientation, or gender and how they are someone’s baby and my heart aches for all those moms.”
She wrote, “He seems to have turned a corner today and is talking and moving. He will have a long recovery – the doctors have mentioned perhaps a skilled nursing facility but we are hoping that he will be able to go home [as soon as] possible.”
“He is still very anxious and I think it is tragic that he worries about walking the streets he grew up on,” she continued. “However, the love he has received affirms the goodness in the world and without all of your gestures the sadness would be too much to bear.”
Mr. Partida told News 10 in Sacramento that there was absolutely no question that he was attacked because he was gay. Those with him said that the attacker called him a gay slur, the f-word, several times during the attack.
“I was just trying to make the right choice in a bad situation,” he told News 10 from his hospital bed at the UC Davis Medical Center.
He was walking with a group but forgot his keys and had to back. Before that point, the attacker was already yelling slurs at him according to Mr. Partida’s cousin, Vanessa Turner.
“He just continued, getting closer and closer, and then he just punched me,” Mr. Partida explained.
“The slur used begins with the letter ‘F’ and is a nasty term for homosexuals. Partida said the attacker was saying it over and over again while beating him,” News 10 report.
“Pretty loud and proud about it,” Mr. Partida said. “He just kept fighting me and fighting me until I blacked out. And then I came to and was here.”
Ms. Turner told News 10 that after the attack, the attacker knocked on the door to brag about what he had done.
Meanwhile, the family is asking for help.
“While the immediate challenges posed by the severity of his physical injuries are clear, the long-term impacts of PTSD are not. Consequently, we are in the process of seeking legal representation to secure every possible resource and support necessary to facilitate his recovery and healing,” his mother wrote.
“I have since learned that in addition to a pre-existing history of violence, his attacker will have no trouble securing very good legal help. While I know it is difficult for him to accept monetary assistance (he has worked since he was ten) we are asking for contributions to ensure that this tragic and senseless, animalistic act, is immediately redressed,” she wrote.
The family has set up a Facebook page where people inclined to help can donate to the cause.
—David M. Greenwald reporting
This just such a crazy story. The more we hear, the more senseless it appears. I wonder why it is taking so long for the police to sort this out.
obviously if they know who the suspect is, the problem is that they haven’t caught him yet.
David wrote:
> The Davis Police have identified a suspect
> in the brutal beating of Mikey Partida, a
> 31 year old Davis resident and 2000 graduate
> of Davis High
When my sister went to UCD one of her sorority sisters (a Davis High Grad) told her to “watch out for anyone that grew up in Davis that never went to college and is still here since they are trouble”…
In the almost 10 years I’ve been back here I’ve noticed that a huge amount of problems in town are caused by kids who grew up in Davis and never found a path in life…
sod: i think your comment is either inappropriate or misplaced. the description you are reading is that of the victim not the perpetrator.
SouthofDavis – Wow. Did you really say that? I don’t think that statistics support that. The vast majority of “trouble” in town is caused by UCD students and visitors from out of town.
“watch out for anyone that grew up in Davis that never went to college and is still here since they are trouble”
Is that hate speech?
SOD. I have lived here 35 years and that point about locals being a problem is far off base.
However, I do think we are creating more and more pissed off young men through our crappy education system that increasingly caters only to girls and those with academic gifts. That and politicians that pursue policies that keep jobs hard to find and yes, we will see more young men acting out and doing bad things.
Actually, “Frankly”, I think that people who beat up other people are responsible for their own behavior. Blaming the education system and politicians seems to be displacing that responsibility.
[i]Actually, “Frankly”, I think that people who beat up other people are responsible for their own behavior. Blaming the education system and politicians seems to be displacing that responsibility. [/i]
Don – I agree. Was not making any excuses… only stating a consideration for why we might be seeing more of this.
But we’re not seeing more of it. Violent crime has been declining for years, approaching historic lows.
Again, for those who wish to support Mikey, his Facebook page is here: [url]https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mikeys-Justice-Fund/102120376646611?ref=ts&fref=ts[/url]
Davis Progressive wrote:
> sod: i think your comment is either inappropriate
> or misplaced. the description you are reading is
> that of the victim not the perpetrator.
I did make a mistake since when I first read it I thought David was telling us the “perpetrator” was the 31 year old Davis High grad. It is not just Davis, but anywhere you have people in their 30’s, 40’s and even 50’s!! that never got an education or learned a trade and still live with Mom & Dad you will have problems. Unlike Frankly I don’t blame the schools I blame the parents (people that have to get up and go to work the next day so they can pay the rent almost never get in fights at 3:45am on work nights)…
Frankly: [i]Don – I agree. Was not making any excuses… only stating a consideration for why we might be seeing more of this.[/i]
I was aware of many instances of this growing up in another state at another time. It was called “gaybashing”. I knew of high school classmates who bragged about doing this, and it was typically not given much attention like it is now. It was also completely acceptable to insult other males’ masculinity by calling them “f-g” or other equivalent epithet. It was acceptable to think of and treat homosexuality as deviant behavior, and likely a personal choice, and to discriminate against anyone who displayed such tendancies. In Davis in 2013, all of this is more clearly defined as morally unacceptable behavior. We are far from living in a perfect world, but in my mind, it’s progress.
I’m curious as to why you think we are seeing more of this. What was life like when you were growing up?
Hope he got to the hospital in time to make sure no brain damage has occurred (brain can swell and get damaged in hours after head trauma like this).
This is one of the worst beatings in Davis I’ve heard about; good to hear it sounds like they know the identity of the perp.
Beating anybody this bad for any reason is pretty hateful. It’s not just about establishing dominance; a beating like this has intent to hurt, typically based on some kind of the many things that people can use to target hateful feelings.
The generalities being put forth here are inappropriate and strange, such as: Who went to high school where and did not leave town, who has a job or not and stays up ’til whenever, school catering only to girls and gifted, politics, living at home with parents, etc. I find these all misplaced, judgmental and without basis.
And not that it matters much, but it is very vague as to whose door was knocked on to brag after the incident.
The thing that Mikey says during the news 10 interview that really makes me optimistic of his mental state is that he will not be intimidated by this or avoid that neighborhood just because the perp lives there. Although hopefully by the time he’s out of the hospital the perp will be in custody.
What do we know about the role of alcohol in this incident? I ask because the Vanguard has focused on two other stories recently (hate crime alleged at Tres Hermanas and alleged rape at train station) in which the level of inebriation of the accused (both of whom were acquitted, I believe) was very high. I am neither a tee-totaller nor a prohibitionist but, thinking causally, it appears that certain societally sanctioned inhibitions take flight when excessive alcohol is involved. We still treat its sale and use as a personal choice and seem uninterested in having a community conversation about its abuse–even when said abuse leads to violence. It may not have been a factor in this terrible situation but I guess I would be surprised to learn it was not.
Robb, I have wondered the same thing.
Frankly: [i]However, I do think we are creating more and more pissed off young men through our crappy education system that increasingly caters only to girls and those with academic gifts.[/i]
…and gays, and minorities, and immigrants, and students with cognitive/emotional issues (i.e., ADHD, dyslexia), and poor families, and physically disabled students, etc. More frequently in the past, many of those students left the educational system quicker in the past, or were absent, and became pissed off by their situation.
Follow Darwin’s dictum. Figure out how to adapt or become irrelevant.
You are guilty of the same thing I criticized Jeff Boone of in his recent article that he posted here. The world operates in more dimensions than you’re imagining. When you limit your vision, you miss things.
An update posted on Facebook:
[quote]A note from Mikey’s Mom:
As an update I understand an arrest has been made today and Mikey is being moved to a rehab facility. He’s very sad about this but want’s everyone to know that he can’t believe all all of the support he has received. He was finally able to look at this page today and it has cheered him up immensely.[/quote]
What is the name of the suspect who has been arrested?
Robb wrote:
> What do we know about the role of alcohol in
> this incident? I ask because the Vanguard has
> focused on two other stories recently…
It would also be interesting to find out if the guys knew each other since alcohol + some hard feelings about a past event will often start fists flying…
MORP: [i]”What is the name of the suspect who has been arrested?”[/i]
No name yet released or published. I will email a contact and see if I can find some news on the name.
Clayton Garzon
He’s been arrested before.
[url]http://www.thereporter.com/news/ci_21514739/two-arrested-dixon-brawl-stabbings[/url]
He went to Davis High, from a well off family, father is apparently a doctor
Here is information on his father: link ([url]http://davis.patch.com/articles/famine-in-africa-davis-doctor-heads-to-somalia-kenya-ethiopia[/url])
David – that’s not very nice to include a link regarding the suspect’s father. There is nothing to indicate that Dr. Garzon has anything to do with his son’s violent tendencies. It doesn’t matter if his dad is a doctor or a ditch digger: including this information could appear to some to be class-ist.
I’m just trying to find as much information as possible. My understanding is that Mr. Garzon comes from a wealthy family, father is a prominent doctor, but he has been troubled for some time – drug problems, rehab, boarding school, and then the arrest last year for stabbings in Dixon, and now on release for that, this incident. The victim’s family expressed concern that Mr. Garzon would be hiring an expensive legal counsel, now we see why they had that concern.
So what if he hires “an expensive legal counsel” to defend him? Who cares? If he is the one who beat Mikey so badly, and if he did it because Mikey is gay, then he will surely “swing” whether he is represented by Johnny Cochran or Jerry Gallo…er, I mean Gerry Callow (oops, I mean Vincent Gambini).
I’m sorry, David, but the fact that you are discussing the fact that this douchbag comes from a “wealthy family” or that is father is a “prominent doctor” could be considered offensive, and again class-ist. Heck, if he wanted the best defense attorney available, his father would completely cut him off so he could go with public defender Dan Hutchinson – he’s got a great track record of body-slamming the DA’s office (while ethically representing his clients).
It looks like Clayton looks is a very troubled young man from a very good family, who have been doing everything they can for their son. I expect that they will continue to do so. But a second arrest for a serious violent crime will be hard to overcome. While my whole heart goes out to the victim, I also recognize that there is collateral damage to both families and their friends and, even further, the community.
When my sister went to UCD one of her sorority sisters (a Davis High Grad) told her to “watch out for anyone that grew up in Davis that never went to college and is still here since they are trouble”…
Unbelievable. What a mean, hateful thing to say. Simplistic and just plain wrong. So many very nice people live in Davis who did not follow your path to “success”, if success means judging others by whether or not they went immediately from high school to UCD. Some people take a while to decide what they want to do. Other people don’t need a lot of expensive material possesions, or a piece of paper from UCD, to decide they are “successful”. Your remark against people without college degrees is downright hateful.
[i]” Your remark against people without college degrees is downright hateful.”[/i]
Calm down. Your reply is over-the-top.
[i]”It would also be interesting to find out if the guys knew each other …”[/i]
I figured, at first, that they must have known one another, because otherwise Garzón would not have known that Partida was gay, assuming that this attack was a hate crime. However, giving this a bit more thought, and considering that Garzón has a recent history of violent crime, it seems just as likely that Garzón did not know Partida at all, but someone told Garzón that Partida was gay or Garzón presumed that after having observed Partida at the cousin’s party.
To me what is so bewildering is why anyone would physically harm someone else for something so inoccuous as being gay? This goes way beyond mere anti-gay prejudice eminating from religious beliefs, macho culture or (in some cases) an effort of closeted gays trying to prove they are straight.
In the Dixon knife attack, the Patch story said Garzón had an accomplice. No accounts of his attack on Partida say that. So I don’t know if there is any reason to think his violence is a form of mob psychology, where, when Garzón is with likeminded friends (a gang if you will) he is prone to prove himself to the others by his vicious behavior, but with those friends not around, he would not initiate an attack?
[i]I’m curious as to why you think we are seeing more of this. What was life like when you were growing up?[/i]
wdf1 – We have plenty of evidence that idle, unemployed young men are a source of violence and related social problems. We have moved to an information economy while our public school education system has either become more crappy or failed to keep up. At the same time we have seen arts and industrial arts cut, and title-9 erode opportunities for young men to experience athletics. Lastly, we have a crappy economy after a Great Recession and a jobless recovery. All these things contribute to a higher percentage of idle and pissed off young men.
When I was growing up, I could get a job and work my way up to higher levels of prosperity. I was too busy working to be pissed off.
Per The Enterprise, Garzon is already posting bail ($75,000) and is being released.
The Bee had posted the story (and Garzon’s name):
http://blogs.sacbee.com/crime/archives/2013/03/police-arrest-davis-man-in-alleged-hate-crime-attack.html
I was surprised to see that Garzon was only 19. It looks like his Dad should have stuck around to spend some time with his High School age son a couple years ago rather than flying to help the people in Africa (as the link Davis provided said).
P.P.S. to Jimmy’s Daughter the comments about people that stay in Davis was not meant as hateful against people without college degrees (my parents, grandparents and great grandparents never got college degrees) but as an observation that people who live with their parents for decades after graduating from high school without finding any kind of career (even digging ditches) tend to find trouble (or end up places where trouble finds them)…
One more thing. The military does accept people with criminal records. Even minor things. The reason is supply and demand… There are more people without any record wanting to get in to the military these days. So add that to the list of missing options for a large and growing pop of young men