Three White men were acquitted of hate crimes Monday as a result of several incidents that occurred in Fall 2013 at San Jose State University. Colin Warren, Logan Beaschler, both 20, and Joseph "Brett" Bomgardner, 21, all received a misdemeanor battery charge for clamping a bike lock around Donald Williams, Jr.'s neck and attempting to do so a second time. They also reportedly gave Williams nicknames tied to slavery, insults the men's attorneys claim were made because their clients were "immature, insensitive and stupid."
Witnesses provided accounts of a 17-year-old Williams being abused by his former suitemates, in which jurors used as evidence in a 7-5 and 9-3 ruling - they ultimately agreed Williams was "offensively touched" during the end of the two-week trial. "I am saddened that 12 jurors could not agree that calling a black male 'Three-fifths' or 'Fraction,' or forcing a lock around his neck, or creating an environment promoting racism with Confederate memorabilia, or hearing how this young man was humiliated, amounted to a hate crime. This verdict demonstrates that we are a long way from living in a post-racist America," said former Black Judge LaDoris Cordell, head of the university's campus task force on racial discrimination.
Bomgardner reportedly had a "limited role" in the incident. Warren and Beaschler's sentencing is scheduled for March 14 and all face six months- one year in county jail.
Source: Mercury News
