Date: Wed, 9 Oct 1996 06:10:02 -0700 (PDT) From: jessea@uclink4.berkeley.edu (Jessea NR Greenman) School-related anti-LGBT hate violence in ME [below are excerpts from an official document passed out by Maine Assistant Attorney General Steve Wessler at a Monday night meeting in Augusta. It is being shared with his permission and through the courtesy of Paula Stockholm of me-gaynet. Two notes: the report dealt with ALL types of hate violence; we've edited it to focus on school-related anti LGBT incidents. We define school-related incidents to include any anti-LGBT in which the perpetrators are juveniles, as these young people obviously need more anti-homophobia education, and it is the responsibility of public schools to include anti-homophobia education in its curricula.] October 4, 1996 Maine Department of Attorney General Civil Rights Actions Filed in 1996 State of Maine v. William McGall- On March 6, 1996 the defendant, without provocation, while in a bar in Bangor, called the victim a faggot and began punching him in the eye, jaw and ear. The defendant was pulled away from the victim and was asked to leave but came back 15 minutes later saying "I'm going to finish him off" and began to beat the victim again. When the police responded to the incident the defendant told the investigating officer that he attacked the victim because he was gay and that he "hated fucking gays." Mr. McGall is now subject to a permanent injunction. -- State of Maine v. Patrick Hayes. On April 19, 1996, Patrick Hayes, then a juvenile, broke into the Memorial Middle School in South Portland and etched or scratched messages onto a blackboard and a table as well as drawing messages on walls. The messages included the following: swastikas, "Hitler was rite!" [sic], "Niggers" and "White Power." The defendant stole a container containing formaldehyde from the school science lab. Subsequently the South Portland Police Department executed a search warrant on the defendant's home and found a copy of a book entitled The Anarchist Arsenal: Improved Incendiary and Explosive Techniques . Included in the book were instructions for making an explosive device containing dehydrated formaldehyde. Additionally the South Portland Police Department found a copy of a recipe for making a bomb with dehydrated formaldehyde taped to the defendant's bedroom wall next to a picture of the Unabomber. The defendant had previously constructed and set off home- made explosive devices and had frequently expressed his hatred toward minorities. The defendant is now subject to a permanent injunction prohibiting him from coming within 250 feet of any school in South Portland. -- State of Maine v. Matthew Campbell. On May 15, 1996, the defendant, who is a juvenile from New Gloucester, confronted a 15 year old youth who is gay, called the victim a "faggot" several times and physically attacked him including punching him in the face and fracturing his nose. When the defendant was stopped and questioned shortly after the incident by the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office he was asked why he had hit the victim and he responded "You know his type." The defendant is now subject to a permanent injunction. -- State of Maine v. Jason Millett, Brian Pomerleau, Addam Stack and Kyle Kimball. On June 6, 1996, at Oxford Hills High School, the defendants, all of whom were students, threatened to beat up three students who they thought were gay. The defendants referred to the other students as "Fucking faggots". The incident was reported to school officials who intervened. At the end of the school day, the defendants drove to the home of two of the students who were thought to be gay, entered the home and, while yelling statements such as "I hate you fags" and "We are going to kick the faggots' asses", physically attacked the other students punching them in the face and in the back of the head. One of the students was transported to Stevens Memorial Hospital. All four defendants are now under permanent injunctions. -- State of Maine v. Bryan Kierstead and Timothy Madden. On September 5th and 6th the Defendants, both of whom are students at Oxford Hills High School, together with a group of other students targeted a student who they thought to be gay. The Defendants repeatedly called him a "fag" and threatened to kill him. -- Subsequently, Defendant Kierstead, accompanied by two other high school students, attacked the victim as he was walking home from school, kicking him in the head, back and arm. Subsequently, both Defendants assaulted the victim in school because they were upset that the prior assaults were being investigated by the Norway Police Department. Both Defendants have consented to permanent injunctions. -- State of Maine v. Mark Camp and Adam Richards. In the early evening of August 28, 1996 the Defendants, both juveniles living in Windham, were on Route 302 with a large group of other juveniles. The Defendants then saw the victim, a 15 year old boy, who was thought to by others to be gay. Defendant Camp yelled at the victim "You better get running ... because you're a faggot." [To support these efforts, you may wish to contact Maine's Attorney General= ; here's how: Ketterer, Andrew Attorney General TEL (207) 626-8800 ATTORNEY GENERAL, OFFICE OF (AG) 6 State House Station Augusta Complex - State Office Building Augusta, ME 04333-0006 ] AND ALSO by email at andrew.ketterer@state.me.us steve.wessler@state.me.us (Assistant Attorney General, seems to be in charge of these civil rights suits)] *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+ OK TO RE-POST. Jessea Greenman The P.E.R.S.O.N. Project (Public Education Regarding Sexual Orientation Nationally) CHECK THIS OUT FOR TONS OF INFO - - http://www.youth.org/loco/PERSONProject/ Please cc us (for our files) on correspondence you send or receive re our action alerts. "Make it idiot proof and someone will make a better idiot." bumper sticker sagacity