George Gascón: SF’s Skinheads Live in Tenderloin
DA Warns of White Power Movement.
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He could live in the Tenderloin, if you can believe it.
There are three active white supremacist groups in San Francisco, according to District Attorney George Gascón, and their headquarters are in a perhaps-unlikely neighborhood.
The Tenderloin is the hub of skinhead activity in San Francisco, said Gascón, whose office successfully prosecuted two white men for a Nov. 2010 beating of two Hispanic men outside of an O’Farrell Street bar, according to the San Francisco Appeal online newspaper.
Jurors rejected the hate crime enhancements, but the men, who witnesses said yelled “White power” while adminstering the beating, are part of a larger movement, Gascón said.
When investigators looked into the backgrounds of convicted assailants Robert Allen, 39, and Justin Meskan, 29, they found Hitler pictures, swastikas and other white supremacist-themed imagery on Allen’s laptop in his Tenderloin apartment, the newspaper reported.
That’s where at least one of the three active white supremacist groups in San Francisco is centered, according to Gascón.
“It’s a tremendous cause for concern,” he said. “If we do not remain vigilant … these activities are likely to increase.”
A third suspect in the beating copped to a plea deal in exchange for a reduced sentence, in return for describing the skinhead network to prosecutors, according to the district attorney.
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So, per the jury, this was not a hate crime.
“When investigators looked into the backgrounds of convicted assailants Robert Allen, 39, and Justin Meskan, 29, they found Hitler pictures, swastikas and other white supremacist-themed imagery on Allen’s laptop in his Tenderloin apartment, the newspaper reported.”
Hate crime? What hate crime? Nothing to see here, move along.
Okay, according to the state of California, hate crimes cover the following:
- Using force or threatening to use force to injure, intimidate, or interfere with another person who is exercising his or her constitutional rights
- Defacing or damaging another person’s property to intimidate or interfere with that person’s free exercise of his or her constitutional rights
- Desecrating a religious symbol or displaying a swastika on another person’s property with the intent to terrorize another person
- Vandalizing, burning, or bombing a church, synagogue, mosque, or other house of worship to terrorize other persons
Yep. It’s real easy to see that this is not a hate crime. Obviously beating a person, all the while yelling “White Power!”, definitely does not indicate the commission of a hate crime.
Maybe the alleged assailants were miffed about the condition of the victim’s clothes. Possibly “White Powder!” was what they meant, and thereby they over reacted and decided to beat the living daylights out the victims for being so amiss in keeping their clothes properly laundered.
Just sayin’.
Maybe the victims should have used Tide or Cheer detergent. Which ever one gets clothes sparkly clean…and white.