Bullying Suspect Convicted in Gay Hate Crime Trial

[jbg]

I am posting this thread as hopefully a thoughtful counterpoint to a similar thread involving an Ontario court. In that Court, a Judge acquitted a thirteen year old of bullying (link to thread). The bully had allegedly pushed down a muscular dystrophy victim to steal his iPhone.

In the New Jersey case (link to article, excerpts below) a young man, Dharun Ravi was convicted of bias crimes and invasion of privacy for "set(ting) up a webcam on his computer, and (going) into a friend’s room and view(ing) Mr. Clementi kissing a man he met a few weeks earlier on a Web site for gay men".

Ravi's conduct was no doubt horrific. Bullying itself is horrific.

One wonders whether there are better ways to handle bullying than through the courts. Note, in the Ontario case the victim was apparently driven to suicide by the need to testify. And in the Rutgers case the conviction won't bring the victim back to life. (Link to article, excerpts below):

March 16, 2012

Jury Finds Spying in Rutgers Dorm Was a Hate Crime

By KATE ZERNIKE

¶ NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. — A former Rutgers University student was convicted on Friday on all 15 charges he had faced for using a webcam to spy on his roommate having sex with another man, a verdict poised to broaden the definition of hate crimes in an era when laws have not kept up with evolving technology.

¶ “It’s a watershed moment, because it says youth is not immunity,” said Marcellus A. McRae, a former federal prosecutor now in private practice.

¶ The student, Dharun Ravi, had sent out Twitter and text messages encouraging others to watch. His roommate, Tyler Clementi, jumped to his death from the George Washington Bridge three days after the webcam viewing, three weeks into their freshman year in September 2010.

¶ The case set off a debate about whether hate-crime statutes are the best way to deal with bullying. While Mr. Ravi was not charged with Mr. Clementi’s death, some legal experts argued that he was being punished for it, and that this would result only in ruining another young life. They, along with Mr. Ravi’s lawyers, had argued that the case was criminalizing simple boorish behavior.

***************************

¶ The case was a rare one in which almost none of the facts were in dispute. Mr. Ravi’s lawyers agreed that he had set up a webcam on his computer, and had then gone into a friend’s room and viewed Mr. Clementi kissing a man he met a few weeks earlier on a Web site for gay men. He sent Twitter and text messages urging others to watch when Mr. Clementi invited the man again two nights later, then deleted messages after Mr. Clementi killed himself.

(snip)

I will admit that I am grievously torn on the issue. When I was a teenager and to a smaller extent while I was in college, I was bullied. I have since gotten to know some of the bullies. They truthfully have very weak personalities. I am not sure I am a fan of jailing them. On the other hand, I don't regard the bullies as victims either.

Edited March 19, 2012 by jbg

[jbg]

B.U.M.P.

[GostHacked]

I never understood the bullying of others (but it's how government works too!!!). But what I do know, and have experienced this is that many of these bullies turn into instant pussies when confronted.

Live and let live.

[stopstaaron]

Kids aren't mentally tough these days. A lot of us were bullied and eventually we either stood up for ourselves or just got through it. It's the everybody is a winner mentality that is partially to blame here. You can't discipline kids much anymore either. You can take away their laptop or video games but that doesn't work as well as a spanking would.

There will always be bullies. That's just the way the world has always been and it's not going to change.

What has to change are the laws. If a person is bullying you, you should be allowed to stand up for yourself

and fight back instead of going to jail and getting a record for assault.

That's all I'm saying.

[jbg]

I never understood the bullying of others (but it's how government works too!!!). But what I do know, and have experienced this is that many of these bullies turn into instant pussies when confronted.

Live and let live.

Absolutely. And even when confronted or bested 16 years after.

[Guest Peeves]

I am posting this thread as hopefully a thoughtful counterpoint to a similar thread involving an Ontario court. In that Court, a Judge acquitted a thirteen year old of bullying (link to thread). The bully had allegedly pushed down a muscular dystrophy victim to steal his iPhone.

In the New Jersey case (link to article, excerpts below) a young man, Dharun Ravi was convicted of bias crimes and invasion of privacy for "set(ting) up a webcam on his computer, and (going) into a friend’s room and view(ing) Mr. Clementi kissing a man he met a few weeks earlier on a Web site for gay men".

Ravi's conduct was no doubt horrific. Bullying itself is horrific.

One wonders whether there are better ways to handle bullying than through the courts. Note, in the Ontario case the victim was apparently driven to suicide by the need to testify. And in the Rutgers case the conviction won't bring the victim back to life. (Link to article, excerpts below):

March 16, 2012

Jury Finds Spying in Rutgers Dorm Was a Hate Crime

By KATE ZERNIKE

¶ NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. — A former Rutgers University student was convicted on Friday on all 15 charges he had faced for using a webcam to spy on his roommate having sex with another man, a verdict poised to broaden the definition of hate crimes in an era when laws have not kept up with evolving technology.

¶ “It’s a watershed moment, because it says youth is not immunity,” said Marcellus A. McRae, a former federal prosecutor now in private practice.

¶ The student, Dharun Ravi, had sent out Twitter and text messages encouraging others to watch. His roommate, Tyler Clementi, jumped to his death from the George Washington Bridge three days after the webcam viewing, three weeks into their freshman year in September 2010.

¶ The case set off a debate about whether hate-crime statutes are the best way to deal with bullying. While Mr. Ravi was not charged with Mr. Clementi’s death, some legal experts argued that he was being punished for it, and that this would result only in ruining another young life. They, along with Mr. Ravi’s lawyers, had argued that the case was criminalizing simple boorish behavior.

***************************

¶ The case was a rare one in which almost none of the facts were in dispute. Mr. Ravi’s lawyers agreed that he had set up a webcam on his computer, and had then gone into a friend’s room and viewed Mr. Clementi kissing a man he met a few weeks earlier on a Web site for gay men. He sent Twitter and text messages urging others to watch when Mr. Clementi invited the man again two nights later, then deleted messages after Mr. Clementi killed himself.

(snip)

I will admit that I am grievously torn on the issue. When I was a teenager and to a smaller extent while I was in college, I was bullied. I have since gotten to know some of the bullies. They truthfully have very weak personalities. I am not sure I am a fan of jailing them. On the other hand, I don't regard the bullies as victims either.

Good post.

There were two bullies at school as I grew up, one was feared by all. We went blocks out of the way to avoid him.

I still remember his name. A personality like a snake with a tooth ache, striking out anywhere. I bet he grew to be a psychopathic serial killer.....

'other was selective,picked on smaller kids. One day I guess I had had enough because when he was after a smaller friend of mine without thinking I jumped him. He took off home like a scared rabbit. Ended his bullying days.