Vigilantism is wrong. It doesn't matter what the cause or stand they are acting upon, the commission of any activity driven by revenge or hate cannot be tolerated.
Usually we hear stories of retribution or mob thinking and it's sadly over a cause or belief that means something to us. A group of bullies or toughs take on a weaker opponent. It's most often racially charged, religiously motivated, politically infused, hate driven mob mentality that launches these actions. This story is the same, but a bit different. It's coming from an angle that you usually don't hear about. It's defenders of an underdog. They took it on themselves to become aggressors, and justly, they have to be called out on it.
Sticking up for someone's rights is admirable but only when it doesn't cross the line into lawlessness. The details come from Raw Story.
Four underage teens — three boys and one girl — in Portland, Oregon were arrested on kidnapping and assault charges after they allegedly lured a bully into a shed and tortured him for calling a classmate “gay.”
According to the arrest report, the ring-leader was a 14-year-old boy who was upset that the victim had called another student “gay” on Facebook. The other attackers were similarly perturbed, and believed that their actions would be “an act of revenge.”
KATU TV, in Oregon, has this story and the gruesome details:
Sadly, had these assailants acted in a rational sense, reporting it to authorities, there probably wouldn't have been any action taken. It would most likely have been dismissed as kids just goofing on other kids. But we'll never know. These four attackers committed horrific crimes. No matter their intentions nor the motivations, this was wrong.
Too often the shoe is on the other foot -- just look at Russia and their anti-gay stance. Under the guise of Russian law, civil rights and human rights are being trampled. LGBT citizens are being beaten, humiliated and worse, even killed. But as evil and wrong as that is, so is the flip side of this argument. As a pro LGBT supporter, it's isolated incidents like this that can give ammunition to the very large, anti-gay movement. I hope this isn't a flash point in Oregon, or anywhere else, that ignites into something much bigger and more hateful.
The post Gay Defenders Are Wrong This Time appeared first on The Political Carnival.
