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Uploaded: Friday, December 19, 2008, 4:03 PM
Local leaders: Race relations must improve
Challenge Team members say recent incident shows need for more dialogue
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by Casey Weiss
Mountain View Voice Staff
A week after police arrested three Mountain View High School students for alleged hate crimes, community leaders said the incident is a wake-up call on the need to discuss issues of race and tolerance.
The suspects, all white males ages 14 and 15, allegedly shouted racial slurs and threatened to kill four Latino 11-year-olds as the boys walked home from Graham Middle School on Dec. 5. They eventually ran out of the home they were in, police said, and chased the boys down the 1200 block of Mercy Street while brandishing a "replica firearm."
Police arrested the teens that same day on charges of hate crimes, criminal threats, brandishing a replica firearm and conspiracy to commit a felony.
Last Thursday, members of the Challenge Team, a consortium of local leaders which meets once a month to discuss issues facing at-risk students, called for a community-wide response in order to explore the roots of racism in the city.
"The reason I am adamant about doing something as a community to address this issue is I feel hatred is not hereditary. It is an acquired disease, and unless there is early detection and intervention it will spread," said Oscar Garcia, president of Mesa de la Comunidad, a nonprofit that advocates for the Latino community in Mountain View.
The suspects, whose names are not being released, do not have criminal records, police said. But Graham Middle School Principal Gretchen Jacobs said that according to school records they were a "continuous problem" and "always in trouble" when they attended Graham last year.
The alleged crimes are an isolated incident, she said, adding that the Graham campus is normally calm and free of racial tension.
No one at the meeting seemed to doubt the guilt of the three teens, though police Chief Scott Vermeer said they grew up under difficult circumstances.
"The suspects in this case have a challenging home life," he said. "They are going to find ways to bring attention to themselves."
As for the victims, they have been given group counseling through Youth Services Unit, a new police unit that brings counselors and police officers together to prevent gang violence and other problems facing youth.
Counselor Nicole Gwire said the boys are "angry" and "confused," but are healing thanks to support from the community, police officers and teachers.
"Typical mentality is they will turn their anger and confusion on someone else," Gwire said. "We don't want that to happen to another innocent person."
Community leaders said they hope the Mercy Street incident will spark a conversation about race and hate crime in Mountain View. Alicia Crank, a member of the Human Relations Commission, had already been planning a showing of "Not in Our Town," a documentary about residents in a Montana town who rally against local hate crimes. Although the showing was planned for the spring, Cranks and other community and church leaders now want to show the film in early winter to encourage discussion about race.
"One of the reasons we want to push up the date is it is coming from somewhere," Cranks said of the alleged hate crimes. "Where is this coming from? It is sparking something for people to react like this. Let's find out what it is."
An average of one hate crime per year is reported in Mountain View, according to police spokeswoman Liz Wylie. The Mercy Street incident is the first reported hate crime in 2008.
The classification of "hate crime" is sometimes subjective and often controversial. In October, Spanish-language signs belonging to the elementary school district were stolen and reappeared on Shoreline Boulevard with "No More Aliens" spray-painted on them in red. District administrators called the vandalism a hate crime, but police said they did not have enough information to make that assertion. Are you receiving Express, our free daily e-mail edition? See a sample and sign-up for Express.
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Posted by Over Reaction?, a resident of the Whisman Station neighborhood, on Dec 20, 2008 at 9:53 am Do you really think this was a “Hate Crime?” Read between the lines. Sounds like stupid kids being the bully on the block. A true hate crime is where someone plans and targets a specific protected class. I bet these kids were high and stupid. The police mostly likely arrested them just to make a point to their parents hoping they will wake up and see their kids have some issues that need to be addressed. The judge will most likely give them a slap on the wrist and not even convict them under the hate crime laws. Do you realize that if the police department’s press officer(s) figured out that this was just kids being stupid and not reporting it as a “hate crime” then this would not have been such a “Big Deal?” Now it is just fuel for the “Community Leaders” to stand up to be heard. “Racism in the city” makes our nice community sound like we living in a ghetto. Thank you Mr Police Officer that took care of problem on this day but tell your press officer to get out of the office and help you out on the street instead of feeding not really news stories.
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Posted by Vicente Duque, a resident of another community, on Dec 20, 2008 at 12:04 pm The IMPUNITY of the present generates the MURDERS of the Future.
That is what is happening in many communities that have been tolerant with "foolish kids" and their gangs that play "innocent games" of "wilding" and "jumping" on other races, ethnics, old people, gays, etc .. They finally graduate to murderers.
And the Big Apple becomes the Clockwork Orange, as it has happened in New York, because of impunity and complacency with thugs.
Manuel Aucaquizhpi 1994
Rene Perez 2007
Marcelo Lucero 2008
Jose Sucuzhanay 2008
All of them murdered in New York
Luis Ramirez in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania 2008
These men have been killed by "innocent kids" and "honor students" and "football players" that are the pride of grandma. All of them "sweet kids" and "nice children".
I have a big roster of gays that were murdered by these teen gangs only for being gays. Or Black People murdered for being Black.
And of Women assaulted, raped or enslaved for being from the Wrong Race or Sexual Orientation.
See more rosters of victims, sadism, cruelty and brutality here :
Web Link
Vicente Duque
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Posted by Jimmy, a resident of the The Crossings neighborhood, on Dec 20, 2008 at 1:14 pm Vicente Duque - "The IMPUNITY of the present generates the MURDERS of the Future." I think that is quite reach... How about this, if you see "foolish kids" causing problems then call the police and report it. Too many of us just watch as "Innocent" things develop and wonder what why nobody gets in trouble for it.
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Posted by Ging lee, a resident of the Rex Manor neighborhood, on Dec 20, 2008 at 5:19 pm JUST AN OVER REACTION.
RELAX.
Everyone needs to relax. This is just anger from the bad economy and the dumb president, and we are focusing ths anger on other people. Stop, relax and calm down.
This is the Bay area. We must be known as peaceful, intelligent and advanced people. Let us prove the southern states we are not uneducated hillbillies like them.
Much respect, HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!
- ging lee
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Posted by USA, a resident of the Old Mountain View neighborhood, on Dec 21, 2008 at 1:06 pm "We must be known as peaceful, intelligent and advanced people."
"Let us prove the southern states we are not uneducated hillbillies like them."
Do you see the irony of those two statements or are you relly that stupid?
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Posted by Mr. DePortum, a resident of another community, on Dec 21, 2008 at 5:03 pm DEPORTATION OF ILLEGALS IS A GOOD START.
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Posted by Mr. DePortum, a resident of another community, on Dec 22, 2008 at 7:17 am ging lee sounds like another immigrant that spouts off without knowing what the hell she is talking about.
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Posted by Need Safety for Kids, a resident of the The Crossings neighborhood, on Dec 23, 2008 at 6:07 pm Kids being stupid should be tolerated when they are amongst their friends. When it spills out to the street and affects innocent younger kids who will learn to be afraid and distrustful of other older kids, this is a problem. The community leaders are right to raise the alarm and demand a community response. ALL KIDS, older and younger, need the community's support to grow into responsible adults. If the police officers and judges are sympathetic to the older kids for their 'stupid' behavior and challenging family situations, it is a humane way to teach them some responsibility while still giving consequences for an inappropriate action. What can the community do to help the victims, and to prevent future victims ? Showing a movie is one step but can we all agree that we need to do more?
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Posted by Rev . Batton, a resident of another community, on Dec 24, 2008 at 7:47 am Sanctuary in the church we will accept any and all, the poor people are just misunderstood. They just want to be macho stupido, idioto.
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Posted by Rev . Batton, a resident of another community, on Dec 24, 2008 at 7:47 am Sanctuary in the church we will accept any and all, the poor people are just misunderstood. They just want to be macho stupido, idioto.
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Posted by Alejandro, a resident of the Martens-Carmelita neighborhood, on Dec 24, 2008 at 10:51 pm According to Liz Wylie, spokesperson for MVPD, Mountain View has one "hate crime" per year, and this, according to Crank and others, is an epidemic? Do we really need a one-sided committee, looking out for their own special interests, to study this huge once a year problem?
We have far more "hate crimes" occurring from the brave, "tough in numbers" gang members in Mountain View. So many in fact the MVPD recently formed a group of "gang officers" to address the growing Hispanic gang problem.
The facts are that a few misguided Caucasian youths made a poor decision and will pay dearly for it. This incident has been so blown out of proportion since, thank God, no one was physically harmed. You can't say that about so many of the other "hate crimes" I've read about perpetrated by Mountain View gang members e.g., beatings, stabbings and shootings.
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Posted by Mr. DePortum, a resident of another community, on Dec 25, 2008 at 5:00 am sorry for my earlier comments, I'm an idiot, I was picked on when I was little and my dad used to beat me. I guess I have no one else to blame so I post what I think are funny comments, I know in reality they are not. I feel alone
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Posted by DePortum's father, a resident of the North Whisman neighborhood, on Dec 25, 2008 at 5:17 am DePortum you are an ignorant idiot, you post stupid comments to prove what? Did you go to school? Do you know how this country came to be? Do you know who was in this country first?I'm guessing probably not but you should look into it. By the way I'm sorry, Your dad must have beat you pretty hard, probably beat you with a brown belt.
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Posted by QM, a resident of the North Whisman neighborhood, on Dec 25, 2008 at 6:09 pm
Web Link
Follow the link above to understand hate crimes in California.
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Posted by Mr. DePortum, a resident of the Old Mountain View neighborhood, on Dec 29, 2008 at 7:31 am Take a look around, if you can't see the damage done you are a real fool. In response to post by my alleged father. You sound like anothe bleeding heart liberal that helped to ruin parts of MV.
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Posted by Annoymous Viewer, a resident of the Shoreline West neighborhood, on Dec 29, 2008 at 3:02 pm Racial slurrs, Threatening to kill, chasing away, brandishing replica firearms... these are serious offenses to me. Anyone could get hurt if it goes beyond the limits. I have a son that I will not have him walk by himself because of these kind of situations. Kids these days need constant supervision and if these kids were supervised these things could be avoided.
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Posted by slanted, a resident of the Castro City neighborhood, on Dec 31, 2008 at 5:44 am It's only a hate crime if the crime is committed by a white person or against a gay person. Of course this is wrong, but the policy should be carefully considered. The policy will bring more problems if it doesn't address the hate crimes committed by other races against whites. I have witnessed many hate crimes against whites and have received death threats myself from latino gang members. These things were never labeled crimes, let alone hate crimes.
The policy needs to be well rounded and protect whites also.
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Posted by old friend, a resident of the Old Mountain View neighborhood, on Apr 24, 2009 at 2:22 pm all I know if Nicole Gwire says they are confused and healing then they are ,she is a quality psychologist who i have worked with in spring of 2007. keep up the good work Nicole.(vin D)
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