Edhat Staff
An edhat reader reported the incident earlier this month stating UCSB sent out an alert to students of a possible hate crime that took place outside Rockfire Grill on Pardall Road. The suspect was described as a white male who got into a fight with another male and called him a homophobic slur while also assaulting two women on the scene.
Third-year transfer student Tucker Steil was arrested by the Isla Vista Foot Patrol and held on a $2,500 bail.
Numerous witnessed stated the attack appeared to be an aggressive anti-gay attack, but the suspect has not been charged with a hate crime.
UCSB officials were criticized for not informing students of this incident which prompted the campus-wide notification the following week.
One of the female victims reportedly sustained a broken hand and a male victim sustained a concussion and broken nose.
Does anyone have more information on a violent assault and possible hate crime that took place in Isla Vista this week?
I received a notice from the University stated they received a report of a hate crime and are in connection with the victims. People who apparently witnessed it said last week a white male wearing a UCSB Gaucho shirt beat up a guy, called him the F-word, then assaulted a few girls. This was outside Rockfire Grill on Pardall.
Outside of the notice from UCSB and people talking, I haven’t seen any information or followup in local news. What’s up?
Since when is the F word a hate crime?
Mere language, no matter how vile, is never a hate crime, but beating people up because of sexual orientation is a hate crime.
It’s not just calling the person an offensive term that makes it a hate crime, it is physically assaulting a person BECAUSE of their association with that group. Calling someone an offensive word, by itself, is not a hate crime, nor is it punishable by itself. But when you yell that word while you’re kicking their head in, it becomes evidence of the motive behind the beating…..thus, the beating is a “hate crime.”
I agree with you RWELSH. Also, I feel strongly that everyone should be treated equally under the law, regardless of who or what they are. My concern with so-called “hate crime” laws is they seem to favor certain classes of people and disfavor others. If someone commits a crime, I don’t think it is fair to increase the punishment if the victim belongs to a favored class or if the perpetrator belongs to a disfavored class.
CHIP OF SB – you don’t get it. It’s not increasing the crime just if the victim belongs to a “favored class,” it’s increasing the penalty if the perpetrator is beating the victim for the reason that they belong to another group. It’s not a hate crime if you beat up a minority because they looked at your girlfriend in a bad way. It IS a hate crime if you beat up a minority BECAUSE they’re a minority. Basically, you get in more trouble if you’re being a racist/sexist/homophobic punk. Is that cool with you or you still upset about it?
“But criminalizing language is just stupid. ” As I already explained, “Mere language, no matter how vile, is never a hate crime, but beating people up because of sexual orientation is a hate crime. ” … so take care using the s-word. And Chip should try reading the laws — they don’t single out anyone. It’s the HATEFUL BIGOTS who single out “certain classes of people”. If it were straight white males who were the victims of these crimes and the perpetrators were tried under the hate crime laws, would he be complaining? (Funny how the same ideas, whether about climate science or bigotry, come together in the same people.)
JQB – right on.
There are no favored or disfavored classes … that’s yet another erroneous right wing talking point. There are *protected categories*, such as race, religion, and gender. Right wingers seem to think that only other people have those. But if someone beats you up *because you’re white*, or *because you’re straight*, or *because you’re male*, those are hate crimes.
Welcome to Orwell’s 1984… It’s astonishing that “free speech” is NOT supported on any “free thinking” (HA!) college campus in our “Free Country”…
It’s free beating–especially when motivated by hate–that isn’t supported. But you seem to want it to be.
So graffiti that is anti semitic or uses the “n word” or threatens other groups (LGBTQ, etc.) is not a hate crime?
As institutes of higher education, they just don’t support the hatred and falsehoods you consider free speech.
Because a person uses offensive language while attacking a person? Have you ever been in any kind of a fight? All kinds of things are said.. rarely are they the reason for the confrontation. People say the most hurtful thing they can think of. I’m sure everyone has had an argument and said things they regret. Probably not racist or homophobic slurs, but you get my point. The law is the law, but I vehemently disagree with it. If you attack someone, anyone, you should be locked up to the extent of the law. Everything else is sticks and stones.
You make fine points but this is alleged since we have not seen it in the news yet and straight white males are human too, not all straight white males are as you say.
@ Mr. Black- The irony is you have all become “HATERS” yourselves… It’s an upside world we live in.
Those darned “out of towners”.
Put this guy with the ones for the weed robbery what a great generation, these are the products of don’t reprimand children…….