These are the four creeps who thought they would have a little fun at the expense of a mentally handicapped African-American man. The Southern Poverty Law Center is attempting to extract some financial justice for their actions. Below, is an article from the SPLC depicting what happened and what they are trying to accomplish.TO THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Center seeks damages for injured man
December 16, 2005 | LINDEN, Texas -- Center attorneys in September filed a lawsuit seeking damages for Billy Ray Johnson, a mentally disabled black man knocked unconscious and left on a roadside by four young white men.
Johnson, 42 at the time of the incident, had the mental capacity of a 12-year-old. On September 28, 2003, he was brought to a "pasture party" to serve as the night's entertainment. Pickups were backed up to a bonfire as partygoers taunted Johnson. They got him to dance a jig around the fire, and someone tried to get him to pick up a burning log, witnesses said.
One of the young men punched Johnson in the head and knocked him unconscious. Instead of taking Johnson to the hospital, the men dumped him into the back of a pickup truck and left him by the side of a remote rural road.
Johnson suffered serious brain injuries, and he'll never fully recover. But the Cass County, Texas, juries that heard the cases against two of the defendants, Christopher Colt Amox, who was 20 at the time of the assault, and James Cory Hicks, then 24, acquitted them of serious felony charges and instead handed down lesser convictions, with a recommended sentence of probation.
The two other defendants, Dallas Chadwick Stone, then 18, and John Wesley Owens, then 19, were allowed to plead guilty to an "injury to a disabled individual by omission" charge and testified against Amox and Hicks.
A judge in May sentenced Owens, Stone and Amox to 30-day terms in the county jail and Hicks to 60 days.
"It's hard to think what should make your blood boil more -- what happened to Billy Ray or what didn't happen to those who abused him," said Center chief trial counsel Morris Dees. "It's something we can't ignore."
The lawsuit, filed in Cass County District Court here, alleges that the four defendants, plus Lacy Dorgan, the girlfriend of one of them who was present during the party, are liable for assault and negligence, among other things, in the case.
Johnson, who had no criminal background or history of violence or trouble of any kind, lived with his mother and brother before the assault. Now he is in a Texarkana nursing home with permanent brain damage. He tells visitors that he wants to go home, but that's not possible without costly special assistance.
Owens was the host of the party, which was held on his father's property. He picked up Johnson at a nearby convenience store and drove him to the gathering.
Hicks was a Cass County jailer at the time of the incident. He encouraged others at the party to hit Johnson and later discouraged the others from getting the unconscious victim medical attention. Stone told Johnson to leave the party before the "KKK comes and gets you," according to court testimony.
Amox punched Johnson in the face, knocking him to the ground unconscious. Just before Amox slugged Johnson, Stone knocked a beer can out of Johnson's hand and urged Amox to hit him, witnesses said.
Rather than use their cell phones to call for an ambulance or take Johnson immediately to a hospital, the partygoers drank beer and debated what to do with him. After an hour or so, they put him in the back of a truck to keep from getting his blood on the cloth seats of a car and deposited his body on the side of the road.
"Rarely in my 45 years as a civil rights lawyer have I been so angry about an injustice as I am about what happened to Billy Ray Johnson," Dees said.
Aw...geez, Stefan. The man is mentally handicapped with the mind of a 12 year-old!
ReplyDeleteSo...are you suggesting that those with diminished intelligence are less than human? Is someone with the mentality of a 12 year old, say, not a viable human being?
ReplyDeleteStefan says...
ReplyDeleteLack of intelligence is what we use to justify the killing of various animals and so this can be applied to ‘humans’ in general if their mental development is that of an animal (notice, I am saying that normal 8 year olds are exempt since their developing at a normal rate and will become ‘human’ in the sense of intelligence).
What other category besides intelligence separates us from animals. Can you think of one?
I think that the idea of "intelligence" separating us is rather simplistic. There is much more involved. Intelligence is but one form of mental processes that set us apart from the animal kingdom. Yet, even those in the animal kingdom can lay claim to intelligence.
There are many other factors to be considered - emotions, feelings, etc.
Is the 8 year-old figure that you are using an arbitrary one or is there some reason that you have chosen it?
Well...I disagree with you in that emotionality is overrated. I tend to go along with the characteristics of emotions held by numerous acadamecians in this area. Pascual F. Martínez-Freire, broke it down thusly:
ReplyDelete*emotions are typically conscious phenomena; yet
*they typically involve more pervasive bodily manifestations than other conscious states;
*they vary along a number of dimensions: intensity, type and range of intentional objects, etc.
*they are reputed to be antagonists of rationality; but also
*they play an indispensable role in determining the quality of life;
*they contribute crucially to defining our ends and priorities;
they play a crucial role in the regulation of social life;
*they protect us from an excessively slavish devotion to narrow conceptions of rationality;
*they have a central place in moral education and the moral life.
Clearly, euthanisa or even the practice of Eugenics is an ethical dilemma and has been explored on numerous occasions. I am not being merely oppositional here - I have seen the families with children who were in the vegetative state and have witnessed the hardships. I have also marvelled at the devotion, stamina, and even the blind hope that many of these parents had.
That being said, I have also been privileged to know those who were the parents of children with Downs Syndrome, and other mentally handicapping conditions. Many of these children have grown into viable and functional adults.
Accordingly, Billy Ray Johnson reportedly had the mental capacity of a 12 year old at the age of 42. A twelve-year-old can generally function fairly well in society.
Stefan Schmidt said...
ReplyDeleteNikki,
As soon as White people ‘mistreat’ a black person there are cries of ‘racism.’
Remember, this a local issue ROH so no protesting.
If your trying to compare this with Kingston then you're way off the mark. When the court system allows violent crimminals to go free with less than a slap on the wrist it's definatly a national issue.
As far as violence in Kingston if you have a mind to protest than protest violence(period)
But you know as well as I do that those so called protest where for one purpose and one purpose only. It was a publicity move for the lier, the nut and the NSM, neither which could care less than a dime about the citizens.
Far too many in the so calle white nationalsit movement have warped attitudes such as this texas88sniper idiot.
stefen said...
I feel sorry for this man and do think it is an issue worth protesting.
If you feel that way about a retarded black man who was victimized how can you possible support nuts like Bill White, Hal Turner and the NSM?
And then on top of that turn around and try to declassify the man as human based on his deficency in intellect.
If that is the case than where is the cut off point? At what IQ level does humanity begin?
According to Bill White more than 95% of the population in this country is subhuman because only a fraction as he claims measures up to his level of intellect.
And don't even try to compare Black folks to chimps and apes. That just goes to shows you've never seen one with the fur shaved off their faces.
Stefan, there are those within the racist movement who WOULD advocate ridding the world of individuals who do not meet their criteria of intellectual ability. I have spoken with several of them, as a matter of fact.
ReplyDeleteThe very idea that one race is superior to another brings with it the idea that maintaining the gene pool is imperative. How do you feel about mandatory sterilization for those who are below normal intelligence?
Stefan, I am deeply sorry that you have experienced so much pain in your life. I fear that the state that you refer to as "Utopian" will be one, not of bliss, but of coldness and catatonic existence. To be alive is to feel...to sense...to laugh, cry, and groan with your pain. I cannot imagine life without emotion. The same Utopia that you seek can be induced with Thorazine or one of the deriviatives.
ReplyDeleteYou said...
The world has no place for emotions since your conscience will tear you apart with all the inconsistencies and hypocrisies that are present in your fellow man.
I find that sad and at the same time telling. When did you become involved in this whole racist movement? Why?
Stephen said:
ReplyDeleteYou can protest violence as well, but what I am pointing out is your hypocrisy. You denied the notion that the beating of Robby could be race related but now in this incident you claim it to be definitely so. Thanks for proving my point for me about the double standard present in American society.
I never denied anything but the neccessity of Bill White and crew going to stir up some mess for their own goals. The only people who has even sugested it was a racist issue as far as I know are Bill White and company. And the mother never even mentioned race until after she had been bombarded with that mess from one of Hal Turners crew.
Those idiots basically tried to pimp the boys mother while she was trying to make some sense out of the senseless conflict that severly injured her son. The fact that she didn't stand with or support Hal Bill and the crew speaks volumns.
As of late these nuts have been combing the wires looking for any incidents that involve violence between ethnic groups in which they can exploit.
Stephen said
Again I feel sorry for the guy. If I was on the Jury I would have pressed for 10 to 20 years in jail. I was suggesting, however, for us to closely evaluate our priorities. Maybe punishing the perpetuators will not be beneficial for society since the victim was a drain on society in the first place. I also would advocate couples to produce offspring with the aid of a geneticist so no children like him or me have to be born ever again.
One of the biggest drains on society is the hate movement if anything.
What you call a drain on society is one of the most important things that separates humanity from the animals. Compassion. Caring for those less fortunate is not a drain but an exercise in humanity. And not to mention that a wise man can still learn much from the intellectually challenged.
you suggested you wished you were never born
ReplyDelete===================================
Not really, I suggested that society should rid the world of people like me. But, the fact that I have not committed suicide is an indicator that I am content with my life.
===================================
Yet you would deny those who are yet to be born in a state simular to yours to ever even have the chance to become content with their lives.
stephan seek help.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that our friend, Stefan, is a walking contradiction and a very confused young man. I too would like to know why it "repulses" him to shake the hand of a black person and what his definition of bravery is.
ReplyDelete