Friday, August 14, 2009

APD arrests two in hate crime against Native man

From the Anchorage Daily News:

With their video camera rolling, a young white couple threw eggs at an Alaska Native man and kicked him, slinging slurs in what appears to have been a racially motivated assault, police said Thursday. During the attack, the victim held his hand out trying to shake the hands of his aggressors, police said...

The pair threatened the man, threw things at him and used racial slurs, police said. They pushed and kicked the man, police said. He didn't fight back, just asked to be left alone.


I honestly don't understand that level of hate.

And, "He... just asked to be left alone."

I'm having a problem grappling with the mindset of people who approach a man who has his handout in friendship, and then treat him so sub-humanly.

One of the first posts I did on Alaska Real was my own experience with hatred while walking downtown, and why I hate going downtown, being fairly obviously Native. My experiences were certainly nothing compared to this man, but I avoid downtown because I have a very reasonable fear something exactly like this could happen, for no other reason than I look the way I look.

I often wonder just how much of this is going on - the physical attacks anyways - and not getting reported. This man certainly didn't, and it sounds like police have reason to believe there is more from this couple. This isn't the first attack on Native people downtown caught on video, nor is it the most heinous.

The irony is when I keep hearing the refrain that "racism isn't a problem in this town."

5 comments:

Isiik said...

I just read the article on the ADN and it made me absolutely sick. And I have heard people tell me so many times that racism against Natives is long gone. I wish I could send a message to the person who was attacked, to let him know how outraged I am at this crime.

Tanyalaska said...

Thank you for posting this. I was horrified after reading the article. Not only was it seen as socially acceptable for these two to attack a man because he's Native, but they also saw it as a form of entertainment - enough to post it on YouTube. Not all racism is as obvious either. Thank you for pointing that out. I was a teen when the paintball attacks were occurring downtown. I'll never forget how that changed me as an Alaska Native.

CAPPAVELLIE said...

all my brothers of the First Nations, arm yourselves, and the next redneck SOB that tries something, deal with him most harshly

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