2007 Hate Incident Report

BLOOMINGTON HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION

HATE INCIDENTS REPORT

July 2006 - June 2007

In August 1990, the Bloomington Common Council unanimously approved an amendment to the Bloomington Human Rights Ordinance which gave the BHRC the explicit authority to collect data and issue reports on hate incidents in our community. We accept reports from police departments, individuals, groups and the media. We also accept anonymous reports. Our goal is not to investigate these incidents, as we do not have the training, authority or resources to conduct these types of investigations. Rather, our goals are to serve as a referral resource and sounding board for victims, to work with community groups to coordinate responses to hate incidents when appropriate and to make our community more aware of the local nature of hate incidents through issuing these annual reports. [Note: In the past we have avoided using the specific offensive language when issuing our hate incidents reports. We've decided to start using the actual terms when known, to avoid confusion and to convey better the true ugliness of these incidents.]

In July, 2006, we received a report from an individual about offensive language. She said she was leaving a Fourth of July picnic when a man yelled "faggot" at her.

In July, 2006, we received a report from an individual about offensive graffiti. She said someone had painted "BPNA" (presumably for Bryan Park Neighborhood Association) and a swastika on a vacant building.

In August, 2006, we received a report from BPD about harassing phone calls. A white woman with a bi-racial child said her roommate's boyfriend saw a picture of her child on their refrigerator. The boyfriend asked his girlfriend "who the nigger was." This upset the girlfriend enough that she broke up with him. After the break-up, the now ex-boyfriend began calling the child's mother, blaming her for the break-up, calling her "a nigger-loving whore" who "didn't deserve to exist." Police investigated.

In August, 2006, we received a report from BPD about harassing phone calls. A Latino couple said that they had received several racist and sexist phone messages, including "Go back to fucking Mexico wetback," "Senorita, go back to fucking Mexico esé wetback," "Retard, go back to fucking Mexico esé wetback," asking the man how long his penis was and when the wife answered the phone, asking "Why are you fucking my goat? Where is my goat? Stop fucking my goat!" The couple also reported ongoing problems with someone throwing eggs and leaving baloney on their car. (Note: "esé" is a derogatory slang word for a Latino.) Police investigated.

In August, 2006, we received a report from BPD about two women who were verbally and physically attacked by two other women. The attackers asked the victims, "What are you doing? Where are you going, Jewish girl? Are you Jewish? Are you gonna have your little daddies sue us? Oh, you Jew little girl!" They jumped on the victims, knocking them down and causing minor physical harm. Police investigated.

In September, 2006, we received a report from an individual about damage to a church. Several pieces of musical equipment had been taken from the choir loft. Two nights earlier, people found a Ouija board on the altar and found that someone had changed the number on the hymn board to 666.

In September, 2006, we received a report from BPD. The report said that two men standing near the square early one morning were approached by a man with multiple piercings. The man said "You fucking faggots" and made other derogatory comments. The man apparently had been drinking. The man struck one of the two men three times, but did not cause any injury. Police investigated.

In September, 2006, we received a report from BPD about a fight. A number of adults and children told the police that a white woman had called an African American man "nigger" and slapped the man. BPD experienced considerable difficulty trying to talk to the man, as the adults who had witnessed the incident kept talking over them, to the point where they arrested one of the witnesses for disorderly conduct. The witnesses were upset that BPD did not immediately arrest the white woman. One man told the police that he had heard the white woman call his cousin "nigger." He told the woman she didn't need to say that to a child, and the woman yelled at him, calling him "nigger." Other witnesses said the white woman used the terms "punks" and "sons of bitches" as well. The white woman told the police that the two African American men had taken her grandson's Frisbee away and chased him. She threatened to call the police, she said, and they approached her and threatened her, and one of them doubled up his fists. She said she put her hand up to create distance from them and walked away with her grandson. She said that five minutes later, a neighborhood woman came into her yard and started yelling profanities at her. The African American men said the Frisbee was theirs and the child had taken it from them. There were accusations that the white woman had tried to choke one of the men, but the alleged victim denied that. No charges were filed against the white woman.

In October, 2006, we received a report from BPD about a fight. A KKK poster was posted in a hallway. An African American saw the poster and saw a white man in the hallway. The African American man told the white man that he "hates his kind" and hit him several times. The white man said he was at the apartment building to complete a work order. BPD arrested the African American man.

In October, 2006, we received a report from an individual. The caller said his wife was walking in downtown Bloomington with a scarf wrapped around her head because of the wind. Three white males came by, yelled anti-Muslim slurs at her and said they would like to take the scarf off of her and choke her with it. She ran away without being harmed but was pretty shaken up by the incident. She didn't want to call the police, but wanted a record made of the incident.

In November, 2006, we received a report from BPD about a dispute on a city bus. The driver heard a passenger say, "Those niggers aren't going to gang up on my daughter." When several people were starting to get on the bus, apparently the same people the passenger was referring to, the passenger said to them, "You niggers aren't going to gang up on my daughter." A verbal altercation ensued. The driver told them not to start anything on her bus, and they left.

In December, 2006, we received a report from BPD. The reporting officer saw a security guard for a bar remove a woman from the bar. The woman tried to go back in, but the guard prevented her from doing so. He raised his arm to keep her from coming in. She ran into his arm and fell down. The guard helped her back up. She told the guard she wanted to talk to the police, and the guard pointed her to the nearby BPD officer. She told the officer she wanted to file charges against the security guard. He tried to tell her he had witnessed the incident, but she kept yelling at him. She said, "Pigs don't do anything in Bloomington." He arrested her for public intoxication; while being transported, she yelled and kicked, called the officer a "faggot" and said she would have his badge. She was also charged with disorderly conduct and resisting law enforcement.

In January, 2007, we received a report from BPD about an arrest. A woman had driven into a mailbox; to do so, she had to have been in the wrong traffic lane. She told the police officer, a woman, that she was on painkillers. When the officer tried to talk to her about the accident, she said, "You're just going to screw me over." She agreed to do dexterity tests, but said she was a little unsteady because of her medication. She failed the tests and almost fell asleep on her feet. The officer arrested her for driving under the influence. She said she had been taking only legal drugs, but the officer told her she was not supposed to be driving while on those drugs. The woman called the arresting officer "bitch" and "dyke." The officer found a clear glass pipe with burn residue in the woman's pants; the woman's reply: "These aren't my pants." The woman became quite belligerent and physical while being transported to the jail. The officer noted there were 25 pills missing from the bottle of klonopin and 98 pills missing from the bottle of hydrocodone; both prescriptions had been filled only the previous day. The woman told the officer that she recently had been sentenced to drug court.

In March, 2007, we received a report from BPD. A man told the police that he and his roommate were awakened by pounding on their door at 2 a.m. When they opened the door, they found three white men they didn't know. One had a black eye. The white men told the residents, "You're going to get kicked out of here, you Jewish fucks." One of the residents is Jewish; the other is not. They had not experienced any other incidents.

In March, 2007, we received a report from BPD about vandalism. An African American woman said that she had found spit on the driver's side windshield of her car. Three days later, she found several outlines of bodies made from chalk on the sidewalk leading past her apartment. Someone had written the following messages on the sidewalk: "This nigga died a drunk and well. We don't need 2 go in 2 detail;" "This nigga died high;" the name "Harley;" "Fuck yo couch nigga;" "Suppose place of assassin;" "Harley D" and "Grocie." The woman was concerned that she was the target of these drawings and comments. BPD investigated and determined who had left the drawings and comments. They talked to one of the two offenders. He said they were bored and began drawing the bodies and writing the comments on the sidewalk. He said they didn't mean to be disrespectful when they used the word "nigga." It was "just a word" they used. When the officer said that an African American woman had been concerned about these drawings, the man expressed concern and said in no way had they intended to offend anyone. He said they would not have done it if they had known it was going to offend anyone. They were "just having fun."

In April, 2007, we received a report from an individual who lives in Bloomington. He said that he had spent more than $50 at a florist shop (not in Bloomington). As a reward for his business, a store employee, a woman, sent him gift certificates for a restaurant. On the gift certificates, the woman made reference to the customer's male partner and said "God forgive them for what they do." She also posted a sign in the store window that alluded to his sexuality. We suggested he contact the Better Business Bureau, the Chamber of Commerce and possibly a private attorney to see if the sign was defamatory.

In April, 2007, we received a report from BPD about an assault. An Asian couple had been walking and arguing in an apartment courtyard. Another argument ensued with a white man passing by the couple. The Asian woman told the white man that he was a "white fat kid." The Asian man told the white man that he should go eat some more pancakes. Allegedly at that point, the white man called the Asians "fucking Asians and stupid Asians." The Asian man later returned with a golf putter and threatened to hit the white man. When BPD officers talked to the Asian man, he appeared intoxicated and continued to be belligerent. He told the officers they were the head of the KKK and called them "fucking assholes." He accused the white man of hitting him on the nose, but the white man denied it, and had no marks or bruises on his hand. Several witnesses were present and none said they saw the white man hit the Asian man. None said they had heard him make anti-Asian comments, either. After the police left, the Asian man yelled and screamed again, causing the police to come back and arrest him for public intoxication.

In April, 2007, we received a report from BPD that a white couple heard their back window break. They went outside to investigate and found an African American man who said, "Get shit thrown through your window, Cracker. Me and my niggas will be back to beat your ass. Leave your light on, Cracker." The police found the black man, who appeared to be intoxicated. They found a substance that seemed to be marijuana in his pocket. He was arrested.

In May, 2007, we received a report from BPD about a dispute in a parking lot of a convenience store. An African American man called a white man a "nigger," and as an argument ensued, the white man called the African American man "nigger" as well. A physical fight followed. Several of the people who were involved in the dispute, or who witnessed it, had been drinking. Some were not of legal age. BPD filed charges.

In May, 2007, we received a report from BPD about a domestic disturbance. The police arrived to find a husband kicking a car and throwing things at his house. Upon investigation, the police learned that the husband believed the wife was having an affair, possibly with another woman. He called her a "fucking bitch" a "fucking whore" and a "fucking dyke." She in turn slapped him and tried to leave with their infant child. He tried to stop them. Because the wife had slapped the husband, the police were going to arrest her for domestic battery. But they learned she was only 16 and was breastfeeding the baby, so they contacted juvenile probation instead. BPD also issued a warrant for criminal mischief for the husband.

In May, 2007, we received a report from BPD about racist graffiti. An African American woman arrived home and found white paint poured over the side of her house, down the front of the door, down the front walkway and on a grill. On her door someone had painted "Stay away from the hill bitch" and "Nigger nigger move." Near the door were the words "Nigger stay away from the hill or die nigger." She didn't know who would have left such a message. She had just moved to this residence and few people knew she lived there. She said that the day before, she had been near Cresmont (sometimes called the Hill or Pigeon Hill) and had gotten into an argument with a white woman. The white woman's child was walking in the road and the African American woman explained to her that she needed to get the child out of the road. The white woman became angry and a verbal argument ensued. The African American woman did not know the white woman or where she lived. Police investigated.

In June, 2007, we received a report from BPD about a dispute between some boys at a public swimming pool. According to the report, an African American boy knocked a white boy off of a flotation device, saying, "Nigger, get off." Later, the boy's brother pushed the white boy, punched him in the back and punched him in the face. Police investigated.

In June, 2007, we received a report from BPD about a dispute at an apartment complex. Three African American men reported that they had been attacked by a white man with golf clubs. The white man was intoxicated. Witnesses reported that one of the African American men hit the white man, but apparently in self-defense. One of the African American men was intoxicated and under age, and so both he and the white man were arrested.

In June, 2007, we received a report from an individual that a young biracial woman had been called "nigger" by a passerby as she left a place of public accommodation.

Several times during the reporting period, we received calls from individuals saying they had found KKK publications in their yards or driveways.