Three Teens Charged in Anti-Gay Attack
Three Lowell, Massachusetts, teens have been charged and released for an apparent anti-gay attack against 22-year old James Nickola.
Nickola told police he had been walking down Bridge Street when the three youths started lobbing homophobic epithets in his direction. Nickola attempted to ignore the boys, but they were tenacious and caught up to him a few blocks away. Yelling “faggot,” two boys allegedly beat Nickola so severely, they nearly ripped his bottom lip off. Nickola claims the third encouraged his violent friends.
Police later picked up the 19-year old suspects – Jeffrey J. Buchannan, Jonathan M. Artis and Jules V. Ruggs – and charged them with civil rights violation (assault and battery), simple assault and battery and “mayhem”.
Prosecutors recommended the boys be held on $2,500 bond, but a judge released them with a nightly curfew and mandatory probation.
Lowell teens freed in gay-bashing case [Lowell Sun]
3 Teens Charged With Attacking Gay Man [WCVB-5]
Where are all the right-wingers who scream about activist judges “catching and releasing” criminals now?
I don’t get it–what’s all this talk about “teens” and “boys?” They’re all 19–does 18 not mark adulthood in Massachusetts? It’s just weird because along with all the media referring to them as such, their punishment sounds like what they’d hand to a bunch of minors.
And yes, I second Paul’s question.