New York teens charged for harassing Muslim worshipers at mosque

[sabra]

Source: timesofindia

NEW YORK: A group of teenagers in western New York have been arrested for allegedly harassing worshipers at a mosque and firing a shotgun outside the gathering.

The five teens allegedly beeped their car horns and yelled obscenities during a religious service, according to Eyewitness News, a local media outlet.

Tim Weader, 17, Dylan Phillips, 18, Jeff Donahue, 18, and Anthony Ogden, 18 along with Mark Vendetti, 17 have been charged with disrupting a religious service, which is a misdemeanor charge.

Vendetti, who has been charged for firing shots at the mosque, was also arraigned on the weapons charge and remanded to the Orleans County Jail in lieu of USD 10,000 bail. Police say the incident remains under investigation and more charges are expected to be filed, according to Eyewitness News.

Worshipers said that they have been plagued by harassment for years, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations based in Washington, D C, called for the teens to be charged with hate-crime.


Read more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/New-York-teens-charged-for-harassing-Muslim-worshipers-at-mosque-/articleshow/6473686.cms

[Deep13]

1. All these reports of harassment of and attacks on Muslims

...sound way too much like Kristallnacht.

:scared:

[aquart]

9. Then you are wildly unfamiliar with Kristallnacht.

Or anything that led up to it.

Call me when we ban Muslims from riding bicycles or holding jobs.

[Deep13]

23. The point is that it is thug violence being whipped up by...

...extreme right wing advocates against an unpopular religious minority. WWII precludes them from blaming Jews, so they blame Muslims, liberals, Mexicans, gays, Blacks and anyone else they can classify as "the other."

I know it's NOT Kristallnacht. It's not that organized. I know the facts aren't the same. Jesus, this is an internet discussion board, not a doctoral dissertation.

[Lagomorph]

27. Your response leaves a lot of unanswered questions...

Are you opposed to religious intolerance or religion?

Are you opposed to right wing extremists or extremism?

[Chulanowa]

32. Considering you've called for muslim women to be sterilized...

I think you've got no room to talk.

[Soylent Brice]

11. i've been thinking this same thing since last week.

scary stuff.
i don't like where this is all headed.

[Drale]

29. This sounds

more like how the persecution of the jews started with the Nazi party.

[proteus_lives]

30. Maybe you should a book or two about Nazi oppression before making the comparison.

It would help.

[Chulanowa]

33. You know those books aren't how-to books, right Proteus?

[proteus_lives]

40. It's my favorite silly boy!

Get down here so I can rub your belly!

[humblebum]

43. All oppressive movements started small and insignificant. There

is always the possibility they can grow into something more significant and violent.

[dkf]

2. Yikes disrupting a religious service is a misdemeanor?

How'd they get that distinction? Why can you disrupt a funeral but not a religious service? I'm not sure that sounds right to me.

[jberryhill]

14. The Phelps Clan Obtains Permits To Assemble On Public Property

They don't just show up and do their schtick.

[dkf]

25. Are they claiming religious freedom to get these permits?

[jberryhill]

26. Nothing to do with religion

You, your friends, and those whom you invite have the right to assemble on public land.

In most areas one applies for a permit and a permit must issue subject to neutral time, place and manner restrictions.

Whether it is ten people who want to stand on the side of a street with signs, or Glenn Beck gathering a bunch of teabaggers in DC, it's pretty much the same process anywhere.

The right of peaceable assembly is stated in the First Amendment. Religion doesn't enter into it.

[Lightning Count]

3. Mississippi has nothing on NY. nt

[mwb970]

16. Apparently all of the rural areas are like this now.

If you are in a place where you can't get The New York Times, you are surrounded by conservatives.

[proteus_lives]

31. One of the silliest things I've ever read on DU.

"If you are in a place where you can't get The New York Times, you are surrounded by conservatives."

:eyes:

[mwb970]

37. I write only of my experience, Sir or Madam.

But I'm happy to win your silly award!

I'm curious. Have you ever been to a small town in a rural area? Should you ever travel to one, you will find two things:

1. No New York Times available anywhere in town.
2. Many, many conservatives, complete with Palin signs, anti-Obama bumper stickers, and endless hate radio.

Is your experience somehow different? Please illuminate us, O judgmental one.

:eyes:

PS. I read your post about your bitter arguments with your father. Could it be that you have some kind of problem? Just wondering.

[Odin2005]

38. I grew up in a town of 500 people in NW Minnesota and that is not my experience AT ALL.

In my area McCain only got slightly more votes than Obama.

[proteus_lives]

41. Your problem is limited experience.

I grew up in a small town and have experienced many others.

I have traveled extensively and lived in rural areas.

1. It's called the library.
2. Many conservatives, many liberals, many who didn't care and many other opinions. How do I know? Because I talk to people rather then see signs and bumper stickers and form stereotypes and then flee.

You should try interacting with people.

" I read your post about your bitter arguments with your father. Could it be that you have some kind of problem?"

I'm curious about this statement, why bring this up? I honestly have no idea why you would.

[LanternWaste]

18. I imagine if we keep our eyes...

I imagine if we keep our eyes selectively closed, we may easily infer (incorrectly more often than not) a pointed lack of equitable violence (physical, verbal and otherwise) based merely on geographic locales.

[apnu]

24. Rural NY has always been and will always be hillbilly land.

So really, IMO, the backwaters of MI are much like the back woods of NY.

[dmr]

34. My dad bet me once that a hillbilly was a Michigan backwoodsman. He

pulled out an old Websters he had, & sure enough it was there! "A Michigan backwoodsman". He said other older editions also said "Michigan farmer".

Dad grew up on a Michigan farm, in the backwoods. He got the biggest kick out of showing his 'know-it-all' teenager a thing or two. This was in the late 60s, & boy, how I miss that man.
:hi:

[amandabeech]

42. My home town is a Michigan backwater.

Grand Rapids, Detroit and Chicago papers are around. You have to show up early to get the WSJ.

But that's only for paper editions. Everyone with a computer these days can read just about everything now. Many people have computers, but if they don't, the nice, new local library has several open for use and WiFi in the building for folks who have laptops. Some people come in to read the out of town papers.

Big signs are considered gauche, but you do see some bumper stickers.

In the past two elections, the county has gone for Grantham, Stabenow and Obama.

There are backwaters, and then there are real backwaters.

A good public library system in my town really does help. As does cable TV and satellite TV.

[ck4829]

4. Firing a shotgun is more than 'harassing'

That's a death threat, plain and simple.

[closeupready]

22. That's exactly what I think.

n/t

[Bitwit1234]

5. I guess Fox and Beck and Rush are getting their wish

they are causing hate and violence and strife. They are trying to keep it going up to the elections.

[kestrel91316]

6. Ignorant teabagger spawn.

[ejpoeta]

7. i posted this this morning. got one response.

my husband called me this morning and told me they were talking about this on the radio. apparently the police wouldn't respond to the scene until one of the teens called the cops after the church goers had them surrounded. if this is true it's disgusting. and the sheriff treated it as boys will be boys or some harmless teenage prank. but it wasn't. they ran over a guy.

[Jkid]

35. Boys will be Boys...

until someone gets hurt, or worse.

[Frisbee]

8. Their parents must be so proud.

and no, I didn't forget the sarcasm smiley.

[SpeechlessDem]

10. :(

Sometimes I am ashamed to be part of the human race

[mistertrickster]

12. Police took forty minutes to arrive . . .

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/01/nyregion/01mosque.html?_r=1

And it only took the police, who called the hate-filled fascists "just a bunch of stupid kids," FORTY MINUTES to arrive after a shot-gun blast was fired.

Next time, they should call it in as a terrorist attack on a church, heigh ho. The cops would be there in under ten minutes . . .

[ejpoeta]

36. apparently they wouldn't respond to the calls from the scene until one of the teens called

after the parishoners had cornered them.

[ET Awful]

13. About ten years ago, a man by the name of Keith Henson was prosecuted successfully for threatening

a religion. All he did was make an online post jokingly saying he was going to "launch a Tom Cruise Missile" at a Church of Scientology.

So, he was prosecuted for making terrorist threats and sentenced to jail.

For making a bad pun. http://news.cnet.com/Tom-Cruise-missile-jokester-arrested/2100-1030_3-6156516.html

In a just world, firing a gun at a religious service would be a tad more serious than making a bad pun. But hey, this is America right?

[NBachers]

15. So how long would it have taken for the cops to show up if a bunch o' turbine wearin' Muslins

showed up at a "christian" church and started harassing worshippers and blowing off a shotgun?

"It ain't that bigga thing- Muslins will be Muslins."

[Jefferson23]

17. Oh that's just dandy, and in another thread FOX is calling out

Cusack for potentially inciting violence against their innocent, fair and balanced, would never
support, suggest, nor condone the activity in this OP.

Fucking bastard hypocrites.

[alp227]

19. Teens do dumb stuff all the time, but this crosses the line.

Send 'em to prison for several years and have 'em think about how idiotic and ignorant they are while in the big house. They'll sure as hell experience a lot of hate when they get in fights with the local prison gang.

[oswaldactedalone]

20. Children of teabagger filth

No doubt. High school dropouts just like the ignorant vermin who spawned them.

[closeupready]

21. Upstate. 'Nuff said.

n/t

[fascisthunter]

28. this is what hate speech from mainstream media personalities have done

the nazis of germany used this method. Get the ignorant and misinformed do your bidding.

[Odin2005]

39. Teabaggers' kids, no doubt.