A man who was found guilty of manslaughter for murdering a transgender woman in Syracuse, NY in 2008 was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2009.
Earlier this month that man got set free on a technicality since his trial and conviction was labeled as a hate crime and New York doesn't recognize abuse against transgender individuals as a hate crime.
It's scary that an entire group of people can be abused and discriminated against because of no legislation protecting them (they were going to pass the anti-discrimination law for gender identity along with the anti-discrimination for sexual preference, but gender identity was removed at the last moment before the bill was signed into law). It's even scarier that a murderer can be released on a technicality because of the lack of such a law.
A man who was found guilty of murdering a transgender woman in Syracuse, NY in 2008 was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2009.
Earlier this month that man got set free on a technicality since his trial and conviction was labeled as a hate crime and New York doesn't recognize abuse against transgender individuals as a hate crime.
It's scary that an entire group of people can be abused and discriminated against because of no legislation protecting them (they were going to pass the anti-discrimination law for gender identity along with the anti-discrimination for sexual preference, but gender identity was removed at the last moment before the bill was signed into law). It's even scarier that a murderer can be released on a technicality because of the lack of such a law.
God I hate New York. I want out of here so badly.
Wow, that's really, really scary. I mean, he murdered someone. It doesn't matter whether or not that it was a hate crime, he should still be in prison. Is he eligible for a retrial?
Wow, that's really, really scary. I mean, he murdered someone. It doesn't matter whether or not that it was a hate crime, he should still be in prison. Is he eligible for a retrial?
I'm not sure, but I seriously hope so. I would hope a technicality wouldn't count as a not guilty verdict.
It's extremely scary that a murderer could be set free on such a small technicality in the first place.
The United States has a law against "double jeopardy" which means that you can't keep sending people back to trial until you find them guilty.
From what I'm reading about the case, he was found not guilty of "manslaughter in the first degree" and also found guilty of a hate crime. That conviction for a hate crime has been overturned because his actions were not deemed a hate crime under current New York law. Or so whatever level of the New York Court of Appeals seemed to think.
If he is tried and found not guilty, he can't be tried again for the same incident. Otherwise, the government would be free to ruin the lives of innocent people by trying them repeatedly for the same thing. Now, a hung jury or a mistrial is different, because no decision was made.
I'm not quite sure how the Court of Appeals functions to reverse a decision in this kind of case, but he can't be convicted of manslaughter by itself because he was already found not guilty of it. It's the hate crime part that is at issue at this point in the case.
By the way, if you've ever seen the movie Double Jeopardy, that movie lies. Double jeopardy means being tried twice for the same instance of a crime. That movie seemed to say that the protagonist, after being wrongfully convicted of murdering someone, could be free to actually murder that person later without fear of prosecution--which is incorrect.
From what I'm reading about the case, he was found not guilty of "manslaughter in the first degree" and also found guilty of a hate crime. That conviction for a hate crime has been overturned because his actions were not deemed a hate crime under current New York law. Or so whatever level of the New York Court of Appeals seemed to think.
He wasn't completely found not guilty of first degree manslaughter. The hate crime conviction was a manslaughter verdict on it's own. He was found not guilty of "simple manslaughter" but was found guilty of "first degree manslaughter as a hate crime".
But you're right, it was overturned because it was not deemed a hate crime under current New York law. And that's just scary that a first degree manslaughter conviction can be overturned on a technicality like that.
People get far too emotional over games. So the game sucked. That's no one person's fault. Games aren't solo projects, but the results of huge teams working on it, under the constant supervision of a team of producers. And even if they were, threatening to kill someone because they made something that doesn't cater to your exact tastes is despicable. Its that kind of attitude that makes me ashamed to say I'm a gamer.
People are assholes! And the comments saying she should put up with it are just as bad.
Reading the comments on that article (specifically the first couple pointing out the article is misleading), I get a horrible feeling of Deja Vu. Anyone else?
Oh, and I'm feeling better now, by the way. I know a couple of you were concerned.
So what you're saying is that the cake... is a lie?
*Slaps Self*
I'd appreciate a Happy Birthday thread, but that's about it.
Good, because I'm a terrible cook. Also, threads are cheaper to make.
Whatever happened to that "It's so and so's birthday today!" thing that used to be on the bottom of the forum select doohickey? Underneath the active users.
OK, so apparently the solution to being massively depressed is to get completely drunk and then watch Red while eating freshly made popcorn and giggling insanely at every silly thing that happens.
Seriously. I haven't had this much fun in years. Woo!
Whatever happened to that "It's so and so's birthday today!" thing that used to be on the bottom of the forum select doohickey? Underneath the active users.
Someone at Telltale at some point thought it was a privacy violation and got rid of it. I don't know if anyone ever actually complained. If you didn't want to be in the list, all you had to do was not enter your birthday in the forums.
People are assholes! And the comments saying she should put up with it are just as bad.
Having read the article on a later date:
Update:
Jennifer Helper has contacted us to make it clear that she did not leave BioWare as a direct result of the harassment she received at the hands of gamers.
‘BioWare was tremendously supportive of me during that time, and I have experienced nothing like it since, due to the excellent policing of the BioWare Forums and new policies on the BioWare Social Network,’ she told us in an email.
‘I am moving on from BioWare now to pursue other opportunities that let me return to be closer to family in the United States after a wonderful eight years in Canada. I have no intentions to leave the game industry — I love the work that I have done and the reactions from the vast majority of fans and look forward to continuing that work in other venues.’
Also, that site is fucking horrible. As a news site, you do NOT PUT A FUCKING JAVASCRIPT SCRIPT TO AUTOMATICALLY SCROLL ARTICLES ON LEFT AND / OR RIGHT PRESS.
Someone at Telltale at some point thought it was a privacy violation and got rid of it. I don't know if anyone ever actually complained. If you didn't want to be in the list, all you had to do was not enter your birthday in the forums.
One of the telltale employees noticed the thread a gave me a money off voucher, which I thought was awesome.
When I went to use it months later, it didn't work, which is about right.
Also, maybe the reason you've never had a birthday thread is because you don't have a birthday? It's the only logical answer.
Oh, in other news, I may have stumbled into a member of the young enterprise group that beat us in the regional finals a few years back, in the LGBT thread of a student forum I recently joined. This is now stuck looping in my head.
Gah, almost had to actually listen to that abomination! Thank god for my lightning-quick reflexes (and the 'close tab' button). It's a horrible song, so a small warning to the world would be appreciated next time.
Fuck screen protectors. I've had to bin three of the fuckers now because there's always something wrong with the way I put them on. So screw it - I'll get my dad to do it once I buy some new ones, and then HE can scream in anger until his throat's sore.
I bought some for my 3DS around a year ago, Spent ages smoothing it down, getting the air bubbles out. I then went to remove the final layer of plastic, and the whole blasted thing came off.
What sort of screen protectors have you been trying to use? I used to have some trouble with the hard plastic type. Then I switched to Invisible Shield and I've had much better luck with it and its wet application method.
Gah, almost had to actually listen to that abomination! Thank god for my lightning-quick reflexes (and the 'close tab' button). It's a horrible song, so a small warning to the world would be appreciated next time.
Whatever, man. I guess you don't have the innocent joy of childhood alive and beaming in your heart, you know, like I do.
What sort of screen protectors have you been trying to use? I used to have some trouble with the hard plastic type. Then I switched to Invisible Shield and I've had much better luck with it and its wet application method.
Standard plastic ones. I had some luck using a credit card to smooth out the air bubbles, but there's always a few bits you miss and they bug me to no end, so you try and get rid of those and you end up getting more, and... yeah.
It’s one o’clock in the morning here in San Francisco. I’m stuck waiting for my sister to get home so I can let her into the house. I’m fucking miserable right now.
It’s one o’clock in the morning here in San Francisco. I’m stuck waiting for my sister to get home so I can let her into the house. I’m fucking miserable right now.
If your sister is old enough to stay out 'til 1AM, she's old enough to be given a set of keys to let her own self in. Unless your parents are making sure she knows she'll be noticed if she sleeps somewhere else.
Comments
Earlier this month that man got set free on a technicality since his trial and conviction was labeled as a hate crime and New York doesn't recognize abuse against transgender individuals as a hate crime.
It's scary that an entire group of people can be abused and discriminated against because of no legislation protecting them (they were going to pass the anti-discrimination law for gender identity along with the anti-discrimination for sexual preference, but gender identity was removed at the last moment before the bill was signed into law). It's even scarier that a murderer can be released on a technicality because of the lack of such a law.
God I hate New York. I want out of here so badly.
Wow, that's really, really scary. I mean, he murdered someone. It doesn't matter whether or not that it was a hate crime, he should still be in prison. Is he eligible for a retrial?
It's extremely scary that a murderer could be set free on such a small technicality in the first place.
From what I'm reading about the case, he was found not guilty of "manslaughter in the first degree" and also found guilty of a hate crime. That conviction for a hate crime has been overturned because his actions were not deemed a hate crime under current New York law. Or so whatever level of the New York Court of Appeals seemed to think.
If he is tried and found not guilty, he can't be tried again for the same incident. Otherwise, the government would be free to ruin the lives of innocent people by trying them repeatedly for the same thing. Now, a hung jury or a mistrial is different, because no decision was made.
I'm not quite sure how the Court of Appeals functions to reverse a decision in this kind of case, but he can't be convicted of manslaughter by itself because he was already found not guilty of it. It's the hate crime part that is at issue at this point in the case.
By the way, if you've ever seen the movie Double Jeopardy, that movie lies. Double jeopardy means being tried twice for the same instance of a crime. That movie seemed to say that the protagonist, after being wrongfully convicted of murdering someone, could be free to actually murder that person later without fear of prosecution--which is incorrect.
But you're right, it was overturned because it was not deemed a hate crime under current New York law. And that's just scary that a first degree manslaughter conviction can be overturned on a technicality like that.
Oh, and I'm feeling better now, by the way. I know a couple of you were concerned.
Because I got hungry and ate all the fudge sprinkles.
And I'm still hungry. Turns out they aren't very filling.
*Slaps Self*
I'd appreciate a Happy Birthday thread, but that's about it.
Good, because I'm a terrible cook. Also, threads are cheaper to make.
Whatever happened to that "It's so and so's birthday today!" thing that used to be on the bottom of the forum select doohickey? Underneath the active users.
Black Mercy?
Seriously. I haven't had this much fun in years. Woo!
Someone at Telltale at some point thought it was a privacy violation and got rid of it. I don't know if anyone ever actually complained. If you didn't want to be in the list, all you had to do was not enter your birthday in the forums.
Also everyone probably knows this but Darren Young is the first openly gay wrestler in WWE.
Having read the article on a later date:
Also, that site is fucking horrible. As a news site, you do NOT PUT A FUCKING JAVASCRIPT SCRIPT TO AUTOMATICALLY SCROLL ARTICLES ON LEFT AND / OR RIGHT PRESS.
What a waste of good cake.
It was made of cardboard. I didn’t stick around for any lapdances, though.
ok fine I'll charge it
Also, I'm not on that calendar, and I remember getting a birthday thread, without mentioning my actual Birthday. Odd.
*sob*
Actually, it's cool. I hardly can remember when my birthday is anyways, so it's not like I really notice until a significant time later.
When I went to use it months later, it didn't work, which is about right.
Also, maybe the reason you've never had a birthday thread is because you don't have a birthday? It's the only logical answer.
Oh, in other news, I may have stumbled into a member of the young enterprise group that beat us in the regional finals a few years back, in the LGBT thread of a student forum I recently joined. This is now stuck looping in my head.
Fuck screen protectors. I've had to bin three of the fuckers now because there's always something wrong with the way I put them on. So screw it - I'll get my dad to do it once I buy some new ones, and then HE can scream in anger until his throat's sore.
*cough*
No offense.
If your sister is old enough to stay out 'til 1AM, she's old enough to be given a set of keys to let her own self in. Unless your parents are making sure she knows she'll be noticed if she sleeps somewhere else.
Well, most of the people on this forum are men. One of them is MtnPeak. You do the math.