#BLMKidnapping Tweets Ask Why Chicago Police Won’t Label Live Video Torture Of Special Needs Man As Hate Crime [Opinion]
#BLMKidnapping is trending on Twitter after Tuesday’s kidnapping and brutal torture of an 18-year-old special needs teenager in Chicago, which was consequently video live-streamed on Facebook. Chicago Police state that the abusers of this special needs individual are heard making derogatory statements in regards to both Donald Trump and white people, as BBC News reported.
This incident occurred on Chicago’s West Side, and in the 30-minute video, viewers witnessed the horrific abuse of this special needs man. The attackers in the video cut the victim’s clothes, dropped cigarette ash all over him, shoved his head back with their foot, and drew blood from his scalp while cutting off part of his hair with a knife, essentially scalping the man.
The Guardian reported that one of the attackers told the victim, “There’s going to be a murder here.”
The special needs victim was also made to drink from a toilet, beaten up, and forced at knife-point to state, “I love black people.” This has incurred the wrath of many on Twitter under the #BLMKidnapping hashtag.
Chicago hate crime law. This is clearly a hate crime. Why have Chicago police refused to label it that? #BLMKidnapping pic.twitter.com/1sCB580JW5
— Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) January 5, 2017
Twitter users have been using the hashtag #BLMKidnapping to ask why Chicago Police have so far not labelled the live video torture of this special needs man as a hate crime, which some are suggesting would have happened if the victim had been African American.
Cities would be on fire right now if the shoe was on the other foot. #BLMKidnapping pic.twitter.com/e5U33fhaJX
— Steve Hirsch (@Stevenwhirsch99) January 5, 2017
Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson spoke at a press conference that was streamed on Twitter and said he also was astonished by what he had witnessed in the video.
“It makes you wonder what would make individuals treat somebody like that. I’ve been a cop for 28 years, and I’ve seen things that you shouldn’t see in a lifetime, but it still amazes me how you still see things that you just shouldn’t.”
Four people have been arrested over this incident. There were two men and two women involved, all aged 18, and three of them were Chicago residents. Chicago police found the unnamed white man walking down the street disheveled and disorientated after the assault had occurred and were able to discover who his attackers were as the special needs man had attended school with one of them.
You can watch the video of the assault at this link. Warning: The clip is definitely not safe for work and includes graphic violence and language.
Police: #BLMKidnapping is not a hate crime because it wasn’t race motivated. “F**k white people” not race motivated? https://t.co/hn4LT61k3G
— Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) January 5, 2017
Under the #BLMKidnapping hashtag, it is being mentioned that this special needs Chicago man may possibly have been kidnapped for 48 hours prior to the live Facebook video assault happening.
Kevin Duffin, the Chicago police commander, spoke of the unconscionable actions of the attackers and said, “They’re young adults, and they make stupid decisions.”
As for whether this kidnapping and attack could be construed as a hate crime, Duffin said that the Chicago police would have to “determine whether or not this is sincere or just stupid ranting and raving.”
However, the kidnapping of this special needs Chicago man has provoked many extreme reactions under #BLMKidnapping on Twitter. Many have criticized mainstream media for being so slow to respond to this kidnapping and live video assault on Facebook, and the so-called alt-right fringe group is especially upset.
BBC News states that there have been over 280,000 posts under the hashtag #BLMKidnapping in the past 12 hours, and the number will have dramatically increased after the time of the original report.
Kevin Duffin has said that the special needs victim was so shaken up by the kidnapping and assault that he could barely even communicate with Chicago police.
“He’s traumatized by the incident and it’s very tough to communicate with him at this point. It took most of the night for him to calm down enough to be able to talk to us.”
The Facebook video of this attack went on for 30 minutes, but Facebook later removed it after complaints and told the Associated Press that Facebook does “not allow people to celebrate or glorify crimes on Facebook.” It is being questioned why Facebook isn’t monitoring their live videos more carefully after this barbaric video was put up and streamed for so long. They do add, however, that these live videos can be reported to a team who are meant to be on call 24 hours a day.
How do you feel about the attack on the special needs man in Chicago, and do you think that Twitter posters under the hashtag #BLMKidnapping are right in saying that if the race roles were reversed that this torture would have been labeled a hate crime?
[Featured Image by Scott Olson/Getty Images]
