Last week I reported on a mob
gay bashing incident in Philadelphia's Center City. It appears that the perpetrators may not get any jail time for this horrendous attack, according to a veteran police officer in Philadelphia who gave an interview to Philadelphia Magazine.
From The New Civil Rights Movement:
A veteran Philadelphia police officer says it's very possible none of the people who were involved in the assault on a same-sex couple will spend time in prison for it.
Philadelphia Magazine's Victor Fiorillo offered the police officer "a clear agreement of anonymity" to get him to speak openly and honestly. In a stunning interview the officer revealed the inside scoop on the investigation and what he sees happening.
The Philly officer says there are actually "up to 15 attackers," not 12 as has been reported. And they're all "coming in with lawyers, all lawyered up." Which makes any investigation more challenging. He says the "defense attorneys are claiming they have a copy" of the attack on video, but the Philadelphia Police Department does not.
The officer admits the public pressure on the police in this case has been "a pain in the ass."
"This story has gone international. You have to dot your I's and cross your T's. You don't want a case like this if you are a detective. It's going to come down to the District Attorney making a decision. And if the victims are having a hard time ID'ing — I'm not sure who hit me, I was hit from behind — then you really have a problem."
You can read the entire Philadelphia Magazine interview/article
here.
Arrests for the gay bashing could be made as early as today.
UPDATE 1:
Here is a video of state Rep. Brian Sims speaking about the lack of legal protections for LGBT folks in Pennsylvania.
UPDATE 2:
It is being reported that the DA will charge three people for the attack.
From JMG:
Three people will be charged in an attack on a gay couple in Center City Philadelphia. The accused are Philip Williams, 24, Kevin Harrigan, 26, and Katherine Knott, 24, all of Bucks County, according to the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office. Arrest warrants have been approved for the three suspects. Each will be charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and criminal conspiracy.