Racially motivated attack on angler

[GreenCanada]

Sad to see such a heinous crime go relatively unpunished. Two years is nothing compared to what the fellow with brain damage has to deal with now. How can anyone justify such racist attacks or comments. Subtle comments such as white-bucket brigade and the like only help perpetuate the stereotyping within our beloved hobby. Hopefully this can be turned into a positive by increasing awareness and by providing more education to all people.

 

 

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1235868--no-change-to-sentence-in-asian-angler-attack-court-rules

 

"The Appeal Court of Ontario has upheld a man’s jail sentence for criminal negligence and assault after a racially motivated attack on anglers that left one of them with permanent brain damage.

 

The Crown had appealed Trevor Middleton’s sentence of two years less a day, saying it didn’t reflect the racial overtones of the crime.

 

But in the decision by Justices Kathryn Feldman, David Doherty and Harry LaForme released Thursday morning, the court denied the Crown’s appeal of that sentence, as well as Middleton’s appeal of his conviction.

 

The Crown had argued that Justice Alfred Stong failed “to give adequate weight to the numerous aggravating factors in this case, including the racially motivated nature of the offence and the severe consequences of the crime.”

 

In December 2009, an Ontario Superior Court jury found Middleton, 23, guilty of two counts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm and four counts of aggravated assault.

 

Middleton’s trial heard that he repeatedly rammed his Ford F-150 pickup truck into a Honda Civic driven by angler Ruohang Liu, 24, early on Sept. 16, 2007.

 

The court heard that the attack followed a “nip-tipping” incident in which Liu and Charles Hogan, 24, were pushed into the water at a popular Sutton-area fishing spot at Mossington Park.

 

As they attempted to flee the attack, Liu’s car hit a tree after being rammed by Middleton’s truck. As a result, one of Liu’s passengers, 28-year-old Shayne Berwick, suffered permanent brain damage that left him unable to care for himself.

 

Berwick’s father, Colin, said in an interview that he was disappointed by the decision but not surprised. He noted that, during appeal arguments, Justice Doherty said that Middleton wasn’t a “hard-core racist” but “a young guy who acted like a yahoo.”

 

“There’s nothing we can do,” Colin Berwick said. “We’ll just concentrate on Shayne now.”

 

The Crown had originally asked for a prison sentence of eight to 10 years.

 

In arguments presented to the appeal court, Crown lawyer Alex Alvaro said Middleton’s sentence of two years less a day did not reflect the racially motivated nature of the attack.

 

The Crown also argued that Stong didn’t give “adequate weight” to the deliberateness and duration of Middleton’s conduct, and said the judge erred by placing too much emphasis on the youth of the accused and his lack of a criminal record.

 

Alvaro had argued that a five-year sentence would be more appropriate.

 

In seeking to have his conviction overturned, Middleton’s lawyers argued that it wasn’t fair to say the attack was racially motivated.

 

In Thursday’s decision, the judges wrote that cross-examination “severely undermined” the argument that Middleton acted as a leader of the group attacking the Asian fishermen or that he was one of the people who pushed the fishermen in.

 

Middleton is a professional motorcycle racer from Georgina Township.

 

Berwick’s stepmother, Terry, has said she had hoped the case would be classified as a hate crime.

 

The court’s decision brought a mixed reaction from Lawyer Avvy Yao-Yao Go, clinic director of the Metro Toronto Chinese & Southeast Asian Legal Clinic.

 

“I was relieved that at least they affirmed the guilty verdict,” Go said in an interview.

 

“I think there are a lot of people in our community who are somewhat disappointed.”

 

Go praised the work of York Region police in quelling attacks on Asian fishermen through community education and undercover police work, which included sending officers to fishing spots, disguised as anglers.

 

“What they did should serve as a model for other law enforcement agencies,” Go said.

 

Middleton served less than two months before he was freed on bail. He went into custody on Wednesday, on the eve of the appeal court’s decision, said his lawyer, Lance Beechener."

[Fisherman]

It's long overdue that some of these so called judges should suffer the same fate as the victims. Maybe then they would have a bit more compassion for the victims and send the crimies up to Churchill as polar bear food.

[Terry]

lets see

one of the 2 guys he pushed in the water was white

the guy that got the brain damage was white

where is this Racially motivated attack on angler

you talk about..

there were more white people attacked then other races

pure propaganda

now I am disgusted by this attack and believe he should have got more time

 

and no person has the right to attack no person...

 

[mercman]

What is "nip-tipping incident"

[mercman]

That is truly disturbing.Thank god i never heard of it before, and pity anyone i see doing it

[Terry]

a reporter was interviewing people the day of the crime and a kid about 18 years old used the term nipper-tipping, pushing fishing Asians into the water

however he was not part of the situation and he was not at the dock or where the car crashed, he was just a puck kid shooting his mouth off and the media picked up on it because it makes good news.....

Edited August 3, 2012 by Terry

[alphaalpha]

Disgusting situation and he should have gotten more time regardless of it being a "hate crime". Assault of that nature should be punished to the full extent. To ram another vehicle with your own is in a whole different league than just pushing someone in the water (not that I condone that either). For what it's worth I would think using a vehicle like that should be considered assault with a deadly weapon or possibly even attempted murder...

 

my 2 cents,

 

AA.

[GreenCanada]

lets see

one of the 2 guys he pushed in the water was white

the guy that got the brain damage was white

where is this Racially motivated attack on angler

you talk about..

there were more white people attacked then other races

pure propaganda

now I am disgusted by this attack and believe he should have got more time

 

and no person has the right to attack no person...

 

Just out of curiosity, how do you know that one of the 2 guys pushed into the water were white? I know a couple of their names sound caucasian, but I know a few Asian-Canadian friends with "John Smith" type names. I obviously wasn't there, but I for one rely on what I read and critically analyze in situations such as these. Based on the evidence presented in court it was determined that the actions of the convicted demonstrated a racially motivated attack, but not to the level that would cause hate crime legislation to be applied.

 

I fully agree that no person has the right to attack another person, but I'm not sure how you can determine this situation to be pure propaganda.

[GreenCanada]

The white bucket brigade is aptly named as they carry white buckets.

 

If you find the term to be racist, it's entirely within your own thought process.

 

It is not a term of endearment and not likely one that you would use to their face (unless you're insulting them), it is a way to disparage against a group of individuals. That isn't in my own thought process, it is merely an observation.

[GreenCanada]

Disgusting situation and he should have gotten more time regardless of it being a "hate crime". Assault of that nature should be punished to the full extent. To ram another vehicle with your own is in a whole different league than just pushing someone in the water (not that I condone that either). For what it's worth I would think using a vehicle like that should be considered assault with a deadly weapon or possibly even attempted murder...

 

my 2 cents,

 

AA.

 

I couldn't agree more AA.

[Terry]

Just out of curiosity, how do you know that one of the 2 guys pushed into the water were white? I know a couple of their names sound caucasian, but I know a few Asian-Canadian friends with "John Smith" type names. I obviously wasn't there, but I for one rely on what I read and critically analyze in situations such as these. Based on the evidence presented in court it was determined that the actions of the convicted demonstrated a racially motivated attack, but not to the level that would cause hate crime legislation to be applied.

 

I fully agree that no person has the right to attack another person, but I'm not sure how you can determine this situation to be pure propaganda.

 

at first I heard all the news reports and thought hate crime. I was talking about it when I a guy said, well you know the guy in the hospital is white

I didn't believe him till I saw a news report that showed family members and they were white

then a cop said that there were more white people pushed in that day, but that doesn't make good news and cops get more funding every time there is a hate crime so they went along with the story...

whether hate crime or just an attack this guy should have got more time

[jigsnreels]

You can thank the media for irresponsibly publishing and spreading the popularity of the term.

 

By the same token, you can also thank the media for putting a spotlight on this kind of disgusting behavior. Would be better to keep it on the Q.T.?

[salmon]

The white bucket brigade is aptly named as they carry white buckets.

 

If you find the term to be racist, it's entirely within your own thought process.

 

Sinclair

Please clarify "they" as in asians????? or ???

[Gregoire]

The white bucket brigade is aptly named as they carry white buckets.

 

If you find the term to be racist, it's entirely within your own thought process.

 

I would argue this point as the term "white bucket brigade" implies a negative, and is commonly associated with people of Asian Heritage. It is a term used to imply something negative based on someone's race and actions.

 

When discussing racism you should not view things as you see them. Rather you should try empathize with a person. In this case you might want to consider whether you would want the term "white bucket brigade" used against you.

 

Racism is a form of harassment. As such an outside person and especially someone who is performing the harassment cannot determine whether it is on fact harassment. That determination relies completely on the victim of the harassment. Again in this case I think if you were to ask someone of Asian decent whether they liked being called part of the "white bucket brigade" I am pretty sure they would say no.

My patents taught me that it is not ok to say things just because they are true, you should consider how the other person would react to your words. When was the last time you walked up to an overweight woman on the street and called her fat?

 

For these reasons I do consider the term "white bucket brigade" to be racist. I'm not saying it isn't factual. I'm just saying that it is not a term that we should shrug off because it is based on anecdotal evidence.

[Terry]

By the same token, you can also thank the media for putting a spotlight on this kind of disgusting behavior. Would be better to keep it on the Q.T.?

 

so you like the term nipper tipping

cause that was the only thing he was referring to

again some young punk that had nothing to do with the crime coined the phrase and the media ran with it..I think what is disgusting is the media repeating this disgusting phrase and making it part or our lives.....

 

reporting the crime is a good thing, trying to make it look like everyone from Georgina is running around burning crosses and attacking radical groups is silly

Edited August 3, 2012 by Terry

[Terry]

The colour of one's bucket has nothing to do with the colour of one's skin.

 

I have seen Russians, Italians, Portugese, Chinese, Koreans, and.....even...gasssppppp....white Canadians on shore with a bucket of panfish.

 

Again - if you find the term to be racially pointed - it's in YOUR head.

 

And sometimes, the bucket isn't even white.

 

 

 

 

agreed

I always thought the white bucket brigade were all the people that had buckets to put all their fish in, sitting along every canal and water access in Keswick [i grew up there], it was never about race

[kenzy31]

The colour of one's bucket has nothing to do with the colour of one's skin.

 

I have seen Russians, Italians, Portugese, Chinese, Koreans, and.....even...gasssppppp....white Canadians on shore with a bucket of panfish.

 

Again - if you find the term to be racially pointed - it's in YOUR head.

 

And sometimes, the bucket isn't even white.

 

hahaha! I coudn't stop laughing at this! I have a maroon bucket, a blue bucket, and.....gassssppppp.....a black bucket! Where the hell do i fit in???

[jigsnreels]

so you like the term nipper tipping

cause that was the only thing he was referring to

 

Don't like it at all. It's odd that it's not just called "angler-tipping," isn't it? It's not hard to determine which group the term is directed toward, and I'm reasonably certain that the term was not the media's invention. Ignoring the fact that something like this is occuring just gives the perpetrators a free pass to carry on, IMO.

 

I suppose "gay-bashing" is an irresponsible term as well, because lots of people get beat up outside of nightclubs.

[Terry]

Don't like it at all. It's odd that it's not just called "angler-tipping," isn't it? It's not hard to determine which group the term is directed toward, and I'm reasonably certain that the term was not the media's invention. Ignoring the fact that something like this is occuring just gives the perpetrators a free pass to carry on, IMO.

 

I suppose "gay-bashing" is an irresponsible term as well, because lots of people get beat up outside of nightclubs.

 

please explain how you are reasonably certain that the term was not the media's invention.

 

inquiring minds want to know

Edited August 3, 2012 by Terry

[Terry]

Just out of curiosity, how do you know that one of the 2 guys pushed into the water were white? I know a couple of their names sound caucasian, but I know a few Asian-Canadian friends with "John Smith" type names. I obviously wasn't there, but I for one rely on what I read and critically analyze in situations such as these. Based on the evidence presented in court it was determined that the actions of the convicted demonstrated a racially motivated attack, but not to the level that would cause hate crime legislation to be applied.

 

I fully agree that no person has the right to attack another person, but I'm not sure how you can determine this situation to be pure propaganda.

proof the guy was white

I hope this link works

http://www.ottawasun...eos/51821968001

 

you were saying.....

Edited August 3, 2012 by Terry

[Rich Nelson]

Nobody has the right to take matters into their own hands.... But unfortunately srereotypes start for a reason, and very often theres a lot of truth to them.....

[jigsnreels]

please explain how you are reasonably certain that the term was not the media's invention.

 

inquiring minds want to know

 

Media regulatory bodies, like the Ontario Press Council for one, wouldn't stand for a newspaper inventing a term like "nip-tipping," as it would be considered a made-up term that goes beyond reasonable discourse to be directed at an indentifiable group for the purpose of insult and sarcasm.

 

A paper wouldn't be banned from using such a phrase in print, however, if it was part of the reporting on a specific story. The fact that the phrase was put in quotes indicates that, well, it was likely quoted from an outside source.

 

But yeah, blame the media for the incident. Better that we just ignore stuff like this, eh?

[soobnoob]

This was a SERIES of incidents that specifically targeted asian anglers and was all over the asian news until finally this truck ramming incident occurred before it made headlines all over the place. you think cops would set up an undercover sting over one incident??!

 

as far as the media goes, as long as it wasn't a writer/editor who said it, they'll print anything. Look what happend to the espn writer with the Jeremy Lin article.

[Terry]

Media regulatory bodies, like the Ontario Press Council for one, wouldn't stand for a newspaper inventing a term like "nip-tipping," as it would be considered a made-up term that goes beyond reasonable discourse to be directed at an indentifiable group for the purpose of insult and sarcasm.

 

A paper wouldn't be banned from using such a phrase in print, however, if it was part of the reporting on a specific story. The fact that the phrase was put in quotes indicates that, well, it was likely quoted from an outside source.

 

But yeah, blame the media for the incident. Better that we just ignore stuff like this, eh?

 

so you have no proof

you are just assuming

 

and again no one denied the incident, but like the media you picked up one one thing out of content and ran with it

[craigdritchie]

The ancestry of the people involved is irrelevant.

 

You have some idiot intentionally and repeatedly ramming his truck into another person's car. His actions left someone with permanent brain damage.

 

The idiot belongs in jail, plain and simple.