OH MY GOD This is disturbing NF

[mugsmuffin]

It is statements just like in the letter that show you who the really challenged (handicapped) people are in this world

[outllaw]

my heart goes out to the family. theres many folks that deal with special needs. this site has been at the fore-front of being so kind to help people.. that fellow needs help in a very large way. lets just hope he gets some.

[Lucky Linda]

http://globalnews.ca/news/791037/durham-police-rule-out-hate-crime-charges-after-letter-directed-at-autistic-child/

 

 

The police say it is not a hate crime. Sad society. To be perfectly honest I thought we would have heard this letter was a hoax or something. I can't believe that someone actually wrote this and delivered it.

 

Often we hear people say things that we don't agree with, few of us ever speak up. It's time.

 

Linda

[wigler]

As the parent of an autistic son I was outraged, even shaking when I read this yesterday. Some people.

 

 

[BucktownAngler]

heard about this. prefer not to even read the letter

[BillM]

How can anyone say this is not a hate crime ?

 

To play devils advocate, what crime do you think was committed?

[Cudz]

A very ugly letter for sure. I read it last night.

A part of me really hopes it is not a true letter but something tells me it is. As I was reading it I was doing so thinking it was written by a man. I was very surprised to see it was a woman's letter.

Not cool at all.

[misfish]

To play devils advocate, what crime do you think was committed?

 

In both crime and law, hate crimes (also known as bias-motivated crimes, or race hate) occur when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her perceived membership in a certain social group. Examples of such groups include but are not limited to: racial group, religion, sexual orientation,ethnicity or gender identity.^[1]

Hate crime is a category used to describe bias-motivated violence: "assault, injury, and murder on the basis of certain personal characteristics: different appearance, different color, different nationality, different language, different religion."^[2]

"Hate crime" generally refers to criminal acts that are seen to have been motivated by bias against one or more of the types above, or of their derivatives. Incidents may involve physical assault, damage to property, bullying, harassment, verbal abuse or insults, or offensive graffiti or letters (hate mail).^[3]

A hate crime law is a law intended to prevent bias-motivated violence. Hate crime laws are distinct from laws against hate speech in that hate crime laws enhance the penalties associated with conduct that is already criminal under other laws, while hate speech laws criminalize a category of speech.

[dhickey]

I don't see this as a hate crime but more of an assault .

Sending a letter suggesting that a person should be euthanized is without a doubt assault!?

Assault can and does take on many different faces.

 

If a person takes the time to write a letter suggesting that a person be euthanized than it only stands to reason that it (the letter and statement) should be considered a form of verbal assault.

 

Punishable under the criminal act.

 

Lawyer I am not.

Just my thoughts.

 

Don.

 

 

Disgusting to say the least......

[Twocoda]

This is the response letter to the Person who wrote that dreadful letter to the family of the Autistic Child by the child's mother...

Dear “One pissed off mother”,

Your letter has left me feeling terribly sad. Not for me, or for my son Maxwell -- that’s his name by the way, not “idiot” or “wild animal kid” -- but for you. In reality, I will never share your thoughts with my son, because he is a happy child who brings an incredible amount of joy to those who know him. And while your words were very hurtful to read, the support I receive from my family, friends, and my more understanding neighbours lifts me up on a daily basis and outweighs anything you could ever say to me.

The fact that you have chosen to address me anonymously gives me some insight that somewhere deep down, you know that what you wrote to me is wrong, and that gives me hope. Because those who know that they've done wrong sometimes want to do better, I want to help you know my son. Perhaps then you will open your heart to the beautiful person he is. If not, I will at least know that you have been provided with the opportunity to become educated, and that maybe something good will come out of your negativity and misguided hatred.

Maxwell has a diagnosis of autism. He is not “mentally handicapped” or “retarded”. Autism is a disorder of brain development characterized by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, and repetitive behaviours. The noises he makes that you describe as “dreadful” are in fact the way he expresses happiness. He loves being outside, and shares the right to enjoy the outdoors just as you or I do. Perhaps you find his form of expression unpleasant, but if you took the time to meet Maxwell and got to know him, I would like to think he could bring a smile to your face.

Maxwell loves jumping on his trampoline, playing on his iPad, hanging out with his family, and reading books. Most of the time he has a smile on his face, and he has never said a cruel word to anybody. You could actually learn a lot from him.

Because of the lack of empathy in your letter, it seems likely to me that you have not had the privilege of having a close friend or family member with special needs. This is a great shame for you and your “normal" children. You do yourself and them a disservice by limiting who you interact with. There is no reason to be scared. In fact, people with special needs have much more reason to fear intolerant individuals such as yourself. My son is a gentle soul who would never want to hurt anyone -- physically or with hateful words such as the ones you typed in that letter.

A great man named Mahatma Gandhi once said, "A nation's greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members." While you and I clearly have very little in common, we both live in Canada -- a nation that passed The Canadian Human Rights Act in 1977, which states, "All individuals should have an opportunity equal with other individuals to make for themselves the lives that they are able and wish to have and to have their needs accommodated, consistent with their duties and obligations as members of society, without being hindered in or prevented from doing so by discriminatory practices based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, family status, disability or conviction for an offence for which a pardon has been granted or in respect of which a record suspension has been ordered."

If you need me to put that in simpler terms for you, the law states that Maxwell has just as much right to live his life without being discriminated against as you do. If you have a problem with that, it seems to me that you're the one who should move to a trailer in the woods where you hopefully won't be too annoyed by the sounds made by actual wild animals.

Yours truly,

Katrina Carefoot, one proud mother

[Roy]

Thanks for the letter, Twocoda. It seems that Mom Katrina and son Maxwell have got this covered quite well. Let's wish them well and hope that this 'neighbour woman' has learned something.