Martinez police are investigating a case brought by a woman who took her 10-year-old-boy on Sept. 27 to a skateboard park where a handful of white teens - egged on by one youth - shouted "white power" and waved a small Confederate flag in the air.
I sure hope the youth's friends got a laugh out of it because the Martinez boy who allegedly instigated the incident has been identified by authorities as a person of interest in the possible hate crime.
"It's not against the law to say 'black power' or 'white power,' but this sounds like a racially motivated incident to me, and that's why we took a report on it," said Cmdr. Gary Peterson of the Martinez Police Department.
"The (flag-waving) gesture and those words shouted, presumably at them, occurred in our jurisdiction," he said. "If you say something intended to intimidate because of race, that's technically a hate crime."
The trouble started soon after Kolondra Harvey and son Jayson Summers, who are of mixed race, arrived at the Martinez Shoreline Park. The trip to the skateboard park was an early birthday present for her son, who turned 11 two days later.
Harvey gave this account: About 15 minutes after arriving, she was chatting on her cell phone while her son skated with another young boy he'd just met. Two teen boys using obscene language walked past.
A few minutes later, she heard someone saying something, but all she could make out was the last word: power. She turned around and watched the teen she later described to police as the instigator ride very near her son and pretend to throw a shoulder as if to knock him off his board.
Over the next hour or so, the youth, now joined by friends, rode along the top edge of the bowl-shaped course and shouted "white power" at least two more times, Harvey said. The instigator led the call, and his friends responded with the same phrase, she said.
Harvey, who works as a program director at UC Berkeley, was disgusted by the display, but her son was having fun and oblivious to the fact that the comments were aimed at him and his mother. She said the youth who started it all left soon after, and she decided to wait for a friend who was running late.
When her friend arrived shortly after 2 p.m., she said they both watched as the troublemaker returned, this time waving a Confederate flag above his head. Harvey said he skated into the bowl, folded it neatly in his pocket, but pulled it out for display every time he passed within view of his friends - who had retreated to a nearby park bench.
"Is that really a Confederate flag?" Harvey said out loud, almost in disbelief.
That was the last straw for Harvey and her friend, who packed up their kids and belongings and promptly left the park.
On the way out, she said she flagged down a police officer, reported the incident and pointed to the boy, who was still there. The officer promised Harvey, who was now in tears, that the incident would be checked out - and then he drove off.
Harvey said she was so incensed that she e-mailed Martinez city officials and Martinez Police Chief Tom Simonetti's office, and the department responded quickly.
As it turns out, police patrols in the park are shared between Martinez police officers and the East Bay Regional Park District Police Department, and it is unclear whose officer Harvey flagged down.
The case has been assigned to a Martinez detective, and it's being investigated. By the end of the week, police could be prepared to ask Harvey and Jayson if they can identify their alleged assailant from a photo lineup.
That young man could find himself facing felony criminal charges.
"It won't be tolerated in Martinez," Peterson said. "We have people of all ethnic backgrounds in this city, and there has to be mutual respect for that diversity."
Not to mention risking your freedom and your family's reputation on a stunt that may have started as a teen dare or an immature attempt to impress your friends with your boldness, bravado and blatant stupidity.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/06/BARP1A0HAA.DTL
I sure hope the youth's friends got a laugh out of it because the Martinez boy who allegedly instigated the incident has been identified by authorities as a person of interest in the possible hate crime.
"It's not against the law to say 'black power' or 'white power,' but this sounds like a racially motivated incident to me, and that's why we took a report on it," said Cmdr. Gary Peterson of the Martinez Police Department.
"The (flag-waving) gesture and those words shouted, presumably at them, occurred in our jurisdiction," he said. "If you say something intended to intimidate because of race, that's technically a hate crime."
The trouble started soon after Kolondra Harvey and son Jayson Summers, who are of mixed race, arrived at the Martinez Shoreline Park. The trip to the skateboard park was an early birthday present for her son, who turned 11 two days later.
Harvey gave this account: About 15 minutes after arriving, she was chatting on her cell phone while her son skated with another young boy he'd just met. Two teen boys using obscene language walked past.
A few minutes later, she heard someone saying something, but all she could make out was the last word: power. She turned around and watched the teen she later described to police as the instigator ride very near her son and pretend to throw a shoulder as if to knock him off his board.
Over the next hour or so, the youth, now joined by friends, rode along the top edge of the bowl-shaped course and shouted "white power" at least two more times, Harvey said. The instigator led the call, and his friends responded with the same phrase, she said.
Harvey, who works as a program director at UC Berkeley, was disgusted by the display, but her son was having fun and oblivious to the fact that the comments were aimed at him and his mother. She said the youth who started it all left soon after, and she decided to wait for a friend who was running late.
When her friend arrived shortly after 2 p.m., she said they both watched as the troublemaker returned, this time waving a Confederate flag above his head. Harvey said he skated into the bowl, folded it neatly in his pocket, but pulled it out for display every time he passed within view of his friends - who had retreated to a nearby park bench.
"Is that really a Confederate flag?" Harvey said out loud, almost in disbelief.
That was the last straw for Harvey and her friend, who packed up their kids and belongings and promptly left the park.
On the way out, she said she flagged down a police officer, reported the incident and pointed to the boy, who was still there. The officer promised Harvey, who was now in tears, that the incident would be checked out - and then he drove off.
Harvey said she was so incensed that she e-mailed Martinez city officials and Martinez Police Chief Tom Simonetti's office, and the department responded quickly.
As it turns out, police patrols in the park are shared between Martinez police officers and the East Bay Regional Park District Police Department, and it is unclear whose officer Harvey flagged down.
The case has been assigned to a Martinez detective, and it's being investigated. By the end of the week, police could be prepared to ask Harvey and Jayson if they can identify their alleged assailant from a photo lineup.
That young man could find himself facing felony criminal charges.
"It won't be tolerated in Martinez," Peterson said. "We have people of all ethnic backgrounds in this city, and there has to be mutual respect for that diversity."
Not to mention risking your freedom and your family's reputation on a stunt that may have started as a teen dare or an immature attempt to impress your friends with your boldness, bravado and blatant stupidity.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/06/BARP1A0HAA.DTL
