February 28, 2010

MEDIA RELEASE

Statewide Gay Rights Group Condemns Anti-Gay
Hate Crime by Students on CTA and
Calls on University to Seriously Investigate Students’ Actions

CHICAGO - Equality Illinois, the state’s largest organization advocating for full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, has condemned anti-gay hate crimes on the CTA.

Three Evanston men including a Loyola University student allegedly shouted antigay epithets as they beat a man who was coming to the aid of anther man they were harassing on the CTA's Red Line.  Originally, the three were charged with misdemeanor battery of the incident in January.  Attorneys for the men tried to downplay the antigay element of the attack but a tenacious assistant state's attorney pleaded with the judge to upgrade to the more serious charge of a hate crime.

"We deplore and condemn these acts of violence against members of the gay community," said Rick Garcia, Equality Illinois Director of Public Policy. "We have seen the battered, bloodied and bruised bodies of victims of antigay hate crimes and we say enough is enough."

Garcia praised Assistant State's Attorney Erin Antonietti for persuading Cook County Circuit Judge Ramon Ocasio to upgrade the charges.  "If not for the tenacity of the assistant State's attorney these thugs would have just gotten a slap on the wrist," Garcia charged.  "For too long violence against our community has been ignored and dismissed. We are grateful that the State's Attorney's office takes such crimes seriously."

The organization expressed disappointment with the apparent bias of the hearing judge.  In an unusual departure from judicial standards, Judge Ocasio opined on the merits of the case during the initial hearing, stating that the case was unlikely to succeed at trial.  As if to underscore his disregard for the seriousness of the case, Judge Ocasio set an exceptionally low, $10,000 bond for a hate crime charge.

"The initial hearing is mostly procedural, and I am surprised and disappointed that Judge Ocasio went out of his way and beyond judicial standards to comment on the merits of this hate crimes matter," said Bernard Cherkasov, CEO of Equality Illinois.  "Instead of keeping his apparent bias out of judicial proceedings, Judge Ocasio overstepped and seemed intentionally bent on prejudicing this case." 

The organization also called on Loyola University, whose student, Sean Little, was among the suspects, to denounce the hate crime and take serious action against the perpetrator.  In a strongly-worded letter to Father Garanzini, SJ, President of Loyola University, Jeremy Gottschalk, Equality Illinois Board President, demanded that the actions of Loyola student be denounced by the University in a public fashion.  "I trust that your office will punish Mr. Little according to his crime, nothing short of expulsion," Gottschalk wrote.  "We are following this case closely to make sure that justice is done," Garcia noted.

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Equality Illinois was founded to secure, protect and defend the civil rights of lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender Illinoisans. It is one of the Midwest’s largest gay civil rights organizations.