Gay Sailor Murder a Hate Crime?
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| Fri, 07-03-2009 - 10:39pm |
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6510578.html
Gay sailor’s family blames military after his death
They say the government did little after Houstonian complained of harassment
Rose Roy of Beaumont said her nephew, Navy Seaman August Provost III, had complained a year before about being harassed for being gay.
Roy said she advised Provost to report and document the incidents, but she said the military did little to help.
“He went to the Navy to serve and protect,†she said in an interview with Beaumont’s KFDM News, “he didn’t get protected at all.â€
Roy told The Associated Press that the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell†policy discouraged her nephew from asking for help.
“That phrase is just stupid because it tells them they have no one to speak to,†she said.
The 29-year-old Houston native was found dead Tuesday at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, north of San Diego. Roy said the family was told that Provost was shot three times, had his hands and feet bound, his mouth gagged, and body burned.
The family plans to hold funeral services July 10 in Houston.
Democratic Rep. Bob Filner of San Diego said Thursday he wants a Defense Department investigation into the death, after leaders of the city’s gay community asked him to intervene.
Investigators have called the sailor’s death a random act unrelated to the his sexuality and have taken a “person of interest†into custody. No charges have been filed.
Roy said Provost joined the Navy in March 2008 to pay off college debt.
The first account I read this morning was that he was on guard duty at a gate and was murdered there. And I thought that might just be the most brazen of crimes.. and I have a sinking feeling that this is a hate crime.
Too sick.
zz

~Roy told The Associated Press that the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy discouraged her nephew from asking for help. “That phrase is just stupid because it tells them they have no one to speak to,” she said.~
That's probably true.
~Investigators have called the sailor’s death a random act unrelated to the his sexuality...~
Just to follow up:
"The chairman the House Veterans Affairs Committee is calling for a Defense Department and Marine Corps probe to see if the killing of a gay sailor at Camp Pendleton was a hate crime."
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hSiIIisciiA6CGQgz687N-ketUKwD996LH380
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What a terrible death this young man must have suffered.
The update doesn't seem to have anything to do with a hate crime... instead, it's a crazy demented criminal
It's a heinous crime and Provost obviously suffered from harassment and discrimination (and I agree w/ everyone that the whole "don't ask, don't tell" contributes to the problem) but has there been anything that showed the reasons Campos did it? He's alleged to have used mushrooms and broken into someone else's home, too.
This is awful...plus, my gut says that the Navy is trying to distract from the issue of "Don't ask, Don't tell" here.
Looks like the family may never get answers now....