Posted on 08/20/2013 4:43:54 PM PDT by Morgana
A devastating letter sent to the family of a teen with autism is hateful, but not a hate crime, police say.
“Despite the hateful language used, the Crown Attorney’s office has advised that the content of the letter falls below the threshold for a hate crime,” Durham Region police said in a statement Tuesday. “However, there are other Criminal Code issues that are being considered.”
The criminal code defines hate propaganda as a statement that advocates genocide, publicly incites hatred, or wilfully promotes hatred.
Although the message in the anonymous letter has been spread widely by concerned family and friends, the fact that the offensive screed was addressed to one specific family makes it an improbable hate crime charge, lawyers say.
“If you can’t show that someone has published broadly, then are they really trying to promote hatred or are they just being a nuisance to the poor parents?” said lawyer Philip Tunley, speaking generally, and not about specific facts of the case. “It’s a tough one, but that’s the kind of thing a Crown attorney would look at.”
On Friday, Brenda Millson, the grandmother of 13-year-old Maxwell Begley, received a letter in the mail at her Newcastle home. The anonymous writer, who claims to live in the neighbourhood, complained about the noises the teen makes when outside and wrote that the teen was a “hindrance to everyone.”
(Excerpt) Read more at thestar.com ...
I don't know how much this boy was screaming but I went on youtube and watched some autistic children having meltdowns and let me tell you some of them could belt it out. I can see that would get annoying fast. I could see neighbors would be pissed or people in a restaurant might become agitated. Out of consideration for others parents should remove those kids from the public until the child can control himself.
“I can see that would get annoying fast. I could see neighbors would be pissed or people in a restaurant might become agitated. Out of consideration for others parents should remove those kids from the public until the child can control himself.”
Kid wasn’t in a restaurant he was in his grandmothers fenced backyard. That’s not really in public.
My BS meter started twitching too, when she mentioned in the first TV interview that she has MS and the treatments are expensive. That had nothing to do with the story, so why mention it? So I did some searching. The first result was Oshawa Woman’s Small Victories After Controversial MS Therapy, where we learn that Karla and hubby went to Mexico to get MS therapy. She complained to the press that the treatment wasn't available in Canada. Next, Rock'n'Roll Heaven Legends Show - Jul 11/09 - Toronto ON invited everyone to attend a show where all the proceeds went to The Karla Begley Foundation, a non-profit organization benefiting Karla Begley. Then check out We all care - Justice for Max to see the newest fundraiser, mentioned in a Global News article yesterday. That came up a little too quickly to be unplanned. I would not be surprised to discover that Karla Begley herself wrote that letter. Maybe the neighbors asked her to try to control her kid's screaming, so she figured she could shut them up and make some money at the same time.
“I was referring to all kids in that comment. However since you brought it up some neighborhood do have a noise ordinance. Does not matter if one has a fence in backyard on not, if someone is making too much noise they are in violation. Usually though people send letters telling them to keep the noise down not to put their child down like one would a sick animal.”
I posted upthread. I’m sure when my Autistic son was being loud it did annoy the neighbors. The neighbors dogs annoyed me. Same as the neighbors lawnmowers and one neighbors Harley.
No the person who wrote this hasn’t a leg to stand on as far as being justified. Just a bitter hate filled individual who like any good bully targets the weakest available person to take it out on.
Uhh, the kid is AUTISTIC, not a brat. From the description he sounds like my neighbor’s son who is severely autistic and unable to care for himself. Sounds like the neighbor advocates the Nazi solution for undesirables.
However there is one part of the letter that makes me wonder if the Autistic kids caretaker is putting them outside and not taking care of them.
If such is true there should be someone checking on the kids. Still even at that the letter writer is a piece of human dung.
He’s not black therefore no hate crime.
“However there is one part of the letter that makes me wonder if the Autistic kids caretaker is putting them outside and not taking care of them.”
There was a video of the kid that was making the rounds today. He likes playing with his ball that’s why he plays in the backyard.
There are laws in some places concerning the neighbor’s dog! As for the lawnmower that can’t be helped but if your neighbor mowed the lawn at 3 am you would have a complaint!!
Some places don’t like to hear any children yelling so they just ban children or pass laws where children may be. I can see that children screaming could get on one’s nerves.
I know I know... it is a bad situation and I think the kids parents are the ones at fault.
Imagine a new family moves in next door to you and their kid starts making bellowing noises all day every day- the lives of everyone in the neighborhood would be ruined.
The parents should not have allowed him to do this to everyone in the neighborhood. If he is that bad, maybe he needs to be medicated or institutionalized.
The person who wrote the letter took it too far, but I can clearly understand their feelings
I had a neighbor from hell once- so I am grumpy about the topic
“Some places don’t like to hear any children yelling so they just ban children or pass laws where children may be. I can see that children screaming could get on one’s nerves.”
There wasn’t any mention of this being a child restricted neighborhood. And lots of things can get on your nerves.
This particular incident is really indefensible...trying to invent scenarios that make it OK isn’t really going to fly.
If the letters author doesn’t like it then she should move her kids to a place without the bother of neighbors.
Someone is threatening my son, they aren’t gonna be happy. They aren’t gonna know what happened.
There is also a point where you have every right to protect yourselves from evil, even if society doesn’t think it’s right.
I can give you about a thousand things you can do to make these people’s lives hell, without getting caught.
This happened in CanaDUH
Because there is good and there is evil, and evil must be punished.
I'm so sorry your son had to go through that.
Their parents had better have a good amount of cash in the bank. I see a lot of legal fees in their future if their crappy parenting continues and the little wanna be pyschopaths they're raising aren't dealt with now.
It strikes me that we have invented “Hate” crimes because local communities are too lazy and/or scared to defend their ethics, morals and standards like they used to. So, we farm it out to the govt/police.
This letter is repulsive and indefensible. It’s that local community that needs to defend their standards by heaping as much public scorn, shame and ridicule as can be brought to bear upon the author — as they see fit. However, the govt/police should have no official involvement in my opinion until an *actual* crime is committed; not some made-up crime born of political correctness.
More than that in the old days if your kid was making too much noise adults would to to that parents house personally and ask them nicely if the child could be more quiet. Most parents would comply and be considerate especially if there were sick or elderly people in the neighborhood.
I believe this is why it was said “children should be seen and not heard”.
You’ve exactly described my neighbors who moved in 20 years ago. Yeah, the howling/grunting noises are distracting sometimes but it is their son (now in his 30s and incapacitated). Hmmm, are you my neighbor on the other side of the circle? The medication/institutionalization route is again, the Nazi solution to problem of the “unwanted”.
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