Posted on 05/02/2007 6:22:33 AM PDT by Uncle Miltie
Police said Tuesday a Minnesota State University Moorhead student’s claim that he was the victim of a hate crime was a sham.
Deputy Police Chief Bob Larson said Paul Marquardt, 23, had recanted major parts of a story he first told police Friday and as a result, “It is no longer believed that a bias-motivated crime took place.”
A local gay rights group that organized a march and rally in the wake of Marquardt’s claims said late Tuesday it had canceled its plans.
Marquardt told police Friday he suffered a mild concussion, bruised ribs and a separated shoulder after he was confronted by a group of individuals shouting derogatory remarks about his sexual orientation outside the MSUM library Thursday night.
Inconsistencies between what Marquardt told police and what he told the media led investigators to question him again Tuesday, Larson said.
Marquardt told investigators that he was not confronted, nor did he hear any anti-gay comments, Larson said.
Larson said Marquardt maintains he was pushed down and injured by persons unknown.
“He told us that the story had gotten away from him,” Larson said.
“The important thing to us is that if there is a bias-motivated crime, we need to hear about it and we’ll investigate,” Larson said, adding that police are still looking into Marquardt’s claim that he was assaulted.
After learning of Tuesday’s development, organizers of a rally and march planned for Thursday night on the MSUM campus called off the event, said James Sink, a North Dakota State University student and a spokesman for the 10 Percent Society, a group that supports gay, bisexual, lesbian and transgender rights.
“The thing that we’re most concerned about is preserving the legitimacy of the organization and making people, and students of course, feel that it’s appropriate to go to the police if you feel you’ve been a victim of a crime,” Sink said.
Sink said that the primary reaction of the group members to Tuesday’s news was one of confusion.
“It’s too soon to really gauge the reaction of the community or the organization,” he said.
“Bias-motivated crimes do occur in our area. Even if it didn’t happen in this case, they’ve happened in the past,” Sink said.
“To claim something is a bias-motivated crime when it’s not is extremely serious. It’s unfortunate it had to happen in this case,” Sink said.
Sink said he spoke to Marquardt on Tuesday and Marquardt asked him to refrain from any further release of his contact information.
“I don’t think he (Marquardt) will be speaking to anyone,” Sink said.
Messages left on Marquardt’s cell phone were not returned.
The whole notion of “hate crimes” is stalinist BS.
“Bias-motivated crimes do occur in our area. Even if it didn’t happen in this case, they’ve happened in the past,” Sink said.
The ends justify the means.
Reminds me of the criminal in the first Dirty Harry movie. Pays some thug to beat him up so he can blame Harry in front of the cameras.............
The memo's are forged... but true.
Mandatory diversity training for Everyone!!!
Sounds like the professor who vandalized her own car at a college in California and fessed up about it. But of course, only AFTER she succeeded in shutting down the campus and raising racial tensions about 30 notches.
Fake but accurate my butt.
"Every penny."
You know, I’ve heard people who oppose hate-crime legislation say that we don’t need hate-crime legislation. That attacking anyone is against the law, we don’t need to make a special law against attacking gays.
Actually, I’ve said it myself.
Now this kid seems to have been lying about his having been attacked because he was gay, but it doesn’t look like he was lying about having been attacked.
So what are the authorities going to do about it? Now that it’s not a hate crime, are they just going to let it slide?
Seems to me that any attack deserves some investigative resources.
“Dirty Harry”
Excellent reference :)
Oh I know. It’s PC run amok. And the frontrunner of the GOP primary currently is a huge fan of hate crimes laws. Sickening
That's correct. Calling someone a turd burglar may be rude, but it's also protected speech and, increasingly, political speech.
“Hate crimes” is just another way of saying “thought crime,”
comrade.
Seems to me the guy used up all his good will and most of his resources already.
They only fake police reports because we don’t let them marry, you know.
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