Mother’s Day Shooting vs. Boston Marathon Bombing: Fraternal Analysis

May 12, 2013 – During the Mother’s Day parade in New Orleans, two brothers, Akein and Shawn Scott, age 19 and 24, started shooting abruptly into the crowd.  Nineteen people were injured including two 10-year-olds.  The brothers were involved in a local gang, the Frenchmen and Derbigny Boys, also known as the F and D gang, in the 7^th Ward of New Orleans.

Last month, April 15, 2013 – The Boston Marathon was bombed by two brothers, Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, age 19 and 26.  Three people died and over 200 were wounded.

Analysis

In both cases, the suspects were recorded on surveillance cameras and later identified.  Coincidentally, the younger brothers were the ones first recognized on the tapes.  Both duos were minorities in the same age groups committing murderous crimes in large cities.  Both events took place in crowded streets during annual events.  Both deadly duos were brothers.

Contrasting the tragedies needs to be split into two sections, since there are so many differences.  In spite of the contrasting nature of these scenarios, there are parallels, leaving room for analysis.  The first section concerns tragedies and law enforcement, and the second section regards the perpetrators.  Each section is divided into six topics.

Section 1:  The Tragic Events and Police Reactions

Media Coverage

The Boston attacks undoubtedly received more coverage than the Mother’s Day shooting.  The Tsarnaevs’ faces were all over the television, the parents were interviewed, and all forms of media were covered for weeks.  The Mother’s Day shooting received very little runtime on the news, and even news websites only covered the Scott brothers for only a few days. 

Damage

The Tsarnaev brothers killed three people and wounded over 200 people with their firecracker powered bombs sending nails flying.  People fell to the ground, immediately amputated from the shrapnel.

The Scott brothers wounded 19 people, and none of them died as a result of the bullet wounds.  If people died, maybe this story would have gotten more attention.  One video showed a young girl whose pant legs were soaked in bright, red blood.  Who knows if she will walk again. 

Crime Rates

For New Orleans, the Mother’s Day shooting was the third shooting for 2013, and it is only May.  New Orleans is known for having higher crime rates than Boston.  On January 21, there was a shooting after the Martin Luther King Day parade; rendering five people wounded.  In February, there was a shooting during Mardi Gras, which injured four people.

Due to the high crime rates in New Orleans, it is easier to be able to plan a large scale crime.  Law enforcement is so diverted by enough violent incidents that gangs can conspire to execute more deadly acts, because the cops can not watch everyone.  Boston is not as overwhelmed with violence that when a disaster occurs, they can respond with more dedication.

Police Reactions

New Orleans responded with the SWAT team.  So did Boston, in addition to involving the FBI, the city police, canines, helicopters, and bomb specialists.  Boston had the whole city in lockdown.  The entrances and exits were blocked, people stayed in their houses for days, businesses shut their doors, and all roads were closed.  The police conducted a manhunt just for one remaining perpetrator.  New Orleans had to find two, but they did not take extreme measures.  It is possible that they did not need to do everything Boston did in order to safely apprehend the fugitives.

Older Brother

Tamerlan Tsarnaev died in a shootout with police after hijacking a car in attempts to flee the city.  Shawn Scott was simply arrested hours after the incident, hardly causing a scene.  Shawn is still alive, and Tamerlan died by deadly force.  Though The Tsarnaev brothers exchanged gunfire with police instead of surrendering like the Scotts did.

Hiding

Both younger brothers hid in order to evade authorities.  Dzhokhar Tsarnaev had to hide on his own, whereas Akein Scott had plenty of help.  Tsarnaev eluded the police for four days.  Scott hid for only three days.  Both attempts were futile. 

Akein Scott had four friends try to hide him from the police.  They were Bionca Hickerson, Brandy George, Justin Alexander, and Nekia Youngblood.  They were arrested along with Scott.

Unlike Scott, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was entirely on his own; a rodent in a maze with no way out.  Boston was in lockdown.  Without the getaway car and just having lost his brother, Tsarnaev fled on foot.  If anyone saw him, he would get reported.  He was alone and injured.  He chose to hide in a boat covered with a white tarp, hoping to stay there until the lockdown ended, and people would think he already left the city somehow. 

Section 2:  The Perpetrators – A Fraternal Analysis.

Race, National Origin, and Religion

Both brotherly duos were minorities.  The Tsarnaevs’ originated from Chechnya, Russia, and they were Muslim.  They had just become naturalized US citizens.  The Scott brothers are African American, and they were born and raised in the United States.  Their religion was unreported.

Since America is still living down its history of slavery, drawing too much attention to dark skinned criminals could draw accusations of racism.  However, once the word, Muslim, is thrown into the scenario, all fear of racism disappears!  The media immediately speculates ties to terrorist organizations.  Every news agency wants to cover terrorism stories, especially if Islam is involved.  The Scotts’ religion was not disclosed.  If they are Christian, then there is bias for disclosing one person’s religion and not the other.  How many crimes are committed by Christians?  That number is probably higher than crimes committed by religious minorities.  If you committed a crime and your religion was a part of the report, how would you feel?

In both cases, all criminals who were captured alive were given the right to due process.  Since the Scott brothers were US born citizens, there was no question in how they were to be treated.  The Tsarnaevs just became naturalized US citizens; Dzhokhar became a naturalized US citizen on September 11, 2012, and conservatives wanted to treat him as an enemy combatant.  Authorities read Dzhokhar's Miranda Rights late, after interrogators retrieved information from him.  It is unknown if the Scotts had their rights read to them.

Criminal Records

Dzhokhar had no criminal record.  Tamerlan had a history of being investigated by the FBI and the Russian FSB for his possible terroristic inclinations.  Regardless of government suspicious, the brothers hid the production of their bombs and all intentions to commit the notorious attack.  Dzhokhar concealed his character best by asserting his “normal guy” side on the internet and socialized in college.

Both Scott brothers had criminal records, but Akein’s was more scrutinized by the media.  His history included two accounts of illegal weapon possession; on account of possessing heroin.  He once resisted arrest, committed assault, underage possession of alcohol, and contraband in jail.  This all occurred within two years.  Akein was not too keen on concealing his crimes.  For instance, police caught him smoking marijuana in public.  The Scotts both belonged to the Frenchmen and Derbigny gang, which sold drugs.  The gang was named after the streets where they were headquartered. 

Motives

Dzhokhar wrote on the inner walls of the boat, expressing the reasons for the Boston bombing.  The note said it was to avenge the US for its attacks on Muslims, and the American-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The Scotts’ motive was gang related.  They were targeting one person, Leonard Epps, age 35.  They shot him several times in the chest.  Epps was taken to the hospital in serious condition.

If the Scotts only intended on killing Epps, why did they shoot 18 other people, including two children?  Did they want to conceal the fact that they were targeting a particular person?  As if Epps’s possible death would look like a coincidence?  They did not attempt to conceal their own identities first.  They did not cover their faces.  Their cause was personal, immaturely affecting innocent bystanders at a parade that honors mothers.  Though, if they truly wanted to kill the other victims, they would not have run away immediately.  They would have continued to fire, murdering the ones already injured.

The Tsarnaevs intended to kill multitudes of people, not just three.  They had no care if anyone survived.  The higher the death toll, the more attention would be drawn to their cause.  Their cause was that America has unfairly slaughtered Muslims. 

The Tsarnaevs’ cause was bigger, but they were more brutal by criminal intent.  The Scotts’ motive involved only one person, which was linked to gang conflict.  Involving other people was unnecessary in completing their cause.

Planning

The Boston bombing took more planning than the Mother’s Day shooting.  The Tsarnaev brothers had to prepare bombs and select clothing to make them blend with the crowd.  They had a poor exit strategy; no getaway car, no false passports, etc.

The Scott brothers’ plan was very simplistic – show up with a gun and shoot.  Akein had friends to hide them later, which was a better tactic than hiding in a boat.  However, New Orleans authorities captured them without a city lockdown in a shorter amount of time than Boston.

Afterthoughts

The Tsarnaev brothers placed their bombs and calmly walked away.  Even as the billows of smoke arose, they quietly blend in with the crowd on the sidewalk, walking away.

The Scott brothers run away after shooting numerous bullets into the crowd.  They made themselves stand out at the perpetrators, and conspicuously fled the crime scene.

When Apprehended

Akein Scott was “serene” when he was taken into custody.  Both Scott brothers were arrested with ease compared to the Tsarnaevs.

When the police, bomb specialists, hounds, and helicopters surrounded Dzhokhar’s landlocked boat in a resident’s backyard, the young terrorist exchanged gunfire with police.  They had to force Tsarnaev’s injured body out of the boat; he was probably very nervous, telling by the picture of his apprehension.

©2013 Caroline Friehs

Originally posted:  May 29, 2013

References

Associated Press (2013 May 14).  New Orleans Mother’s Day Shooting:  Akein Scott named as suspect.  The Guardian.  Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/may/14/mothers-day-shooting-akein-scott

Associated Press (2013 May 16).  Akein Scott, Suspect In Shooting, At Mother’s Day Parade, Arrested.  Huff Post – Crime.  Retrieved from:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/15/akein-scott-new-orleans-mothers-day-parade-shooting_n_3283574.html

Associated Press (2013 May 16).  Boston bombings suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev left note in boat he hid in, sources say.  CBS News.com.  Retrieved from:  http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505263_162-57584771/boston-bombings-suspect-dzhokhar-tsarnaev-left-note-in-boat-he-hid-in-sources-say/

BBC News (2013 Apr. 21).  Boston bombs:  Officials wait to question Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.  BBC News – US & Canada.  Retrieved from:  http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-22232196   

BBC News (2013 Apr. 22).  Profile: Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tzarnaev.  BBC News US & Canada. Retrieved from:  http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-22219116

McGill, K (2013 May 16).  Police:  Suspect arrested in La. parade shooting.  Yahoo News.  Retrieved from:  http://news.yahoo.com/police-suspect-arrested-la-parade-shooting-040846143.html

Mungin, L & Martinez, M (2013 May 16).  2nd arrest in New Orleans shooting; $10m bail for 1st suspect.  CNN Justice.  Retrieved from:  http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/16/justice/louisiana-shooting

Shuster, S (2013 Apr. 19).  The Brothers Tsarnaev: Clues to the Motives of the Alleged Boston Bombers.  Yahoo News.  Retrieved from:  http://news.yahoo.com/brothers-tsarnaev-clues-motives-alleged-boston-bombers-162101446.html

Vargas, R. A., Freund, H., Martin, N (2013 May 16).  Mother’s Day shooting suspects have ties to 7^th Ward Gang.  Nola.com.  Retrieved from:  http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2013/05/mothers_day_shooting_suspects_2.html

Vargas, R. A. & Simerman, J (2013 May 17).  Low risk rank for Akein Scott, Mother’s Day shooting suspect, called into question.  Nola.com.  Retrieved from:  http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2013/05/mothers_day_shooting_suspect_w_1.html

YouTube (2013 Apr. 20).  “They Were Framed.”  Parents of Boston Bombers Speak Out 2013.  [video]  Courtesy of username:  ADGUKNEWS.  News Network:  CNN.  Retrieved from:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWiOCrVietY

Timeline for Neo-Nazi Beate Zschäpe

In Germany, the most infamous Neo-Nazi trial is currently underway.  Beate Zschäpe is the only surviving member of the National Socialist Underground (NSU).  The other two founders, Uwe Mundlos and Uwe Böhnhardt committed suicide in November 2011, after a foiled bank robbery.  During the years 2000-2007, they killed ten people (8 Turkish people, 1 Greek man; 1 German police woman), committed two bombings in Köln, and fifteen robberies.  The latter was to finance their crimes.

While I attended Saint Joseph’s University, I took Electronic Intelligence Analysis, and I intend to apply my skills to this criminal situation.  I do not own a copy of Analyst Notebook 8, because it costs $20,000 just for the license to use the software.  In compensation, I will apply my skills in a flow chart format.  Table 1 represents a timeline for the life of Neo-Nazi, Beate Zschäpe.  Although a horizontal display would be ideal, it is vertical due to this blog’s margins.  Making visuals organizes information for people looking for quick facts.  Table 2 is an association chart between the National Socialist Underground members, and their families.

Table 1.1 - Beate Zschäpe's Early Years

Around April 1974 ~ Mother, Annarose Apel, became pregnant to possible Romania father.  It was an unplanned pregnancy.  Her boyfriend denied paternity.  They attended Dentistry school.

January 2, 1975 – Beate Apel was born in Jena, Germany.  Grandparents took care of her while her mother returned to school.

1976 – Mother married a childhood friend, who was a father figure to Beate.

1978 – Mother finished school.  She divorced.  She left Beate with her grandparents, remarried Gunter Zschäpe, and moved to Camburg, Germany.  Beate took the new surname.

1980 – Second divorce.  Now Beate, age 5, lives with her mother in Jena.  Their first home was a one room apartment in Lobeda district.

 

Table 1.2 - How Zschäpe met Mundlos and Böhnhardt

1985 – Beate and her mother moved to Winzerla, the town of youth camp where Beate Zschäpe met Uwe Mundlos.

1989 – Neo-Nazism started thriving; which deeply influenced Beate Zschäpe.

1992 – At age 17, Zschäpe was caught stealing.  She also got into fights.

1993 – Zschäpe and Mundlos were in a relationship, and they were both far-right extremists.  Eventually Zschäpe broke up with Mundlos, but they stayed on good terms.  She left him for Uwe Böhnhardt.  During the relationship, she was allegedly polyamorous.

Table 1.3  How the National Socialist Underground formed

About 1994 – The three joined Kameradschaft Jena, the militant extremist group.  Attended meetings for Thuringia Homeland Protection League (100 members).  At some point, Zschäpe and Böhnhardt vandalized a memorial for fascism victims in Rudolstadt.

1996 – Police raided Zschäpe’s home in Winzerla.

End of 1997 - They rented a garage and practiced making bombs.

January 26, 1998 – Police raided the garage, finding pipe bombs without detonators; 1.39 Kg of TNT in each.  The trio “went underground.”  Beate asked her grandmother for money because she was “being chased.”  National Socialist Underground.  By this point, accomplices Ralf Wohlleben, Carsten Schultze, Andre Eminger, and Holger Gerlach were already involved.  Zschäpe assumed 10 different identities which maintained a respectable façade, hiding their terror cell.  She made friends outside her cell and organized barbecues.

2000 – Paternity verified – the Romanian classmate was her father.

 

Table 1.4 - The Killings, the Bombings, and the End.

The victims' names and locations are listed below.

2000 – Simsek Enver, Nuremburg

2001 – Abdurrahim Ozudogru, Nuremburg

 Suleyman Taskopru, Hamburg

 Habil Kilic, München (Munich)

 First bombing in Köln, 10 injured.

2004 – Mehmet Turgut, Rostock.

 Second Köln bombing, injuring 22 people

2005 – Ismail Yasar, Nuremburg

 Theodoros Boulgarides, München

2006 – Mehmet Kubasik, Dortmund

 Halit Yozgat, Kassel

  

2007 – Michele Kiesewetter, Heilbronn

November 4, 2011 – Mundlos and Böhnhardt bombed their car then committed suicide after a foiled bank robbery.  Shortly after, Zschäpe fire-bombed her apartment in Zwickau to destroy evidence.

November 8, 2011 - Zschäpe surrendered to police.

April 17, 2013 – Originally scheduled court date in München, Germany. (Munich)

May 6, 2013 – First court date, München.  Zschäpe faces a life sentence.

May 14, 2013 – Second court date, München.

 

Table 2

Other facts I gathered included that Zschäpe’s mother lost her job at some point, and Zschäpe learned to live on very little money.  Her relationship with her mother was bad enough that if her mom wanted to talk to her, Zschäpe would ignore her, slamming the door to her bedroom.  Beate’s mindset could have been affected due to her childhood inclusive to her mother’s unpredictable lovelife, frequent changes in custody, and moving around to new homes.  Furthermore, their mother-daughter relationship did not start until Beate was five.

The murders were done “execution style,” with a gun attached with a silencer.  These shootings were done in public places, such as an internet café or their workplaces.  Böhnhardt was the main shooter, and Zschäpe performed more logistics and planning.  They had a total of 20 firearms.

Two of my sources say Zschäpe was born in January, but one source says she was born in February, which is a little confusing.

[Blogger’s Note:  This entry may be updated.]
[Update: 1-23-2016:  A complete timeline of events is available below.  Click to enlarge.]

©2013 Caroline Friehs

Originally posted:  May 22, 2013

References

Associated Press (2011 Nov. 14).  Neo-Nazi terror gang leaves trail of blood across Germany.  Open Salon.com.  Retrieved from:  http://open.salon.com/blog/lost_in_berlin/2011/11/14/neo-nazi_terror_gang_leaves_trail_of_blood_across_germany

Associated Press (2012 Feb).  Die drei Mitglieder der Terrorzelle.  Brandenburgische Landeszentrale fuer Politische Bildung.  Retrieved from:  http://www.politische-bildung-brandenburg.de/node/8014

Associated Press (2013).  Beate, die braune Witwe.  Zeit Online – Zeitgeschehen.  [Page 2.]  Retrieved from:  http://www.zeit.de/2012/23/DOS-Zschaepe/seite-2

Associated Press (2013 May 14).  Day Two of NSU Case:  Prosecutor Reads Out Charges in Chilling Detail.  Spiegel Online.com.  Retrieved from:  http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/nsu-trial-resumes-as-prosecutors-read-out-charges-a-899831.html

BBC News (2013 May 6).  Neo-Nazi murders:  Beate Zschaepe goes on trial in Germany.  BBC News – Europe.  Retrieved from:  http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-22423785

Friedrichsen, G (2013 May 15).  New Flurry of Motions:  NSU Trial Marred by Angry Courtroom Exchanges.  Spiegel Online.  Retrieved from:  http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/german-neo-nazi-trial-descends-into-angry-courtroom-exchanges-a-900089.html

Juettner, J (2013 May 3).  Girl Next Door:  The Making of a Neo-Nazi.  Spiegel Online.  Retrieved from:  http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/profile-of-neo-nazi-nsu-member-beate-zschaepe-ahead-of-trial-a-894491.html

Gar Nix (2013 May 10).  Beate Zschäpe – Terroristenbraut.  [blog].  Retrieved from:  http://ueberhauptgarnix.blogspot.com/2012/09/beate-Zschäpe.html

Hinrichs, P (2011 Dec. 28).  Our son was a Neo-Nazi Terrorist.  Worldcrunch.com.  Retrieved from:  http://www.worldcrunch.com/our-son-was-neo-nazi-terrorist/culture-society/our-son-was-a-neo-nazi-terrorist/c3s4375/

NSU Watch (2012 Feb. 22).  Fotos:  Die Kameradschaft Jena in Worms 1996.  NSU-Watch.info.  Retrieved from:  http://www.nsu-watch.info/2012/02/fotos-der-nsu-in-worms-1996/

YouTube (2013 May 14).  Neo-Nazi trial makes mockery of security authorities.  [video]  Courtesy of:  Euronews.  Retrieved from:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhcXJxQ2M4E

Picture References

Romania map

http://europa.eu/about-eu/countries/member-countries/romania/index_en.htm

Germany map

http://www.saveur.com/article/Travels/Guide-Munich-Nuremburg

Beate Mugshot

http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/photo-gallery-sole-survivor-fotostrecke-95576-5.html

Pregnant woman

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Silhouette_or_a_pregnant_woman_and_her_partner-14Aug2011.jpg

Marriage

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2013/03/07/the-new-fight-for-marriage/

Divorce

http://www.didiermery.re/index.php?tag/impot

Graduation

http://honorsadvising.blog.wku.edu/2013/05/09/graduation-medallions-commencement-ceremony/

Mundlos

http://open.salon.com/blog/lost_in_berlin/2011/11/14/neo-nazi_terror_gang_leaves_trail_of_blood_across_germany

Swastika

http://news.iskcon.com/node/1632/2009-01-10/swastika_symbol_goodness_or_hate

Böhnhardt

http://open.salon.com/blog/lost_in_berlin/2011/11/14/neo-nazi_terror_gang_leaves_trail_of_blood_across_germany

Trio Picture

http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/germany-s-not-so-new-extremists_611856.html

Polizei car

http://www.worldcarfans.com/108112015026/vw-scirocco-is-the-2009-tune-it-safe-vehicle/highphotos

Garage for rent

http://sf.streetsblog.org/2012/09/13/livable-city-expect-more-traffic-if-parking-rental-rule-is-changed/

Pipe bomb

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pipe_bomb

Kameradschaft Jena

http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/photo-gallery-sole-survivor-fotostrecke-95576-9.html

Pistol belonging to Mundlos

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pistole_P1.jpg

Euro dollars

http://www.oilempire.us/euro.html

Bombed house

http://open.salon.com/blog/lost_in_berlin/2011/11/14/neo-nazi_terror_gang_leaves_trail_of_blood_across_germany

Munich court

http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/photo-gallery-sole-survivor-fotostrecke-95576-2.html

Beate Zschäpe in Court, Second day

http://www.odt.co.nz/news/world/257005/woman-covered-neo-nazi-murder-gang

Subculture Hate Crime

In Manchester, England, on April 8, 2013, a 14-year-old and a 44-year-old man repeatedly punched a 16-year-old boy in the face simply because of his emo appearance.  Luckily he was only injured, but Sophie Lancaster, was not so lucky in 2007 when she was murdered by a group of youths just for her gothic lifestyle.  As a result of Lancaster’s death, England created new hate crime policies inclusive to subculture lifestyles.

The United States is no stranger to hate crime.  Alternative lifestyles and counter-culture are no exceptions.   In 1997, in Texas, a punk was brutally murdered by jocks.  Starting with the earliest murder up to the present allows a historical perspective of how bigotry changes over time.  Before moving forward, it is important that the subcultures are defined.  These definitions are based on personal experience and general knowledge of the topics.  It is possible that more than one label could apply to a person.

Definitions

Emo:  Emo is short for emotional.  Emos prefer to express their emotions rather than bottling them up.  Behaviors:  Crying, being dramatic, wrist cutting (though not all do this).  Fashions:  Windblown hair over the eyes, mostly black clothing, thick black eyeliner; skinny jeans.  Music:  Dashboard Confessional, Taking Back Sunday, Hawthorne Heights, My Chemical Romance, Bullet for my Valentine, etc.

Goth:  Goth is about appreciating all things dark, fascination with the macabre.  Goths embrace their personal dark sides rather than denying them.  Behaviors:  Solitary walks, visiting graveyards, enjoying horror movies/books, making art, loitering at the mall.   Fashions:  All black clothing with some exceptions, corsetry, fishnet tights, leather/pleather garments, black makeup, platform boots, etc.  Some is historical clothing and punk fashion can be incorporated.  Music:  Bauhaus, Siouxie and the Banshees, The Cure, London After Midnight, The Cruxshadows, Voltaire, Ego Likeness, Rosetta Stone, etc.

Punk:  Punk is expressing your views and being yourself and not caring what other people think of you.  Behaviors:  Playing rock instruments, making art, skateboarding, protesting their political beliefs.  Fashions:  Dyed hair, Mohawks, spike studded clothing and jewelry, ripped jeans, leather jackets, fishnet tights, etc.  Music:  Ramones, Dropkick Murphys, Crass, Anti-Flag, etc.

Jock:  Jocks love to play sports.  They are athletic people.  Behaviors:  Playing sports – varsity or intramural, excelling in gym class, collecting sports paraphernalia.  Fashions:  Team uniform, regular clothes – jeans and shirts.  Music:  Queen (think “We are the Champions,”) contemporary rock; pop music.

Prep:  Preps are either scholarly, party-goers, or popular people.  They are generally happy, extroverted, and have conservative ideals.  Behaviors:  Partying, studying, socializing, playing sports and games.  Fashions:  Originally, preps dressed in business attire.  Modern preps wear Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister, American Eagle, Aeropostale, Gap, etc.  Music:  Pop and rock music usually.

Hipster:  Hipsters like to have the latest gadgets but also appreciate vintage technology.  They enjoy little-known bands and dislike conformity and the mainstream.  Behaviors:  Collecting gadgets and antiques, watching old movies; being the first to follow a trend.  Fashions:  Thrift store clothes, large black rimmed glasses, etc.  Music:  Inde-music, bands that “you’ve never heard of.”

 

The Murder of a Punk in America

In 1997, in Armarillo, Texas, 19-year-old Brian Deneke, a punk, was murdered by Dustin Camp, 17, and his gang of jocks. The media later called them preps.  Leading up to the murder, Deneke and his punk friends were repeatedly assaulted by the football team at school and in public.  These jocks would call them fags.  Deneke’s group was resilient in spite of the constant attacks, and they continued living life as they wanted.  Deneke sported a blue Mohawk and many piercings.  He listened to Dropkick Murphys, Crass, Fifteen, and other punk rock bands.  He had a reputation for being a good person and loved animals.  His boss referred to him as “Sunshine.”  On December 12, 1997, the group of punks went to their favorite restaurant, the International House of Pancakes.  Outside the football team was waiting.  Brian walked out of the IHOP, and was immediately attacked.  The jocks pummeled, kicked, and jumped on Brian, who was curled up in a ball, especially toward the end.  Dustin Camp drove his Cadillac over Deneke’s curled up body.  He put the car in reverse and ran over Deneke again.  Before putting the car back into drive, Dustin lowered his window and bragged to a female classmate witnessing.  He smirked and clearly said, “I’m a ninja in my Caddy!”  Then he ran over Brian’s body again.  The jocks were cheering.  He fled the crime scene and later lied to police.

The defense attorney presented Camp as the All-American boy, and that being a punk/thug was a good reason to kill Deneke.  Camp’s statement was, “I was just going to knock him down with my car. I [sic] was icy on the ground [and] my car slid. And I guess he slipped and my car went over him.  …”  This basically means, I just wanted to hit him with my car, but I lost control of my car and accidentally hit him.  His mother, Debbie Camp, was proud of her son for “taking care of his friends,” since two of Deneke’s friends tried to defend him in the beginning of the 20 to 1 fight.

Camp was convicted of manslaughter and only received 10 years probation and a $10,000 fine.  In 2001, Camp was caught underage drinking, and spent the remainder of his term in prison.  On July 31, 2006, Camp was released on parole.  Texas is known for enthusiastically giving out the death penalty, but somehow spared Dustin Camp for playing high school football and looking “normal.”

Anti-Emo Bigotry

Even though the Texas murder took place 16 years ago, America has seen little change in terms of subculture based bigotry since the murder of Brian Deneke.  The only change is that the roles have been skewed.  The previously outcast punks, goths, and metalheads now bully emos.  Although there are countless examples of emo bashing, the following is a strong example.

A YouTube Channel, S.O.R.P., which is run by a punk, Zachary Byron Helm, displays two videos that entertain the violent ideation toward emos.  They were titled “Emo Assault Squadron,” (2006) and “Emo Assault Squadron 2” (2009).  The first video received 469,249 views with 4,204 likes and 822 dislikes.

In the video, Helm portrays himself as a punk police officer driving a refurbished hearse in persecutory pursuit of emos.  He is black clad with sunglasses, and a V-shaped mohawk.  He talks about emo as if it were an actual crime, even in jest.  He assumes he has the responsibility and authority to rid them in order to save the town.  He complains of the gender ambiguity of emo boys.  He implied it makes him question his sexual orientation, threatening his male ego.  He hunts down an emo kid, and attacks him, instructing his partner to give kidney punches.  At the end, he simulates an emo boy being curb-stomped.  The emo kid did absolutely nothing to offend the fake punk cops.  All the characters in the videos are fictional and no one is actually hurt, but he seems to endorse hate crime as a joke.  The once unpopular punks are shown preying on a less accepted group.

On a side note, no where on his official site tells what S.O.R.P. stands for.  I googled it and found, “Statement of Recommended Practice,” and “Sex Offender Registry Program.”  In the merchandise section of Helm’s website, he sells many S.O.R.P. items, including a T-shirt for Emo Assault Squadron, thus furthering the anti-emo agenda. 

Hipster Hate

Fast forwarding to the present, subculture bigotry continues.  Besides emos, hipsters are popularly hated because they are perceived as snobs.  From YouTube, MyBrainHumor’s two anti-hipster videos are chillingly similar to S.O.R.P.’s anti-emo videos.  They are titled, “Hipster Hunters,” (2011) and “Hipster Hunters Ep.2” (2013).  The first video received over 259,000 views with 3,645 likes and 112 dislikes.

In the first video, Carl and Travis portray themselves as professional hunters, garbed in cowboy hats; Western movie styled clothing.  They hunt for hipsters as if they were bears or deer.  They either shoot them dead or tag them to trace their migratory behavior later.  Tracking them is stalking the hipster’s Twitter account.  At the end, Travis is surrounded by hipsters, and he gets turned into a hipster as if it were a contagious disease.  This is very similar to Sage getting turned into an emo in “Emo Assault Squadron 2”  Except the emo was depicted as a zombie, rather than an animal, infecting people with his lifestyle.  Zach Helm shot his friend, Sage, out of mercy the same way zombie-bitten victims are killed in movies.  Both sets of videos dehumanize their targets.

In “Hipster Hunters Ep. 2,” instead of killing his friend, Carl takes him to the hospital.  Travis could not be cured, so Carl cared for him as if he were a mentally challenged person.  Throughout the episode Hipster-Travis seems like he has brain damage, but the show directly suggests that he is like a dog.  Carl puts him in a kennel and leads him on a leash in public.  He later gives his friend away to a Hipster Preserve where a cattle rancher can care for him.  At the end, Carl massacres a bunch of hipsters via gunfire and hatchet, then beating them.

Creating these videos are not crimes and are upheld by the US Constitution, however they are promoting hatred and joking about murder.  The makers of these videos may not truly hold bigoted views, but real bigots who are predisposed to committing hate crimes would sympathize with the videos, taking them seriously – and continuing to spread hatred to new sympathizers.  They make humor out of hatred.  Bigotry is not a crime, but it leads to crime.

These videos are recent, which shows that subculture bigotry is consistent over time.  Even before 1997, people were abused over lifestyles.  Nerds have been bashed at least since the 1950's or earlier.  Looking back at 2007, the most recent subculture based murder occurred, and the abusers thought they were funny too.

The Murder of a Gothic Woman in England

Across the Atlantic, a goth woman was murdered while protecting her goth boyfriend from their assailants on August 11, 2007.  Sophie Lancaster, 20, and Robert Maltby, 21, were in Stubbylee Park in Bacup, Lancashire, England.  They were talking with some friendly people when five teenage boys spontaneously attacked them.  The main attackers, Brendan Harris, 15, and Ryan Herbert, 16, were inebriated, which is a fact, not an excuse.  One pointed at Maltby, "Shall we batter him?"  Harris initiated the battering, punching Maltby in the face.  The abusers were laughing the whole time as they punched and kicked his head.  Lancaster held her boyfriend’s head in her lap, pleading them to stop.  Maltby was already unconscious at this point.  The gang then started kicking and stomping Lancaster as hard as they could, jumping up and down on her head.  She fell into a coma, just as Maltby did.  When the brutal incident finally ended, the attackers were gloating about their criminal acts to friends who were nearby, and even joked about stealing Maltby's cellphone.  One perpetrator used the cellphone to call the victims' mutual friend, Jonathan Smethurst, at 1:30am.  Smethurst texted back to make sure everything was okay.  At 2:10am, Smethurst received a call from Maltby's phone and instead of hearing his friend's voice, he heard one of self-incrimination:  "Have you got two friends down in Bacup Park?  ...  There's two moshers here and they look like they're dead." [sic].

A 15-year-old witness called 999, and paramedics came.  Police swarmed the park area.  The victims were transferred between different hospitals.  Maltby awoke from his coma, but Lancaster did not.  She died 13 days later on August 24, 2007.  Maltby endured long term injuries, including memory loss.  He did not make a full recovery even after one year, and suffered depression.  The loss of Sophie was heartbreaking.  They were together for almost three years, lived together, and were possibly considering marriage.  Maltby was an art student, and Lancaster was an English major.  She loved to read, and sometimes finished a book within a day.  Maltby later mentioned that he wished his girlfriend ran away to safety, and that he would rather have been the one to die.

Both Harris and Herbert came from broken homes and had alcohol problems.  Herbert never met his father, and his mother worked in retail.  Herbert's mother was in denial of her son's crime, but Harris's mother laughed and joked with her son during their first police interview.  Harris told the police that his motive to committing the murder and Maltby’s brutality was being “drunk and showing off.”  The Lancashire police condemned both the attackers and the parents for letting their kids to go out drinking late at night.  England’s courts were not sympathetic with the juvenile murderers either.  Harris and Herbert were found guilty of murder and given life sentences.  The three other youths, Joseph Hulme (16), Danny Hulme (15), and Daniel Mallett (17), were found guilty of grievous bodily harm with sentences ranging from four to six years.

England amended their hate crime laws to include subcultures and murder specifically for a victim’s appearance.  Although the laws were tougher, two people still beat a teenager for being emo last April.

Analysis

Court Reactions: Texas vs. England

The Texas courts sided with the perpetrator, Dustin Camp, due to Texas’s ideals and norms.  During the court proceedings, one of Deneke’s friends asked if the situation were reversed, would a punk receive the death penalty for murdering a normal looking person.  The immediate answer was yes.  In England, the courts recognized that prejudice as a motive to kill is fundamentally wrong.  There is a decade’s difference between those cases, though Texas has remained predominantly conservative since 1997.  Still, after Deneke’s murder, his family, friends, and other sympathetic people saw the evil in Camp’s actions.  Schools in the area created programs to combat stereotypes.

Parental Reactions

Notice both Camp’s parents and Harris’s mother were approving of their children’s criminality.  Debbie Camp prided in her son’s bravery while enduring prison, and in the murder case she was proud that her baby boy was defending his friends from the thug-punks.  Mrs. Harris laughed along with her son when faced with the police showing her evidence, most likely the hospital pictures.  In the recent emo hate crime, the attackers are unnamed, but the ages were 14 and 44.  Was the 44-year-old man the father of the juvenile delinquent partner?  If so, this is another example of a parent approving of hate crime.

Compare and Contrast: The Two Gangs

Both Deneke’s and Lancaster’s attackers were groups of people.  Both gangs were “normal” looking.  Both hysterically cheered and congratulated themselves for their evil deeds.  In contrast, there were socioeconomic differences between the groups.  Deneke’s assailants were middle class from cookie-cutter shaped homes and families.  They were racially homogenous, telling from their football picture.  Harris and Herbert were from lower middle class homes and they had alcohol problems.  Herbert was semi-literate, telling by his grammar mistakes.

Subculture Bigotry can go both ways.

Subculture based bigotry seems to have shifted over time.  In Texas, 1997, the jocks were admired for their athletic abilities and favored by the teachers.  Punks were considered the “thugs” as the media described them during the trials.  Punks were thought of as the bad guys and more likely to commit crimes.  Over the 2000’s, goths and punks became more accepted and understood.  Stereotypes were made to be broken.  However when emo music became popular, and the kids expressed the fashion statements with it, Goths, punks, and metal music enthusiasts hated the new genre and the people who liked it.  Since emos sometimes look similar to goths, they can be confused.  Even though emo music started in the 1980’s, the long-standing subcultures felt that their “scenes” were being threatened by the prevalence of emo in the media.  Moreover they perceived emos to be too effeminate and “faggy” similar to how Dustin Camp’s football team felt about punks.  In the jocks’ minds, punks were not manly.  They were not the ideal; rather strange.  Masculinity was expressed through sports which the punks did not do.  Jocks also hated their crappy, punk music, just like how some punks, goths, and metalheads complain about emo music.

The same groups of people who used to be rejected are now the ones doing the rejecting.  It does not matter if it is peers, parents or society – if someone was oppressed for belonging to a subculture but demeans another person’s freedom to belong to another subculture, it is wrong.  The person is no better than their previous oppressors.  If Brian Deneke and Sophie Lancaster were alive today, they would probably hate these hypocrites.  Even if the goth or punk was not previously abused, they should still be aware that others were before.  It is important to remember these horrendous murders to stop people from continuing the hatred under a different guise.

Bigotry is getting lamer.

In a world where there are truly ignoble people such as pedophiles, human traffickers, bombers, cold-blooded killers, child pornographers, animal rapists, elder rapists, scam artists, corporate criminals, and other felons, one would think there would be a greater cause for hatred.  Instead subculture bigots are against people who dress differently.  Parents made their kids dress up for special occasions in itchy, “nice” clothes.  Later in life, these same parents fight with their teens over what to wear, trying to make their children look “normal” and “neat.”  Bigots are mad about clothes that are not even on their own bodies, and no one is forcing them to wear.

A person should be free to like or dislike whatever they want, but wanting to take away that same freedom for others is weak.  So what if someone likes a band that you do not like?  Who cares if someone wants the new iPhone and a rotatory phone?  Who cares about someone else's hairstyle?  Who cares if someone likes black roses and teardrops?  People complain that emos are whiny, drama queens who cry and complain about having typical teenage problems.  Newsflash, that’s called adolescence.  It is possible that these subcultured people are going through difficult times, or maybe not.  They may just like the fashions and music.  If you do not know someone, you do not know what they are going through.

Bigotry has sunken to a new low.  Without racism, sexism, and xenophobia, prejudiced people are scavenging for ways to hate.  Though, it is arguably as stupid to hate someone for the color of their skin as hating someone for the color of their clothes.  Another form of hatred that goes back to the beginning of human civilization is religious bigotry.  This prejudice is not even appearance based.  This is hating someone for having a different thought about God, the afterlife, or the theory of how the universe was created.  It is a hatred that attacks a person’s right to think.  Bashing handicaps is pathetic because instead of being grateful for one’s health and well-being, it is hating someone for being less fortunate.  Hatred based on sexual orientation is more complicated due to religion.  It lends the false fear that the person is preying on anyone of the same gender, consenting or not.  All it takes is the realization that they do not have those intentions.  Heterosexuals are not all sexual predators, so why would that apply to homosexuals or bisexuals?  Also more complicated is the hatred against immigrants.  Bigots argue that they are taking our jobs, however they are still living, breathing people with thoughts and feelings, and they do not deserve to be abused or killed.

Instead of feeling the job market is being threatened, punks and goths feel their music scenes are being threatened by emos and more derogatorily, posers, people who do not meet their personal standards of the subcultures.  Some metalheads feel that hipsters and emos are infesting nightclubs, simply because those subcultures are too popular.  Jocks and “preps” feel their environments are being threatened by punks and goths, due to them being stereotyped as criminals and that they perceive them as trashy.  Some black people feel their culture is being taken by white people, “wiggers,” who copy their fashion statements and indulge in rap music, which Harris and Herbert listened.  It does not matter, a music genre will not be ruined simply because new people have entered “the scene.”  If it ruins a person’s perspective of their longtime loved music, books, movies, and friends, then that person has a weak mind for not maintaining the memory.

After some pondering, the older forms of hatred are just as lame as prejudices against subcultures.  Although, the new low that bigotry has reached is the cause is ever weaker.  Fear of not being able to get a job due to competition is a more mature fear than a music scene being polluted by new tastes.  Hating emerging subcultures is like hating immigrants in the sense of fearing multi-culturalism.  In this case it is a fear of multi-subculturalism.  Ultimately, it is a fear of diversity.

©2013 Caroline Friehs

Originally posted:  May 16, 2013

Updated:  May 17, 2013.
Updated upon blog renovation completion.
Last update on April 9, 2019 to clarify points in last section that reflects updated knowledge.

 

References

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News Channel 10 (2006 July).  Teen Killer Camp Receives Parole.  NewsChannel10.com.  Retrieved from:  http://www.newschannel10.com/Global/story.asp?s=5196616&clienttype=printable#

Smith, M (2006 Jul. 26).  Teen’s killer leaving prison.  Amarillo Globe News.  Retrieved from:  http://amarillo.com/stories/072606/new_5198806.shtml

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Acronyms/The Free Dictionary.com (2013).  SORP definitions.  Retrieved from:  http://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/SORP