“He’ll have to get his Indian doctor if he wants treatment”
July 1, 2011 11:36 AM   Subscribe

'Johnny and Lisa Bonta, a Native family from the Reno Sparks Indian Colony, became the latest victims of a hate crime on May 24', 2011. 'The Bontas said since this happened, at least four other Native families have told them they too were harassed and attacked by skinheads in nearby border towns. But people told her they don’t report the incidents because they don’t believe police will help them.' '“We lost everything as a result of this attack, and now we’re homeless since we can’t go back to Fernley,” said Lisa.'

'“I was pumping gas at Quick Stop on our way to Reno to look for another job when these skinheads in a blue car drove by real slow and checked us out. The driver jumped out with a baseball bat, and I asked them ‘why you holding a bat?” said Bonta. “He said ‘let’s do this’ and tried to pick a fight. I don’t know how to explain what happened—we didn’t do anything to them.”'

'“They all jumped out of the car with baseball bats, knives and a crowbar, and we knew they were going to hurt us,” said Lisa Bonta'

'The fight broke out on the highway after 1 p.m. and while traffic was passing by, no one would stop to help them. Lisa and her daughter, Alyssa, were terrified watching the brutal and bloody fight as her unarmed husband and son-in-law tried to fight off the three young men in their 20s.'

'“I saw one of them hit my husband in the head with a bat, and the other one was trying to cut off his braid with a knife. Johnny was covered in blood and they just kept hitting him with a crow bar. They even tried to slit his throat,” she added.

“Jacob Cassell had my son-in-law on the ground in a chokehold and Shane was turning blue. My daughter was sobbing ‘they’re killing him’ and somehow she found the strength to hit Jacob in self-defense so he would release Shane.”'

'Lisa said Jacob Cassell taunted the family as the sirens approached, telling them, “You hear those cops coming? They’re not going to help you. My daddy is a cop in this town, and nothing is going to happen to me. You fucking niggers are going to jail.”

When Lyon County Sheriff’s officers arrived, they took statements and began filling out police reports with Cassell and his friends, but they did not take statements from any of the victims. When Lisa asked why they were not being questioned for a statement, no one responded. “They ignored us,” she said, before she suffered a seizure and required medical attention.'

'Lisa Bonta is outraged that their attackers were all released at the scene of the crime and were not charged despite the fact they bragged about it on Facebook on May 24, the day of the attack.'
posted by VikingSword (5 comments total)

This post was deleted for the following reason: That's fucked up, but as is this post is just "look at this fucked up thing that happened". -- cortex



 
If I had a fucking rocket launcher.
posted by fourcheesemac at 11:38 AM on July 1, 2011 [1 favorite]


I lived in Fernley for a few years as a child. The place is worthless.

The principal of the local (as in only) elementary school's attitude towards fights in the schoolyard was, "Boys will be boys". As in, who cares.
posted by fnerg at 11:43 AM on July 1, 2011


It makes me sick to my stomach. What on earth makes these predators think this sort of thing is acceptable? Just because they can get away with it, I guess...
posted by GrammarMoses at 11:44 AM on July 1, 2011


If I had a fucking rocket launcher.

No. No violence for violence. Write to your congressional reps and senators. Write to the FBI, and very politely demand a full investigation and prosecution.

Time to go LBJ on their ass.
posted by Slap*Happy at 11:46 AM on July 1, 2011 [1 favorite]


What on earth makes these predators think this sort of thing is acceptable? Just because they can get away with it, I guess...

And the reason they get away with it is because nine times out of ten, the average Jo/e on the street, when s/he hears about this, thinks "we shouldn't let them get away with this," but....never does anything more to stand up to them.

The article did go on to state that people are drawing up a petition, but there should be a hell of a lot more than that. And until there is, the predetors are going to get away with it because no one is actively trying to stop them.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:47 AM on July 1, 2011 [1 favorite]


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