Let's hear it for mob justice - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

highthief · 06-21-2007, 02:12 PM

So this crowd of citizens beat an innocent man to death for being in the same car as did accidentally and slightly strike a girl.

Just what the hell is wrong with people? I wonder how common this is - every once in a while a story like this comes across the wire.

Anyone have any stats?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6224538.stm

US crowd beats passenger to death

An angry Texas crowd has beaten and killed a 40-year-old car passenger after a driver injured a young girl near the site of a busy local festival.
Police said the driver of the car had stopped to check on the health of the girl, said to be aged three or four.

But when the passenger got out to see how she was, he was set upon by a group of up to 20 people before being left lying in a car park, police said.

The girl was hit at low speed and was not seriously injured.

The incident happened near Austin, Texas, as crowd of between 2,000-3,000 people gathered for the annual Juneteenth festival, which commemorates the freeing of American slaves.

According to reports, the driver of the car hit the girl at a low speed while moving through a car park, and then stopped so his passenger could check on her condition.

Things get out of hand pretty quickly and people don't have the good sense to stop

But the angry crowd quickly turned on David Rivas Morales, 40, beating him before leaving him lying on the ground.

He was taken to hospital but pronounced dead soon afterwards. A preliminary autopsy listed "blunt force trauma" as the cause of death, the Associated Press reported.

The driver was able to leave the scene in his car.

"Mr Morales could have been assaulted by two to 20 folks," said Harold Piatt, from the Austin police department.

"It's that same crowd mindset of being one face in 1,000. Things get out of hand pretty quickly and people don't have the good sense to stop."

Charlatan · 06-21-2007, 02:59 PM

the mob is a scary thing. i can't believe this sort of thing still happens.

Ch'i · 06-21-2007, 03:01 PM

What the hell is wrong with those people?

Willravel · 06-21-2007, 03:08 PM

What can I say? That's Texas. Things are just a little more death oriented there. Obviously every member who laid a hand on the man should be charged with second degree murder. The only problem with that is, of course, that they'd all be put to death in the Texas judicial system.

Psst, Texas, calm the fuck down and stop killing people. It's not cool. Take up surfing like California or sailing like Massachusetts. Or be boring like North Dakota.

World's King · 06-21-2007, 03:10 PM

Hmmm...

Guilty by association?

analog · 06-21-2007, 03:37 PM

People are insane over anything having to do with children. Common sense goes right out the fucking window. Not a single fucking brain among them, just bullshit blind revenge.

I hope they find every last one of those assholes and charge them with first degree murder.

Sion · 06-21-2007, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by analog

I hope they find every last one of those assholes and charge them with first degree murder.

a prerequisite for a 1st degree murder charge is premediation. I doubt you could make that stick.

analog · 06-21-2007, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sion

a prerequisite for a 1st degree murder charge is premediation. I doubt you could make that stick.

Another, separate, prerequisite is "in the furtherance of another serious criminal offense (kidnapping, robbery, etc.)". They were already embroiled in a pretty serious fit of battery, and killed him. I think you're less likely to convict on "accidentally killed" (manslaughter) when they clearly ganged up on him to do him grievous harm. And if the area has a law regarding vigilantism specifically, then that pretty much locks it up as first degree.

jorgelito · 06-21-2007, 06:20 PM

Let's not paint all Texans with the same brush. I know I wouldn't like it if people painted all us Californians as pot-smoking, uptight, liberal, weenies. Or if they thought of us as law breaking looters and rioters too since we have a history and track record of that too. Come to think of it, I think we have the death penalty too......

That mob should definitely be ashamed of themselves and be brought to justice.

Willravel · 06-21-2007, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jorgelito

Let's not paint all Texans with the same brush. I know I wouldn't like it if people painted all us Californians as pot-smoking, uptight, liberal, weenies. Or if they thought of us as law breaking looters and rioters too since we have a history and track record of that too. Come to think of it, I think we have the death penalty too......

Okay, okay. Those Texans.

The Faba · 06-21-2007, 08:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jorgelito

all us Californians as pot-smoking, uptight, liberal, weenies.

Wait... you're not?

XD

jorgelito · 06-21-2007, 11:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Faba

Wait... you're not?

XD

Ha ha. No, I am not.

Quote:

Originally Posted by willravel

Okay, okay. Those Texans.

tenniels · 06-21-2007, 11:27 PM

That's really sad. The guy didn't even do anything, I don't understand it. How could a person live with themselves knowing they just beat someone to death for no reason? And I agree with analog, people get their shit in an unnecessary knot whenever it comes to children. Even if the kid was hurt or whatever, you don't go killing someone over it. I have never hit a kid with my car, but there have been many times when a kid has run out in front of me, especially in a parking lot. Very sad.

Bill O'Rights · 06-22-2007, 05:28 AM

Hmmmm...

I'm wondering...just wondering, mind you...if there wasn't just a liiiittle bit more behind this.
I'm gonna go ahead and throw down the "race card", in this little game.

Consider...
A.) This was a "Juneteenth" celebration. Therefore, one might expect a predominately black crowd.

B.) David Rivas Morales has a decided Hispanic tone to it.

C.) I know that there is a great deal of animosity between the black and hispanic population, in the Omaha area. Due largely to competition for unskilled jobs, amoung other more ridiculous things.

D.) I don't "know" how this plays out in other parts of the country (Texas), but here...something like that could've easily gotten very nasty.

Maybe it had not a thing to do with it. I don't know. But...given my personal experiences, I have to consider the possibility.

Shauk · 06-22-2007, 06:27 AM

having lived most of my life in WA, with the other parts spread out throughout ID, VA, NC, and yep, even TX.. i gotta say, people in TX are pretty damned easy to stereotype. Sorry to say it, but its true.

if you're different, thank your lucky stars.

Xazy · 06-22-2007, 06:42 AM

Reading this just reminds me of the crown height riots. I agree anyone involved should be charged.

Jinn · 06-22-2007, 07:04 AM

that's why you pop a cap in the ass of the first person to swing at you

suddenly the mob is less interested in beating you to death

sapiens · 06-22-2007, 07:19 AM

Austin Police are changing their story. Apparently, it wasn't "mob justice". Police are looking for 3-4 people. Fifteen to twenty people witnessed the murdeer (Not 500) and the murder was not related to the Juneteenth festival.

http://www.news8austin.com/content/t...sp?ArID=186578

Quote:

City clears up confusion about beating death
Updated: 6/22/2007 10:02 AM
By: Veronica Castelo

Moments after the Austin City Council officially hired Art Acevedo as the new police chief, he apologized for the Austin Police Department' role in the misinformation reported around the world about the brutal beating death of David Morales.

"We apologize to the community and we will not have that happen again," Acevedo said.

Morales was killed by 3-4 men in the parking lot of the Booker T. Washington apartments in East Austin on Tuesday night. Police say the men attacked Morales after the car he was in struck a 2-year old boy.

Police are still investigating, but city manager Toby Futrell said it didn't go down the way news outlets around the world reported.

Futrell was one of several top city and emergency management officials to address the media Thursday during a press conference at City Hall.

"I will give you an example of the national news coverage that I
heard this morning, '500 people people saw the assault,'" Futrell said.

Futrell said the number of people who witnessed the beating was 15 to 20, not 500. She also said Morales was not killed by a crowd of people like reported.

"I also heard on the national news that up to 20 people
participated in the assault. What we are trying to tell you is
that three to four people could have participated in this assault.
That's what police need help with, not 20," Futrell said.

Reports the beating was linked to the Juneteenth Festival was addressed by assistant city manager Michael McDonald.

"This happened several blocks away. It had absolutely nothing to
do with the Juneteenth festival," McDonald said.

Assistant Police Chief David Carter said the police department was partially to blame for the confusion.

"The police department has some responsibility in putting out
accurate information. We did not do that with our initial press
release," Carter said.

Originally, police said there were 2,000 to 3,000 people in the area. They were referring to the entire area near Rosewood Park that was packed with people from the festival. They were not referring to the parking lot where Morales was killed.

"What happened was that information we put out allowed
people to jump to conclusions," Carter said.

Mayor Will Wynn said he's received several e-mails from misinformed international media outlets.

"The city played a role in that. We didn't handle our initial public
statement well and it caused confusion," Wynn said.

Carter said the confusion forced the police department to evaluate and improve the way police release information to the public.

In addition to clearing up the confusion, city leaders stressed the fact the murder is still unsolved. It's the one fact police hope every media outlet everywhere keeps reporting until the men are caught.

"We're looking for three or four heinous criminals. I want to
bring them to justice," Carter said.

Jinn · 06-22-2007, 09:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JinnKai

that's why you pop a cap in the ass of the first person to swing at you

suddenly the mob is less interested in beating you to death

that's why you pop a cap in the ass of the first person to swing at you

suddenly the 3-4 people are now 2-3 people and are less interested in beating you to death

pig · 06-22-2007, 11:34 AM

hmmm....it seems to me sapiens, that they could also be offering the new release so that some of the people involved, perhaps only tangentially, might feel that they can turn in 3 or 4 of the worst offenders and play the 'innocent spectator' card. not saying that's what it is going on, but perhaps they are trying to shape perception with the revised release?

regardless, i heard about this earlier in the week and all i could think was that people are fucked up. when you get them in groups, it's sometimes a nice big party, and sometimes it's just a bad bad scene. this sounds like a really bad scene.

biznatch · 06-24-2007, 10:49 AM

I remember once I pulled this 6-7 year old girl off an NYC street by her arm on to the sidewalk because a car was roaring towards her. I think she would've been killed or seriously injured had I done nothing. The kid started crying and the mom, who was looking at a storefront while the incident happened, yelled at me and started insulting me.
Crazy parents freak me out.

medlar · 06-24-2007, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tenniels

That's really sad. The guy didn't even do anything, I don't understand it. How could a person live with themselves knowing they just beat someone to death for no reason? And I agree with analog, people get their shit in an unnecessary knot whenever it comes to children. Even if the kid was hurt or whatever, you don't go killing someone over it. I have never hit a kid with my car, but there have been many times when a kid has run out in front of me, especially in a parking lot. Very sad.

It's sometimes no wonder why people don't stay at the scene of an accident.

Here in Vancouver, a few months a back an elderly couple ran over a twelve y.o kid, worse they backed over him again! They hightailed it from the accident scene leaving the kid and his friends totally traumatized. After it was in the news and people were getting up in arms the old couple eventually turned themselves in. I'll have to find a news link to that, it was unbelievable.

06-21-2007, 02:12 PM	#1 (permalink)
highthief Junkie Location: Ontario, Canada	Let's hear it for mob justice So this crowd of citizens beat an innocent man to death for being in the same car as did accidentally and slightly strike a girl. Just what the hell is wrong with people? I wonder how common this is - every once in a while a story like this comes across the wire. Anyone have any stats? http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6224538.stm US crowd beats passenger to death An angry Texas crowd has beaten and killed a 40-year-old car passenger after a driver injured a young girl near the site of a busy local festival. Police said the driver of the car had stopped to check on the health of the girl, said to be aged three or four. But when the passenger got out to see how she was, he was set upon by a group of up to 20 people before being left lying in a car park, police said. The girl was hit at low speed and was not seriously injured. The incident happened near Austin, Texas, as crowd of between 2,000-3,000 people gathered for the annual Juneteenth festival, which commemorates the freeing of American slaves. According to reports, the driver of the car hit the girl at a low speed while moving through a car park, and then stopped so his passenger could check on her condition. Things get out of hand pretty quickly and people don't have the good sense to stop But the angry crowd quickly turned on David Rivas Morales, 40, beating him before leaving him lying on the ground. He was taken to hospital but pronounced dead soon afterwards. A preliminary autopsy listed "blunt force trauma" as the cause of death, the Associated Press reported. The driver was able to leave the scene in his car. "Mr Morales could have been assaulted by two to 20 folks," said Harold Piatt, from the Austin police department. "It's that same crowd mindset of being one face in 1,000. Things get out of hand pretty quickly and people don't have the good sense to stop." __________________ Si vis pacem parabellum.

06-21-2007, 02:59 PM	#2 (permalink)
Charlatan Getting it. Super Moderator Location: Lion City	the mob is a scary thing. i can't believe this sort of thing still happens. __________________ "My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars." - Old Man Luedecke

06-21-2007, 03:08 PM	#4 (permalink)
Willravel ... a sort of licensed troubleshooter.	What can I say? That's Texas. Things are just a little more death oriented there. Obviously every member who laid a hand on the man should be charged with second degree murder. The only problem with that is, of course, that they'd all be put to death in the Texas judicial system. Psst, Texas, calm the fuck down and stop killing people. It's not cool. Take up surfing like California or sailing like Massachusetts. Or be boring like North Dakota. Last edited by Willravel; 06-21-2007 at 06:13 PM.. Reason: good point about first degree murder...

06-21-2007, 03:10 PM	#5 (permalink)
World's King Here Location: Denver City Denver	Hmmm... Guilty by association? __________________ heavy is the head that wears the crown

06-21-2007, 11:27 PM	#13 (permalink)
tenniels Insane Location: Oh Canada!!	That's really sad. The guy didn't even do anything, I don't understand it. How could a person live with themselves knowing they just beat someone to death for no reason? And I agree with analog, people get their shit in an unnecessary knot whenever it comes to children. Even if the kid was hurt or whatever, you don't go killing someone over it. I have never hit a kid with my car, but there have been many times when a kid has run out in front of me, especially in a parking lot. Very sad. __________________ I like things. And stuff. But I prefer to have things over stuff.

06-21-2007, 03:01 PM	#3 (permalink)
Ch'i Artist of Life	What the hell is wrong with those people?

06-21-2007, 03:37 PM	#6 (permalink)
analog Banned	People are insane over anything having to do with children. Common sense goes right out the fucking window. Not a single fucking brain among them, just bullshit blind revenge. I hope they find every last one of those assholes and charge them with first degree murder.

06-21-2007, 06:20 PM	#9 (permalink)
jorgelito All important elusive independent swing voter... Location: People's Republic of KKKalifornia	Let's not paint all Texans with the same brush. I know I wouldn't like it if people painted all us Californians as pot-smoking, uptight, liberal, weenies. Or if they thought of us as law breaking looters and rioters too since we have a history and track record of that too. Come to think of it, I think we have the death penalty too...... That mob should definitely be ashamed of themselves and be brought to justice.

06-22-2007, 05:28 AM	#14 (permalink)
Bill O'Rights will always be an Alyson Hanniganite Location: In the dust of the archives	Hmmmm... I'm wondering...just wondering, mind you...if there wasn't just a liiiittle bit more behind this. I'm gonna go ahead and throw down the "race card", in this little game. Consider... A.) This was a "Juneteenth" celebration. Therefore, one might expect a predominately black crowd. B.) David Rivas Morales has a decided Hispanic tone to it. C.) I know that there is a great deal of animosity between the black and hispanic population, in the Omaha area. Due largely to competition for unskilled jobs, amoung other more ridiculous things. D.) I don't "know" how this plays out in other parts of the country (Texas), but here...something like that could've easily gotten very nasty. Maybe it had not a thing to do with it. I don't know. But...given my personal experiences, I have to consider the possibility. __________________ "I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires." - Susan B. Anthony "Hedonism with rules isn't hedonism at all, it's the Republican party." - JumpinJesus It is indisputable that true beauty lies within...but a nice rack sure doesn't hurt.

06-22-2007, 06:27 AM	#15 (permalink)
Shauk Confused Adult Location: Spokane, WA	having lived most of my life in WA, with the other parts spread out throughout ID, VA, NC, and yep, even TX.. i gotta say, people in TX are pretty damned easy to stereotype. Sorry to say it, but its true. if you're different, thank your lucky stars.

06-22-2007, 06:42 AM	#16 (permalink)
Xazy People in masks cannot be trusted Location: NYC	Reading this just reminds me of the crown height riots. I agree anyone involved should be charged.

06-22-2007, 07:04 AM	#17 (permalink)
Jinn Lover - Protector - Teacher Location: Seattle, WA	that's why you pop a cap in the ass of the first person to swing at you suddenly the mob is less interested in beating you to death __________________ "I'm typing on a computer of science, which is being sent by science wires to a little science server where you can access it. I'm not typing on a computer of philosophy or religion or whatever other thing you think can be used to understand the universe because they're a poor substitute in the role of understanding the universe which exists independent from ourselves." - Willravel

06-22-2007, 11:34 AM	#20 (permalink)
pig pigglet pigglet Location: Locash	hmmm....it seems to me sapiens, that they could also be offering the new release so that some of the people involved, perhaps only tangentially, might feel that they can turn in 3 or 4 of the worst offenders and play the 'innocent spectator' card. not saying that's what it is going on, but perhaps they are trying to shape perception with the revised release? regardless, i heard about this earlier in the week and all i could think was that people are fucked up. when you get them in groups, it's sometimes a nice big party, and sometimes it's just a bad bad scene. this sounds like a really bad scene. __________________ You don't love me, you just love my piggy style

06-24-2007, 10:49 AM	#21 (permalink)
biznatch Junkie Location: France	I remember once I pulled this 6-7 year old girl off an NYC street by her arm on to the sidewalk because a car was roaring towards her. I think she would've been killed or seriously injured had I done nothing. The kid started crying and the mom, who was looking at a storefront while the incident happened, yelled at me and started insulting me. Crazy parents freak me out. __________________ Check it out: The Open Source/Freeware/Gratis Software Thread