We have enough hate

This week, we report in more detail on a troubling incident in Tower that has shocked many in the community, and rightfully so. On July 22, four young men, all teenagers, lured an adult male to town who was expecting to meet another adult male with whom he had been corresponding on Grindr, a dating app used primarily by gay and bisexual individuals.
Instead of finding another adult male, the victim quickly discovered he had been entrapped, lured to an area near Tower’s train depot after dark, where the area teenagers lay in wait, intending to beat him while streaming the assault live on the internet. Video of the attack makes it clear that the assault was targeted and premeditated.
According to the juvenile delinquency petition submitted to the court by law enforcement, the assailants used metal and wooden rods and poles to beat the man. The video shows the young assailants threatening to kill the man and ordering him to get down on his knees. They also used the n-word although the adult male involved was not Black.
This is the kind of incident that we’ve occasionally heard or read about happening in some other community. We certainly never expected to have to report on such an incident—which has all the hallmarks of a hate crime— in our community.
We’re not experts on the darker side of social media and would prefer to keep it that way. But from what we understand, these kinds of assaults are sometimes undertaken to generate attention and views on some types of social media. And they’re consistent with the recent trend of rising violence and threats of violence against members of the LGBTQ community. According to FBI statistics, anti-LGBTQ hate crimes increased 19 percent in 2022, the most recent year for which data is available. Hate crimes based on gender identity, which was not apparent in this instance, jumped by a third in that same year.
While extremists operating on the web, particularly the dark web, play a major role in spreading anti-LGBTQ hate and fueling assaults, the increasing willingness of our political leaders to sanction or even encourage such hateful impulses, is contributing as well. As the old saying goes, “If you’re not part of the solution you’re part of the problem.”
When political leaders vilify LGBTQ individuals, it gives a kind of permission in the minds of some that physical or verbal attacks or harassment are justified.
Given this recent incident, it also should prompt consideration by all parents, teachers, and others who interact with young people in our region to consider their own use of language. Young people often reflect the views and opinions they hear at home, at school, or from others in positions of authority. If they regularly hear hateful things, it increases the chances they’ll react to their world in ways that reflect that.
Unfortunately, young people these days have ready access to many unsavory influences on social media, a place inhabited by some of the most extreme elements in our society. The young men involved in this incident didn’t arrive at their plans on their own… they’re finding this stuff on the web and had undoubtedly hoped that their video would draw lots of views, likes, and possibly copycat attacks. The extremists who fill such sites with hate are vile human beings, the last kind of people to whom we should wish to expose impressionable young minds.
That’s why parents should take steps to monitor or restrict their children’s access to social media and why government has an obligation to hold companies accountable when they fail to adequately police their own sites to guard against such incidents of hate.
Fortunately, in this case, the video they made should help to make the case for their prosecution. They face serious charges, and rightfully so.
As we note in our story, the outcome in this case could have been much worse. The community owes thanks to Tower EMT Steve Freshour, who not only reported the assault as it was happening, he intervened and chased off the assailants, undoubtedly saving the victim from further injury or even death. Freshour’s actions were heroic in every sense of the word.
The prompt response of Breitung Police Chief Dan Reing was also key, making it possible to quickly identify the perpetrators, place them in custody, and begin the process to ensure they face serious consequences for their actions. We recognize that the individuals involved in this attack are young and we can only hope that real accountability in this instance, along with counseling, will put them on a better path in life. We don’t need more hate in America. There’s already more than enough to go around.