Play provokes frank discussion of hate in Tahoe
By Kathryn Reed
Laramie, Wyoming, and South Lake Tahoe, California, have more in common than the latter would probably like to admit.
The populations are about the same. Both are small Western towns. Both have snowcapped mountains to look at this time of year. One relied on the railroad and now mostly ranching, the other had logging and now tourism as the economic heartbeat.
Panelists discuss "The Laramie Project" and hate in South Lake Tahoe on Sunday. Photo/Kathryn Reed
Hate crimes is the sinister link.
Laramie, for what two men did in Matthew Shepard in 1998. They beat him to death because he was gay.
South Lake Tahoe, for what a local couple did to two tourists in 2007. Last week they were convicted of the brutal beating of the Indian-American man at El Dorado Beach.
Hatred is alive in Lake Tahoe. Ethan Niven has been a victim for years. It started when he was a freshman at South Tahoe High School. At 20, the homosexual taunts have continued in town.
He and six others were part of a panel discussion Sunday after the matinee performance of “The Laramie Project†at Lake Tahoe Community College.
(The play is based on how the town of Laramie dealt with Shepard’s killing.)
Joining Niven were Robert Autre and Alisa Bindel, both of the South Lake Tahoe Police Department; Lisa Utzig-Schafer of South Lake Tahoe Women’s Center; businessman and City Councilman Jerry Birdwell; FBI agent Chris Campion; and Matt Huckabay with the Center for Violence Free Relationships in Placerville.
“I was scared to try out for this play,†Niven, who is a student at LTCC, told the audience. He and the nine other actors each play a variety of roles.
Campion pointed to 2004 when Nazi graffiti littered Temple Bat Yam.
“We don’t want to think it happens in our community and it does,†Campion said of hate crimes.
Birdwell spoke of how when he was appointed as a judge in Texas that he and his partner had security living with them because they were openly gay. Death threats were multiple. Property was destroyed. Their home and work picketed.
“In 1969, when I started practicing law the hate in Dallas, Texas, was tremendous. We made progress just by working,†Birdwell said. “People were afraid of losing their jobs and they still are. When we moved here we didn’t see the hatred.â€
Much of the afternoon’s discussion, with input from those in attendance, centered on the need for education inside and outside of the classroom.
“Think about the power of community. The bottom line is it really isn’t about being right, but the values we share as a community,†Huckabay said. “We can all agree it is not OK for kids to be unsafe at school.â€
Utzig-Schafer spoke of the curriculum she takes into the schools, with this being the first school year an 11-week segment on violence is being taught to freshmen.
Niven didn’t have anything good to say about how his situation was handled at the high school – by staff, administration or law enforcement.
Alex Boyar, a friend of Niven’s who was in the audience, spoke to the need for educating youth as prevention so laws like the federal Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Hate Crime Act that was passed in October don’t have to be used by prosecutors.
Apparently the education needs to start at the college. Unbeknownst to director Susan Boulanger until after Saturday night’s performance was a group of LTCC students taunting the actors.
Utzig-Shafer said that as enthusiastic as students are with what she has to teach, it has to continue at home.
“You need to talk to your kids. There are a lot of things going on at the high school,†she said.
Huckabay said, “Education is key, but we have to educate ourselves. If you really care, then you have to get involved otherwise the status quo continues.â€
A white South Tahoe High School sophomore attending the play said he believes Hispanic students get more help with harassment.
To this, Autre said, “Our officers try to be racially sensitive.â€
Jen Gurecki, an attendee, asked what was going to be done about the planned protest on March 19 by the Kansas Westboro Baptist Church followers.
The college has hired a police officer to be on duty. Peaceful protests are in the works starting at 7pm March 19. Campion said he doubts they’ll show, but said the First Amendment protects their right to protest the play. Huckabay called it an opportunity.
“They best thing is to fill this theater,†Huckabay said. “The thing you can do is be proactive. Have fun with them. It’s not new to use religion as a tactic to keep people down and oppressed. Show them the hypocrisy.â€
A candlelight vigil is planned for March 20 following the performance.
“The Laramie Project†will be at the Duke Theatre at LTCC in South Lake Tahoe on March 18, 19, 20 at 7:30pm and March 21 at 2pm.
Hate Crimes vs. Hate Incidents
A hate incident is any act, whether consisting of conduct, speech, or expression, to which a bias motive is evident as a contributing factor, without regard for whether the act constitutes a crime.
Hate incidents involve behaviors that, though motivated by bias against a victim’s race, religion, ethnic/national origin, gender, age, are not necessarily criminal acts. Hostile or hateful speech, for example may be motivated by bias but is not illegal. They become crimes only when they directly incite perpetrators to commit violence against persons or property, or if they place a victim in reasonable fear of physical injury. Officers should thoroughly document evidence in all bias-motivated incidents. Law enforcement can help to defuse potentially dangerous situations and prevent bias-motivated criminal behavior by responding to and documenting bias-motivated speech or behavior even if it does not rise to the level of a criminal offense.
When a hate crime or bias related incident occurs, many individual’s and group’s feelings of fear, outrage or alienation are intensified. When this happens it is important that the victims know what type of resources within the community are available for them. This is important not only for the victims, but also for the larger community.
Dealing with victim and community aftermath of a hate crime needs to involve a multi-step process. First, the response by the police needs to be professional as well as sensitive to the victim’s emotions. Each police department should have a civil rights officer in place who is able to meet the needs of the victims of bias crime. Policies should also be implemented with respect to the victim’s and community concerns. It is also essential that the initial response is rapid. Secondly, “sanctions against bigotry and hatred are very effective when coming from the neighbors, friends and relatives of the perpetrators of hate crimes.”
The community needs to recognize problems which may have precipitated an incident, and if so, address what steps can be taken to rectify the situation. It also needs to assess community resources which are interested in addressing issues of racial/ethnic intolerance. This can be done through the implementation of a community action committee.
Hate is universal ,it’s older than religion,it works in many different forms.
Example: you don’t have to be gay to see the injustice we all face.
If you have long hair,police harass you as being a dope freak,another is the strip club,some people right here on the comment board automatic think strip clubs as being Evil,the hookers are moving in at state-line.(closed minds)!
Right around the corner there’s a gay man,been in the neighborhood for 12 years,We’ve all seen a lot trouble there over the years,but it’s not anti gay people, it’s other gay men fighting,there’s even been stabbing there.He uses the gay card a lot with his close neighbors.I’ve been woken up many times over the years with screams about “help me ,call the police,help me”,it’s always been the guys lover treating him bad for something he did.No one calls the police,I know they can hear his screams.The police have been there over the years.I finally called one night,the guy accuses the police of coming there because he’s gay.The neighbors finally had it contacted the owner of the property with a threat of a civil suit, things got cleaned up.It was not because he’s gay but he was a public nuisance,fights, drugs,and really we all knew he took under aged boys there.People looked the other way because they didn’t want get involved.
It’s unfortunate when people like Macoche have neighbors who use the “hate card” too frequently because victims may end up being viewed as “the boy who cried wolf” — and then will the police or neighbors take it seriously when a plea is heard if a true hate crime DOES occur?
This town sometimes feels like it’s dying by degrees. When we have an opportunity for growth, we shouldn’t shy away from it. The Laramie Project is one of those opportunities. It does not lie in the opportunity to clash with a religious organization, it is in the play itself. It is a moving story, and it is relevant to South Lake Tahoe in the similarities to its size and the collective mentality of a small town. There are untold stories of brutality which people here endure every day; there are many ways to brutalize a person out of hatred, aside from tying them to a fence and beating them to death. There are smaller incremental deaths that are inflicted here every day.
I think plays like The Laramie Project opens minds and makes people ultimately more tolerant of their fellow men and women. Rather than coming to it loaded for bear and preparing for a fight, I’d like people to arrive prepared to look right past any protesters. Not to try to ‘have fun with them’ but to move right past, and inside. And for them to look forward to what they will see after they sit down in the theater. Afterward, I think most people will find themselves changed internally, regardless of what they felt before they entered the theater.
I wish there was an amendment that would force the protesters to view the play. They are the ones who need to see it, really.
If a crime is committed which was partially motivated by a hate towards race, religion, ethnicity or sexual orientation then it is a hate crime.
There should not be a whole lot to discuss in this regard. What is needed is a way to educate people that racially biased crimes can result in prosecution in the federal court. Just this would automatically result in a “respect for the fellow man” in most of the cases.
People who are unfortunately raised in homes where supremacy of a race, a religion or a ethnicity is touted are prone to commit such crimes of hate. We can preach about love as much as want but if a teenager goes back to his or her home where mom and dad are ranting against a race or a religion or other then our preaching is nullified right there.