October 9, 2011 in City

Hate crime alleged outside gay bar

Chelsea Bannach and Jonathan Brunt The Spokesman-Review

Tags:Danny HawkinsDempsey’s Brass Railgay rightshate crimeOutSpokaneSpokane Police Department

A gay rights advocate and board member of OutSpokane says he was a victim of what he believes was a hate crime late Friday night, but Spokane police disagree.

Danny Hawkins said he was enjoying a night out with his friends at Dempsey’s Brass Rail, a popular gay bar in downtown Spokane. His fun night, however, ended with a fight and a visit to a hospital.

He said he and his partner left the bar and were in a nearby parking lot when he thought a car was going to hit him.

“I hit their car to say ‘Hey, don’t run us over’ and at that point they got mad,” he said.

The driver got out and beat Hawkins, leaving him with a black eye, a laceration on his head and a sprained ankle.

The man asked him if he was gay before continuing to assault him and calling him a derogatory name based on his sexual orientation, Hawkins said.

“I would say it was a hate crime,” he said. “It didn’t start as a hate crime, but it escalated into a hate crime.”

Spokane Police Officer Tim Moses said the driver initially tried to drive away after Hawkins hit the Jeep, but Hawkins kicked the man’s rear bumper twice, prompting the driver to exit the vehicle to challenge Hawkins. He said the driver punched Hawkins, who fell to the ground. Hawkins then comfronted the driver and the driver hit Hawkins twice more, Moses said.

Moses said police take hate crimes extremely seriously, but that Hawkins did not tell police Friday night that he believed the incident was a hate crime.

Moses said both the driver and Hawkins felt they were victims, and there wasn’t probably cause to arrest either.

Moses described the incident as “a little bit too much alcohol, a little too much emotion.”

The driver and Hawkins’ partner called police about the incident separately, Moses said.

“It’s not going to go away,” Hawkins said. “It’s just going to get dealt with one way or another. I hope the police step up and don’t have to be pushed to follow up and do something about it. Even if it’s not a hate crime, my face shouldn’t look like this.”

79 comments on this story so far. Add yours!

jimvw2 on October 09 at 6:37 a.m.
This kind of comment should be deleted from this blog. Lewis probably got busted for breaking the law at some point, so it’s open season on all cops. Get over yourself Lewis.
DHF on October 09 at 6:58 a.m.
Danny you should have stayed home and you probably would not have got hurt.
opiemuyo on October 09 at 7:32 a.m.
I do my drinking at home also, less conflict. Is this a sign of maturity, and going out and getting into fights outside a bar a sign of lack therof? Not really getting any sympathy form me when statements are made in the heat of a fist fight. Lots of folks say things they don’t mean in the heat of the moment.
The_Seer on October 09 at 7:43 a.m.
So let me see if I have this “straight…”
Dude smacks someone’s car, yells at them and then calls it a hate crime when a resultant (and somewhat to be expected) beat down occurs? Please. He’s lucky a black eye and a few scratches are his only injuries. Danny started the altercation by being aggressive. He didn’t get hit by the car, nor did anyone else. He didn’t have any right to put his hands on the property of another person. I’ll defend his freedom of speech, but speech has consequences and Danny should have learned that lesson outside Dempsey’s instead of making this into something it’s not.
The Holocaust was a hate crime. The lynching of blacks were hate crimes. A crybaby getting slapped around in a parking lot isn’t a hate crime. Are we clear now, Danny?
Veeeee on October 09 at 7:44 a.m.
The facts from this story: citizens were consuming alcohol and a citizen physically struck another’s car with his hand. Assumption: It appears hitting the car evoked a reaction and a fight ensured among a group of intoxicated individuals. The injured individual then projects blame rather than taking responsibility for his public intoxication and hitting the property of another. All of this would have been avoided if he had consumed ice tea instead… thank you.
The_Seer on October 09 at 7:45 a.m.
jim: You are sooooooooooooooooooo right. Only people who are scofflaws or felons could be capable of critical thought where it comes to the U.S. police state.
force_vector on October 09 at 8:37 a.m.
This sounds like an obvious case of “don’t start none, won’t be none”. A.) Don’t bang on someones car unless you’re ready to fight the driver and/or passengers. B.) If you’ve been pushed to the ground and then told to get up, see point A.
Hunterman on October 09 at 9:22 a.m.
So Danny- If you and your friend had been drinking, which one of you were going to drive? Not saying you were, and sorry you almost got run over, but one can expect these things to happen when you go out drinking. Maybe this driver was actually wanting to hit on you when he asked if you were gay…oops.
Bruce (aka thatoneguy) on October 09 at 9:25 a.m.
People slap cars all the time – the point being that, if you drive close enough for someone for them to physically touch your car, then you are driving dangerously.
Y’all have a point when you say that, if someone is driving like this in the first place, they are probably a drunken and/or psychotic @sshole and it would be wiser to avoid contact with them; but is it OK for the person to then get out of his car & beat you up? I don’t think so.
force_vector on October 09 at 9:31 a.m.
“People slap cars all the time”
Really? Like, pimp slap, or what? I’ve never heard of the sub-culture of car slappers, but will certainly keep my eyes peeled for it now that I’m aware.
Bruce (aka thatoneguy) on October 09 at 9:51 a.m.
They just reach out and hit your car (with a flat of the hand, not a weapon) if you do something like cut them off in a crosswalk. I’ve never had it done to me, but I’ve seen it several times. It’s not something people do for recreation. It’s a slightly more attention-getting version of flipping someone off or shouting “hey! it’s a crosswalk!”
If you cut off pedestrians in crosswalks / driveways / parking lots enough times, someone will eventually do it to your car. Then you can get out and beat them up for being “aggressive” and laying hands on your property! Fun!
What is a pimp slap exactly, anyway? When I was growing up, it meant grabbing someone by the front of the shirt, bringing them in close, and giving them a few quick slaps starting from the wrist. The purpose is humiliation more than actual pain. A full-arm slap using the shoulder & elbow was a “b*tch slap,” and its intent was to knock you down and/or knock some sense into you. I’m not originally from here, though, so maybe it’s different?
Orphan on October 09 at 9:57 a.m.
Danny just because your gay does not give you the right to mistreat someone elses property. Looks like a equal opportunity beat down to me.
Oh and just because you are gay does not mean you have more rights than others me thinks this might be part of the problem.
soccermomsusie on October 09 at 10:01 a.m.
Finally, an acknowledgment that cars have rights too! I bet this nonheterosexual individual rides a bike as well. YUCK!
One of my favorite movies was the LOVE BUG. If you slapped Herbie, he would open his door and clip you at about 80 MPH and break your neck. Then he would repeatedly back over and over and over your corpse. Eventually, Dean Jones would send Buddy Hacket out of the car to shovel what was left of you into Herbie’s gas tank. Of course there was a love story in there too (BUT NOT BETWEEN BUDDY AND DEAN).
I think good ole fashioned entertainment like this is missing in America. It teaches kids a valuable lesson about car rights too.
I floated the idea about revamping the Love Bug movie a few years back. My version had a Hummer with a 50 cal as the new Herbie. Went straight to the top at Disneyland with my idea. Evaded security to speak to Abraham Lincoln while he was sitting behind the curtains and I made my pitch.
He was speechless.
Smoothest skin on a man I have ever seen.
HEAR OUR VOICE!!!
Ed Byrnes on October 09 at 10:01 a.m.
Although whether this specific incident constitutes a hate crime or not is debatable, it doesn’t change the fact that our GLBT brothers and sisters are frequently attacked because of their sexual orientation.
The police should investigate any instance of battery, regardless of who the victim is. Their refusal to pursue this investigation or file any charges certainly creates the appearance of bias on their part.
As one can see from the some of the comments there is abundant anecdotal evidence that alcohol consumption is associated with aggressive behavior, and there is scientific evidence to support this.
Another reason I advocate using the peace pipe instead of alcohol.
If one feels the need to alter their consciousness it is something better done at home, or perhaps out in the nature, though doing so in a city center where many other people are doing the same is not the best idea.
Ed
Bruce (aka thatoneguy) on October 09 at 10:09 a.m.
Ed, I’m considering flagging your post as inappropriate because it’s so REASONABLE.
liberal_in_right_wing_land on October 09 at 10:12 a.m.
As an openly gay male myself, this is not a hate crime. This is two stupidly drunk idiots fighting late at night after drinking at the bars. Danny shouldn’t have hit the car and probably said whatever he said (thats not reported, but you KNOW he said something to the driver). At the same time, the driver should NEVER have gotten out of his car to start the fight. The police should be arresting the driver of the car, but not because of a hate crime but because what he did was assault.
Danny, by you claiming this to be a hate crime you are giving the rest of the gay community a bad name and when a REAL hate crime does occur, people will be less accepting of it because idiots like you are crying wolf when no wolf was around.
PetroniusArbiter on October 09 at 10:28 a.m.
***”I hit their car to say ‘Hey, don’t run us over’ and at that point they got mad,” he said.***
A driver, enraged by someone hitting his car and yelling at him, gets out of the car and says, “Uh, excuse me, but are you gay?” and only THEN starts to pummel the victim? It sounds to me like Mr Hawkins has embellished his story in order to make it sound more serious than just a 4th degree assault case.
RedCedar on October 09 at 10:36 a.m.
Thank you, l_i_r_w_l. I knew I could agree with you some of the time. If Danny thinks it’s a hate crime for someone to call him “gay”, I think he should be talking to the FBI. Isn’t the hate crime law a federal statute?
Personally, I think “gay” is a shockingly mild thing for a drunken straight man to spout off at a gay guy. The more likely words would probably trigger the forum auto-censor, but you can think of them as well as I.
jddavis on October 09 at 10:39 a.m.
You got beat because you hit the car, not because you are gay.
Seer, Veeee, Force, and Orphan are right on the mark.
brianrbreen on October 09 at 10:46 a.m.
Before anyone jumps to conclusions about how this might be handled by law enforcement it might be a good idea to compare this article with the KHQ report. I don’t find in the KHQ report where the reporter says the SPD doesn’t plan on making any arrests. She also in her report says that apparently Hawkins also kicked the car which leads me to believe that the patrol officers did interview the alleged assailant, and probably others, including Hawkins witness. I suspect the patrol officers took the initial report got conflicting stories and didn’t have probable cause at that point to make an arrest so the case will likely be assigned to a Detective to try and determine what the facts were and whether or not charges can or should be brought.
johnclarke on October 09 at 10:55 a.m.
agree with your agree jddavis. Kicking cars outside bars is not exactly bright regardless of um…you know.
Ed Byrnes on October 09 at 11:11 a.m.
Brian I hope you are right and my statement about an appearance of bias is wrong.
Ed
Blacksheep3 on October 09 at 11:42 a.m.
Dear Danny,
You got in a fight … and lost. Get tougher or get smarter. I suggest the latter.
gmorton on October 09 at 11:57 a.m.
The_Seer wrote,
“The lynching of blacks were hate crimes. A crybaby getting slapped around in a parking lot isn’t a hate crime.”
Yikes – whence the sudden burst of wisdom?
:-)
Dazzeetrader11 on October 09 at 12:36 p.m.
Nothing to do with being gay. Got everything to do with some guy at Dempseys getting mugged because of what he did to someone’s car. It happens to straight men too.
Could have been Chinese ….or black. Same thing would happen. Would it be a “hate crime” ? nope.
Gmorton, even a broken clock is right twice per day. No worries Seer has no outburst of wisdom. It’s nearly impossible.
Byrdie714 on October 09 at 12:40 p.m.
Okay members of the GLBT community,
Let’s start carrying guns, afterall if the police won’t do anything about the 5 attacks, at least we would take care of the problem—head on.
It would definitely teach the ‘breeders’ not to mess with us queers!
D Statler on October 09 at 12:41 p.m.
Is this where Shonto Pete started his run for his life also? Could be there is not enough security at such a notorious hangout and neighborhood.
Shazamm on October 09 at 12:41 p.m.
Really, you want to take up valuable police time on a drunken bar fight? The police have much more serious things to focus on…
Albert on October 09 at 1:05 p.m.
Byrdie…kinda like the fellow did to Shanto??? Not only are you way out of line, but way out of law and order. You’re pathetic.
Orphan on October 09 at 1:07 p.m.
Birdie714 You might want to do some research 1st. Pulling a gun on or shootung someone for punching you in the face and or slapping you around will land you in a jail cell for a very long time. A simple bar fight does not warrent the use of deadly force. Being gay does not warrent the use of deadly force. Only being in fear for your life warents the use of deadly force.
catfuzz on October 09 at 1:24 p.m.
People don’t beat other people up out of love. It is hate that motivates an attacker to attack ANYONE. I’m so sick and tired of taking an entire class of people and making crimes against them and only them more serious. I am a white male. If someone attacks me, it can never be ruled a “hate crime” because I’m not part of some established minority. Why are crimes against certain people more serious than the same crime against someone else?
Byrdie714 on October 09 at 1:41 p.m.
I don’t care what you think.
If someone is coming after me in a threatening manner and wants to *bash* me for being a queer, he/she will have some serious repercussions after I blow their head off with my gun.
Yes—I carry it everywhere I go.
Besides, i have the right to defend myself. Don’t like it? Too bad!
Bruce (aka thatoneguy) on October 09 at 2:20 p.m.
“The driver got out and beat Hawkins, leaving him with a black eye, a laceration on his head and a sprained ankle.
The man asked him if he was gay before continuing to assault him, Hawkins said. ”
Y’know, that part about asking him if he’s gay and then continuing to beat him up sort of does make it look like a hate crime. As in “the black eye is for striking my car, and this [thump thump] is for being gay.”
Allegedly.
Orphan: “Only being in fear for your life warents the use of deadly force.” Who gets to decide when someone else is afraid?
The_Seer on October 09 at 2:29 p.m.
Why does byrdie use the number on a Qualude in a screen name? Was “byrdie420” taken?
gmorton: It was your temporary absence from these threads that sharpened my thinking. I haven’t had to wade through your laborious rationalizations for selfishness as of late.
Hunterman on October 09 at 2:36 p.m.
I carry a pepperblaster that will put someone down for 30 to 45 minutes. They can’t do anything if they can’t see- and I stay out of jail.
Orphan on October 09 at 2:45 p.m.
Thatoneguy I did not make the laws I just repeated them to you guys. You cant just shoot people for minor stuff like a fist fight or you will and should end up in a prison cell.
If you are lucky the DA will decide if you were in enough fear to use deadly force. If you are not lucky a judge or jury will decide for you.
Byrdie I hope you mean you carry every where you legally can.
You need to get some training and read the self defence laws before you get your self into the serious repercussions you are talking about.
You absolutly have a right to defend yourself you just cant shoot someone when a simple push would do the job.
misjustice on October 09 at 2:48 p.m.
Hunterman, just make sure which way the wind is blowing before discharging; the wind could cause the spray to come back into your face.
Look, this may or may not be a hate crime. What is for sure, in my mind, is that Hawkins escalated the situation when he struck the car. His action did not warrant the beating but I can’t help but think that had he not struck the car that he would have gone on his merry way, unharmed.
Maybe both actors should have been cited? Hawkins for drunken disorderly conduct and the other person for assault.
*sigh*
Orphan on October 09 at 2:49 p.m.
Hunterman You can go to jail for using pepper spray just as fast as using a gun or a baseball bat.
You people need to get some training on the use of force before you get into trouble you dont want.
If you are going to carry weapons around you should know how and when you can/should use them.
Orphan on October 09 at 2:53 p.m.
Misjustice Stop right now that was logical no one will understands that here, LOL well said.
misjustice on October 09 at 3:29 p.m.
Oh, Orphan, please help me help myself, despite myself!
; )
catfuzz on October 09 at 3:32 p.m.
“Byrdie I hope you mean you carry every where you legally can.”
Eh, the Second Amendment says it’s legal to carry everywhere. The whole, “…shall not be infringed” part guarantees that. The “laws” restricting where someone can carry are illegal.
misjustice on October 09 at 3:42 p.m.
Tell that to the folks at TSA, State and Federal Courthouses, and other places where it is illegal to carry, catfuzz. And good luck with that!
; )
Orphan on October 09 at 3:45 p.m.
catfuzz I agree with you 100% on the 2nd Amandment. Its just that SPD SSO etc will arrest you and those pesky judges will incarcerate you for breaking the law.
Orphan on October 09 at 3:49 p.m.
MisJustice You know I do agree with you sometimes ………………… well except for when your wrong LOL.
misjustice on October 09 at 4:39 p.m.
Orphan, co-inky dink or not? Me too!
; )
aj_spokane on October 09 at 5:00 p.m.
I am absolutely disgusted by the negativity on here towards Danny.
I was with Danny in the hospital on Friday night. I have been a friend of his for many years and I know the heart, soul and compassion he carries with him on a daily basis. We are lucky to have humans like Danny left in our world. We need more people like him.
First I’d like to start off by saying, Danny tapped the car to let them know he was there so they wouldn’t hit him. No hitting of someone’s property was done. Second, since when is a car more important than a human’s life? How you could come on here bashing such a wonderful human being really makes me think twice about the community I thought we were.
As soon as that man hit my friend upon finding out he was gay, it was instantly a hate crime. He made the conscious decision to throw anger through the air and into Danny’s skull. Also, the man that hit Danny was drunk and driving a car. Yep.
I too was out on the town on Friday night enjoying what is left of our fantastic weather before the snow flies. I was also out having a few drinks with friends. Since when is that wrong? Danny was walking home minding his own business. The other guy was driving and beat up my innocent friend.
This outrage isn’t just for Danny. It’s for all the other innocent people in Spokane who’s stories have been covered up. Gays, straights etc…. we have a huge problem here and its the negative ones on here that make me wonder about the city I thought I loved so much.
So what if he was at Dempseys? So what if he had a few drinks? So what if he tapped someone’s car to let them know he was there?
He didn’t blatantly start a thing. I know who Danny is and I know he isn’t capable of any violence of any sort towards another.
Stop comparing what hate crimes are. There are different variations. Yes, this is minute compared to others, but in the end result, this was stemmed from hate. Hate is hate and we need to erase that. In any form.
For my friend Michael who was pushed down and yelled slurs at by the same kids he gave money to, for Steffen who thought he had simply met a new friend and almost died. For Savannah who was minding her own business and wound up with forty stitches. For my partner who was brutally raped last year, gave the police the person’s address and nothing was done for her, and for the others in Spokane who deserve justice, there are advocates for you out there and I am one of them. I am a local small business owner and I am involved in our community. I go to events, I frequent local coffee shops, I help my neighbor, I open doors for the elderly. I don’t tolerate hate in any form and towards anyone. Doesn’t matter who you are. Looks like Spokane needs more people like that too. We are all in this together.
To the negative ones on here: You know NOTHING of my friend, but what you should know is that when I raced to the emergency room for him, I had to bring a friend with me who didn’t know Danny either. Danny sat up in his bed and shook my friend’s hand and thanked him for coming. THAT’S the kind of person Danny is. How dare you come on here saying these awful things. Until you have lived through this, until you are in my position, until you’ve seen what I have seen, until you understand the hurt that has been caused my friend, don’t you dare judge him. So he was out on Friday night and had a few drinks? Big deal. What were you doing in your mid twenties?
We have a massive problem in our society and you are helping to enable this type of behavior. Teaching tolerance and acceptance is the most beautiful thing you could do. Not one of you is the poster child for what the perfect human should be, but I’ll tell you right now. I strive everyday to be as amazing as Danny is.
I won’t stop until I help find justice for him and I will never tolerate people like you in my life, which happens to be full of happiness, laughter and people like Danny Hawkins.
Shadedmuse on October 09 at 5:18 p.m.
Lewis your comment is Pretty mean.
Soccer susue, are you still on the wacky tabcky, because your comments are getting more and more out their.
As for Drinking in Bars, I perfer to go way out in the high country where you cant get in a fight unless you come face to face with a Grizzley beer then you will have to fight it or he will eat you.
Danny needs to contact Ormbsy down at the DOJ Office to file a hate crimes complaint, it aint going to happen at Spokane’s Office of the LCPD.
Hear our voice its louder then the tea-baggers. we are occupying cities across the USA and next week we move north to Vancouver and start another riot.
The_Seer on October 09 at 5:24 p.m.
aj: Danny states in the article he “hit” the car. Now his action was a “tap.”
Maybe that’s all the assailant wanted to do and he doesn’t understand the difference between tapping and hitting either?
Call Judge Judy, maybe she’ll be sympathetic to your cause.
aj_spokane on October 09 at 5:27 p.m.
@seer.
So? Again, since when is a car more important than a human?
AND… since when is it easy to talk after you’ve been bashed in the head?
Keep your negativity to yourself. I know what happened and the fact that my friend is alive and in good spirits is what matters here. Don’t go throwing crap directly my way.
misjustice on October 09 at 5:29 p.m.
A grizzly BEER?
catfuzz on October 09 at 5:30 p.m.
“catfuzz I agree with you 100% on the 2nd Amandment. Its just that SPD SSO etc will arrest you and those pesky judges will incarcerate you for breaking the law.”
Those laws are illegal and un-Constitutional. That doesn’t mean I will attempt to pack a pistol into the airport. I don’t even own one. But when law-abiding citizens are restricted in their Constitutional rights, I have a problem with that. The Second Amendment is very clear and it’s being trampled on.
misjustice on October 09 at 5:31 p.m.
Watch it aj_, your last comment seemed, well, on the edge of being intolerant; especially for someone so admitedly tolerant.
force_vector on October 09 at 6:15 p.m.
“I know what happened and the fact that my friend is alive and in good spirits is what matters here.”
Uhhh, your buddy got beat up. Happens to every guy at least once in life. Why be so dramatic about it? Next time, tell him to move faster and/or hit harder (not cars though).
jddavis on October 09 at 6:44 p.m.
The TV news reported that “danny” was too drunk to give the police his birthday or address. If that is the case, it is reasonable to believe he was not thinking very good when he hit/slapped/spanked/tickled the car.
AJ—obviously the guy was pissed off that “danny” hit his car. To imply that your buddy had his eye dotted because he is gay is laughable. The fact is your buddy was very intoxicated, tried to make a statement by hitting the guys car, and I’m certain ran his mouth when the guy stopped.
This isn’t a hate crime…it’s an incident of stupidity that hopefully your friend will learn from.
bumblebeetuna on October 09 at 6:57 p.m.
Catfuzz,
“We must never forget that it is a Constitution we are expounding…intended to endure for ages to come, and consequently to be adapted to the various crises of human affairs.”
Your interpretation of the second amendment is much too literal, imo.
KathleenCo on October 09 at 7:01 p.m.
What a (mostly) nasty thread here.
Man walking in a parking lot hits and/or taps a car to alert driver/avoid getting hit. (Not surprising in a parking lot at night, happens to me almost every other day during the daytime crossing Monroe as drivers speed through the intersection even though the “Walk” light is on.)
Driver is going to drive off anyway, man kicks the car. (Again, not surprising. I’ve been flipped off/had drivers speed up aggressively toward me when I point to the walk sign - in the crosswalk.)
Driver exits car, beats man, asks if he’s gay, beats on him some more.
WTH? So this man smacks a car with his hand and is angry because he’s almost been hit, then the impatient, aggressive driver jumps out and beats him up once, then beats him some more because he’s gay?
Sickening, first the entitlement and impatience of the driver (someone had the audicity to walk in a parking lot and be in my way), then the escalation instead of diffusing the situation - ”hey, I didn’t see you - sorry, man.” Instead, stupid violence, hatred (yes, because of the gay slurs) and intimidation.
I’d hope our city was not just more tolerant and accepting, but generally more grown-up and civilized than it is, and less quick to make something out of nothing. From the conversations around this incident it doesn’t sound as though this is an isolated occurence.
Hunterman on October 09 at 8:03 p.m.
Msjustice- a pepperblaster is not pepper spray. Google it.
Orphan on October 09 at 8:20 p.m.
Bumblebeetuna Please show us were it says the Constitution was to be adapted to the various crisis of human affairs.
Try applying your logic to the other 9 original amendments. Such as the right to freedom of religion. In your world we can now say no one can practice religions older than 3000 years because after all things are different now.
Or freedom of assembly will no longer be tolerated because we have go to meeting and you can do it there, you dont need to assemble any more.
Your logic is absurd at best.
catfuzz on October 09 at 9:56 p.m.
bumblebeetuna, the Constitution SHOULD be very literally interpreted.
nslopeofw on October 09 at 10:16 p.m.
aj_spokane-
Nice STORY about your friend. By your own admittance, you were not there. The cops did interview the people that were there, and they say your buddy HIT the car, then KICKED it twice.
Now why would anyone kick the car as it was driving away? Especially someone you’ve described by saying “I have been a friend of his for many years and I know the heart, soul and compassion he carries with him on a daily basis. We are lucky to have humans like Danny left in our world. We need more people like him.” If his heart and soul are so great, why the kicking as the vehicle was driving away?
Then after he provoked a fight, and got his ass kicked, he claimed a sexist slur was used.
Now, you have people giving statements, cops taking them, and then deciding how they will move on with the case.
After your buddy puffed up in front of his partner, and got a beat down, he wants a little revenge. What better way to get the dude back (obviously fighting isnt going to work for him) than using his minority status. He’s probably never had that “card” questioned before, and figures its a done deal. His only problem was that there were other witnesses, and they dont back his story.
Sunshinegurl on October 09 at 10:31 p.m.
I feel bad for him if he really did hit the car out of fear of being struck. I work downtown and I’m amazed there are not more fights between drivers and pedestrians. Seeing a car get hit repeatedly by a pedestrian is nothing new anymore. It shocked me when I first moved here but I’ve seen and heard enough angry pedestrians downtown now that I don’t even stop and look anymore (much like a lot of drivers in this town).
bumblebeetuna on October 09 at 10:40 p.m.
Absurd at best? Please.
The quote I used can be attributed to Justice John Marshall from a supreme court opinion penned in 1819. There are limits to all rights. Just as you can’t yell “Fire” in a crowded theater and say it is protected speech under the first amendment, you cannot rape 14 year old girls and say it is a protected exercise of religion. This is not groundbreaking stuff.
Regarding the 2nd Amendment, it is one sentence that states that the right of people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. Yet, it is illegal to take a firearm into a bar. How can this be? I’ll let you look it up but I think you can reason the answer out if you think about it.
Regarding literal … where would privacy/search and seizure protections be if we literally read the 4th Amendment and did not adapt it to the modern world? Literally, a search and seizure is a physical act upon another. Yet, we recognize that the government cannot listen to our phone calls without a warrant. The government is physically searching or seizing there.
The Constitution is a very interesting subject. Yes, indeed.
Sunshinegurl on October 09 at 10:44 p.m.
@cat fuzz…I don’t think hate crimes are specific to minorities. If a group of black and/or gay, men drove around with baseball bats looking to string up the first straight white man they could find they would be guilty of a hate crime. For some reason I don’t think that’s something you should lose sleep over.
SpokyDaBear on October 09 at 10:52 p.m.
I hate when that happens…
bumblebeetuna on October 09 at 10:58 p.m.
Edit to my third to last sentence. “is not physically searching …”
Dazzeetrader11 on October 09 at 11:36 p.m.
Put things in perspective: Would this thread even be here if the “Danny character was straight? Of course not.
Many of you have wasted an entire day trying to talk back to the night. None of this matters. The message is: Don’t mess with a guy’s car (except to compliment it)….especially when both or one of you is drunk.
Gays and straights get konked…..nothing new here.
lewis8457 on October 10 at 8:03 a.m.
jim i have never been busted but do remember gay olsen shooting a man in the head and leaving him for dead after drinking at brass rail, and i remember 7 officers killing my friend Otto who all still have their jobs.
so i have good reason to hate the SPD.
let me guess ur a pig oink oink
matty1090 on October 10 at 5:10 p.m.
What I find interesting is two things. First, the number of responses to this article is overwhelmingly larger than most other articles on here. Second, the majority of the responses seem to condemn Danny, taking the stance of “this is not a hate crime, how dare you!” Whether this was a hate crime or not is tough to say, given the lack of evidence. What is pretty clear here is the amount of hateful rhetoric displayed within these comments, due to the amount of people who responded and the level of anger directed at Danny for calling it a hate crime. It just really paints the picture of Spokane being this ass-backward, banjo playing, homophobic, anti-gay, narrow minded city. I’m not calling the guy who got in a fight a homophobe, (i dont know the whole story), I’m calling the majority of responders to this article homophobes. I may be making a big assumption here, but this is the kind of theme I found lurking through the majority of these comments. Hateful rhetoric at its finest, well done Spokane.
pollyg on October 10 at 7:54 p.m.
Well said, JdDavis, “This isn’t a hate crime…it’s an incident of stupidity that hopefully your friend will learn from.”…. I totally agree!
I don’t care how wonderful and perfect Danny is, when someone/ anyone drinks to the point of intoxication, the evil in anyone will show it’s ugly head.
And from what I understand he started it and tried to continue
(kicking tires) it, up until he got beat up.
plus, it was two against one.
swensel on October 10 at 8:49 p.m.
Let’s get a few things straight. 1. The driver of the car was the initial aggressor by driving so close to pedestrians. I’m certain he knew that patrons of Dempsey’s would be likely to park in the area so when he saw two men walking near one another he suspected they were gay.
2. Slapping a car is not an assault and does not call for a beat down or any other form of defense.
3. Jumping out of the car to beat someone down is an assault. Using anti-gay slurs during the beat-down brings the assault to the level of a hate crime under Washington law.
4. The police are abrogating their duty to serve and to protect by doing nothing to follow up on this incident. They are stuck in the pre-Stonewall days when gays brought all this on themselves and shouldn’t expect the same treatment that “decent” people got. Even if those “decent” people were bigots who didn’t care who they hurt or killed to make the world look more like themselves.
ohmeohmy on October 10 at 10:01 p.m.
Maybe I am missing the backwards point of many of you here but at what point in our society did it become ok for someone, straight, gay, black, white, drunk, sober, hate crime or not, to lay hands on another human being?! For those of you claiming that whatever Danny did caused him to “deserve” this, what person deserves to be hit by a stranger? Regardless of “boys will be boys” or whatever ridiculous excuse you are using, there is NO REASON for another person to hurt someone else, zero, zip, zilch, nada.
I used to have faith in the SPD, even have defended them in recent months, I think that ended this weekend.
greenlibertarian2nd on October 11 at 12:55 a.m.
The following is illustrative of ped-car interaction. The ped clearly has the yellow flag on his side, FLASHING “do not walk” sign on his path. The car is obviously going right through a red.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=yov2d0MmVsc
The_Seer on October 11 at 11:07 a.m.
matty1050: Let me see if I get the gist of your post. Spokane is filled with porch dwelling tobacco chewing hicks based on those who’ve contributed to this thread? Using such blatant generlization, can’t I also conclude the LGBT community in Spokane is incapable of nuanced, critical thought and whines like cry babies after getting a deserved slap down in a parking lot?
Read the police report on this incident. The police declined to press charges for several reasons. One, not a single witness corraborated Danny’s claim that hateful slurs were used when he was getting his arse kicked. Two, every witness stated that not only did Danny hit the car, he repeatedly kicked the car while yelling at the occupants. What makes Danny believe he didn’t get exactly what he deserved?
I’ve lost most of the respect for the organization Danny helps lead. If you can’t discern the difference between real hate crimes and getting slapped around because you tried to damage the property of another then you don’t belong in any organization that attempts to end hate through education.
Corrence on October 11 at 11:23 a.m.
A couple of things on this:
First off, the report states that Danny punched the vehicle. If a moving vehicle is close enough for someone to touch the hood, the driver is not paying attention (wasn’t alcohol involved according to police? More on that later), and Danny could have been at risk of being run over.
Secondly, the attacker asked Danny if he was gay before any physical contact took place. Possibly he was asking Danny if he was “stupid”. Many people think that the two words “gay” and “stupid” are synonymous, but that is an entirely different issue in itself. Danny affirmed his sexuality and was then attacked. One could dismiss the part about asking if he was gay (stupid?) if it wasn’t for the part about Danny being called a “faggot” while on the ground getting punched in the face three times.
Thirdly, the report from the police states that alcohol was involved, on both sides. Also, according to police, the attacker left the scene and called it in as an assault later by phone. Wait a second, he was driving a vehicle while intoxicated, fled the scene and didn’t want to wait for police to show up? Weird. Maybe he was rushing himself to the ER to get a pack of ice for his sore knuckles.
Lastly, the police have stated there were no witnesses to the incident, yet have solidly stood on one side of the report; the side of the alleged assailant. All the part about Danny kicking and punching the car came from the report made by the attacker. Furthermore, the police have now changed their stance on previous attacks in Spokane on gay men. In the original police statement, this was an isolated incident. After outcry from the LGBT community and several of our allies that know of other reported attacks, the stance was changed to the attacks had taken place, but none of the attacks were reported as hate crimes.
This case has now been referred to Spokane Police Major Crimes for further investigation.
Bee509 on October 11 at 2:09 p.m.
Um Corrence let me point out some things you missed or overlooked in your above comment.
1. Spokane Police Officer Tim Moses said the driver initially tried to drive away after Hawkins hit the Jeep
So the driver wasn’t really the aggressor andt this point it’s not clear that the driver was in error, it could be that Danny Hawkins walked to the vehicles lane of travel.
2. but Hawkins kicked the man’s rear bumper twice, prompting the driver to exit the vehicle to challenge Hawkins.
What ensued in the “challenge” is not mentioned but after having his vehicle punched, then kicked twice - one could imagine the driver knew Danny Hawkins wasn’t merely asking for an apology.
3. He said the driver punched Hawkins, who fell to the ground.
4. Hawkins again comfronted the driver
It’s probably fair to assume that’s when this “The man asked him if he was gay before continuing to assault him and calling him a derogatory name based on his sexual orientation, Hawkins said.” occurred
5. and the driver hit Hawkins twice more, Moses said.
6. By Danny Hawkins own admission - “It didn’t start as a hate crime”. So, Danny Hawkins sexual orientation had nothing to do with the origination of the conflict what so ever. So when you said
Secondly, the attacker asked Danny if he was gay before any physical contact took place.

This is false - This your attempt at making this event appear to have happened and only happened due to Danny Hawkin’s sexual orientation and by omitting facts you attempt to distort the event into something entirely different.
It makes me wonder that if the end result were the other way around and if Danny Hawkins had gotten the better of the driver. Would he still think it were a hate crime?
Corrence on October 12 at 9:18 a.m.
B509-
My sincerest apologies.
I should have first stated that I do not believe that the drunken driver of the vehicle that almost hit Danny was trying to run him over because he is gay. You are correct that he didn’t care anything about who he almost ran over until after he was forced to stop and acknowledge his stupidity.
I’ll keep this in mind if I’m ever drunk behind the wheel of a car and I almost hit a person in a parking lot. As long as they see me first, and try to prevent me from killing them, I can get out of my car and beat them?
I’m amazed at the number of people so against the possibility of this being a hate crime, and trying to claim that Danny was responsible for, and even deserved, his beating. You disgust me and take away my faith in humanity.
Before the assaiaint laid a hand on Danny, he had asked him if he was gay. That is part of the report given to the police by Danny. As was the claim that the assailant called Danny a faggot while punching him in the face. If you want to feed me all the claims that he punched and kicked the vehicle multiple times, as reported by the other party, then why will you not aknowledge a claim given by the victim?
Why do you think that the attacker left a man on the ground bleeding from his head to only later call the police to report an assault? He sure had time to come up with a good story, that’s for sure. Again I point out that, according to police, alcohol was a factor. How would it have looked for the police to show up to a drunken man standing outside of his vehicle, which he had been driving, with a beaten man lying on the ground at his feet?
As for you wondering “Danny Hawkins had gotten the better of the driver” would this still be a hate crime? Yes, it would. Regardless of the outcome, using “gay” and “faggot” while attacking someone is a hate crime. Substitute those terms with something less socially acceptable and tell me that it’s not severe
misjustice on October 12 at 4:10 p.m.
Mr. Hawkins, by his own admission, was drunk. I would not trust his memory (or lack thereof) of how this went down.
Maybe he should stop drinking to the point that it impairs his judgment and instead of complaining about HIS charge of a hate crime not being taken seriously go to AA and examine what part HIS actions could have played in him getting his butt whupped.
Alcohol + stoopid = butt whuppin’…
Corrence on October 13 at 9:17 a.m.
Danny’s statement was that he had been drinking, not that he was drunk. There is a HUGE difference between the two.
“Drinking” implies he had at least one alcoholic beverage during his time out at the bar, while being “drunk” implies that he had an excessive amount.
I understand how easy it can be to confuse the two, especially when one might be trying to pass the incident off as nothing more than a “drunken brawl”.
The_Seer on October 13 at 9:25 a.m.
I don’t recall anyone confusing this incident with a “drunken brawl.” Brawl usually means more than two people are fighting and that more than one person throws and lands blows. This was a bee-atch slapping.