Violent Hate Crime Begins New Year In Chicago

Masked gunmen broke into a home where a New Year's party was taking place in a so-called "Gay House" on Chicago's south side early this morning and began shooting it up with semi-automatic weapons, leaving six party-goers shot, two of whom were in serious condition. The Chicago police department's civil rights unit is investigating the shooting as a potential hate crime. The Sun-Times reports:

The police Civil Rights Unit is assisting to determine if the shooting was a hate crime, but it has not been classified as such yet, Bond said.

The gunmen, who fired semi-automatic weapons, did not utter slurs or have any verbal exchange with people at the party.

But some neighborhood folks said they wouldn't be surprised if the shooting was motivated by anti-gay sentiments.

"We always be seeing them, and they always be looking at people," said Kevin Carter, 18. "They give you that gay look, like you're a female or something. That ain't cute. People be ready to fight . . . I knew something was going to happen to that house."

Other neighbors said the site of the shooting houses loud weekend parties that last into the wee hours of the morning. Police often respond to noise complaints, a neighbor said.

The gun blasts sounded like "bricks being slammed against a garbage can," neighbor Greg Jackson said.

A man who identified himself as "Mr. Cartel" said his brother, who lives at the site of the shooting, has complained to him about being "harassed" for being gay since the summer.

"I know they have been having problems periodically. That's why I've been coming over here to check up on him," Mr. Cartel said. "I hope this was not a hate crime."

A man who lives at the house and only would identify himself as a "Chicago Tribune employee" declined comment except to say, "These are trying times, and s--- happens."

All six of the victims are males and were taken to area hospitals. Two were listed in stable condition with gunshot wounds to the chest. The other victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries, authorities said.

If the crime is determined to be a hate crime, Illinois law permits the offenders, if convicted, to have their sentences enhanced because it was motivated by the person's bias against the victim's sexual orientation. Indiana is just one of four states in the nation without such a law. Marion Co. Prosecutor Carl Brizzi has vowed to fight for the passage of an Indiana hate crimes law this year.

This candid comment by a young teen-aged neighbor of the victims who lived in the so-called "Gay House" says it all: "We always be seeing them, and they always be looking at people," said Kevin Carter, 18. "They give you that gay look, like you're a female or something. That ain't cute. People be ready to fight . . . I knew something was going to happen to that house." In other words, the victims deserved to be shot in the eyes of this teen-ager simply because they were gay.

It's interesting the Sun-Times article identifies one of the victims as a worker for its competitor, the Chicago Tribune. The Tribune's article makes no reference to the victims' sexual orientation or the fact police are investigating it as a hate crime. Instead, it focuses attention on suggestions it was related to the loud parties hosted by the occupants of the home.