2 ARRESTED IN VANDALISM AT APARTMENT FOR ELDERLY.Byline: Harrison Sheppard Staff Writer Two more youths were arrested on suspicion of scrawling death threats against the elderly at a Van Nuys apartment complex, and senior citizens called for having such acts labeled as crimes of hate or bigotry Bigotry See also Anti-Semitism. Beaumanoir, Sir Lucas de prejudiced ascetic; Grand Master of Templars. [Br. Lit.: Ivanhoe] Bunker, Archie middle-aged bigot in television series. . Police said they anticipate no other arrests in the case and believe only the three sneaked into the Villa Valley Apartments, wrote threats and epithets and smashed some property, causing at least $15,000 in damage. The three 14-year-olds are being held in juvenile hall and are expected to be arraigned Monday, said Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. police Detective Craig Rhudy. Police withheld the names of the boys because they are minors. Rhudy said news media coverage led to the first arrest when a teen-ager saw a report about the vandalism and exclaimed, in front of his mother, ``We're famous, we're famous.'' When she questioned him, he denied causing the damage, but said he knew who did. ``So she called police, and eventually we figured out who was involved,'' Rhudy said. ``She definitely did the right thing.'' While police will seek charges of felony felony (fĕl`ənē), any grave crime, in contrast to a misdemeanor, that is so declared in statute or was so considered in common law. vandalism and burglary against the teen-agers, senior citizens and activists said they should be charged with committing a hate crime. There are extra penalties for hate crimes motivated by a victim's race, religion, gender, sexual orientation sexual orientation n. The direction of one's sexual interest toward members of the same, opposite, or both sexes, especially a direction seen to be dictated by physiologic rather than sociologic forces. , national origin or disability. Extra penalties are not prescribed for crimes targeting the elderly because of prejudice against them, police said. Community activist George Pfeiffer, who has been helping senior citizens at Villa Valley, thinks there should be. ``Where's the fairness in the law?'' asked Pfeiffer, a volunteer on the Community Tagger tag·ger n. 1. One that tags, especially the pursuer in the game of tag. 2. taggers Very thin sheet iron, usually plated with tin. Noun 1. Task Force. ``There should be a law for hate crimes when you terrorize ter·ror·ize tr.v. ter·ror·ized, ter·ror·iz·ing, ter·ror·iz·es 1. To fill or overpower with terror; terrify. 2. To coerce by intimidation or fear. See Synonyms at frighten. and threaten to kill senior citizens and destroy their building.'' Pfeiffer said he intends to lobby state and federal officials to expand the hate-crime statutes. Law enforcement officials said there are specific laws that protect the elderly against financial fraud and physical abuse. The elderly are usually victimized because they make easier targets, not because people hate them for being old - ``although there may be some who do,'' said Deputy District Attorney Jeff Jonas, head of the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Target Crimes Division. Usually the elderly are attacked ``because of their vulnerability rather than their specific class,'' he said. ``The vulnerability makes them inviting targets, both in crimes of violence and property crimes.'' Groups that track hate crimes, such as the county Human Relations human relations npl → relaciones fpl humanas Commission and the Anti-Defamation League Anti-Defamation League B’nai B’rith organization which fights anti-Semitism. [Am. Hist.: Wigoder, 33] See : Anti-Semitism , said crimes of prejudice against the elderly are relatively rare and not tabulated in their hate-crime statistics. |
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