Hate, Violence, and Death on Main Street USA - National Coalition ...

HATE, VIOLENCE, AND DEATH ON MAIN STREET USA2008CASE DESCRIPTION OF NON-LETHAL SHOOTINGS BY MONTH, DATE,AND CITY IN 2008:TOTAL ATTACKS: 8JUNE:Miami, FloridaTwo Homeless Men Shot with a BB GunJune 11: John Rains, 51, <strong>and</strong> Willie Thomas, 48, two homeless men living in Miami, Florida, wereshot early on June 11 th . Thomas was sleeping underneath Interstate 95 when he was shot with a BBgun, <strong>and</strong> Rains was riding by on his bike when he felt the shot <strong>and</strong> he saw a silver pickup truckdrive by. Thomas <strong>and</strong> Rains were taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital <strong>and</strong> were released.South Bend, IndianaHomeless Man Shot by Teens in South BendJune 18: A homeless man in South Bend was shot in the arm on June 18 th after refusing to give uphis bike. Two teenagers were said to have driven up to the man that afternoon. They thenproceeded to dem<strong>and</strong> the homeless man’s property, <strong>and</strong> when he refused, “the man was shot in thewrist.” Captain Phil Trent of the South Bend Police Department commented about the incidentsaying, “(it) was a crime of opportunity”.Columbus, OhioHomeless Man Defends Campsite <strong>and</strong> Gets AttackedJune 29: Robert Clipner, 47, was shot by two adolescent men near his campsite in Columbus, Ohio.The residents of the campsite have been harassed before by people in the area, <strong>and</strong> Clipner chose totake a st<strong>and</strong> against the two men who were throwing rocks down at the campsite. The two men shotat him after Clipner told them to “move on their way,” said Brian J. Beavers, who is a detectivewith the police assault squad. Beavers said that they hadn’t arrested anyone yet but that Clipnerwas taken to the hospital <strong>and</strong> survived the attack, with the bullet still remaining in his chest.Clipner says that this was his first experience with “outside people, if that’s what you want to callthem.” Clipner <strong>and</strong> his girlfriend were planning to move to another campsite even before theattack, <strong>and</strong> other residents of the campsite are beginning to get worried. Ken Andrews, an outreachcoordinator at the Open Shelter, says that many of these incidences go unreported because thehomeless tend to be independent <strong>and</strong> try to keep to themselves.AUGUST:Clevel<strong>and</strong>, Ohio82