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

HATE, VIOLENCE, AND DEATH ON MAIN STREET USA2008Homeless Man Shot at with Paintball GunAugust 7: A homeless male was crossing the street at North <strong>and</strong> Saint Clair when a gold FordContra drove up next to him. Inside the car there were four to five men. As they approached thevictim, they pulled out a paintball gun <strong>and</strong> shot him 10 times. Once the attackers hit their target,they quickly drove away. Luckily, the victim experienced no injuries. There are no known suspectsat the time, <strong>and</strong> the victim did not wish to press any charges.DECEMBER:Costa Mesa, CaliforniaInnocent Homeless Man is Attacked with Paintballs While SleepingDecember 26: The increasingly violent attacks against homeless people in Costa Mesa Californiawent too far on December 26th when a group of suspected teenagers shot <strong>and</strong> nearly blindedhomeless man Gregory Dahlgren with paintball guns. Dahlgren had been sleeping in an alleybehind B.K. Burgers when around 9 p.m. about 5 to 6 teenagers opened fire. Completelyvulnerable, Dahlgren was pelted on his h<strong>and</strong>s, feet, face <strong>and</strong> upper torso. “They blinded me,”Dahlgren had reported while showing “many purple welts on his h<strong>and</strong>s”. Barely escaping, thevictim ran to a nearby liquor store where he found his two friends Jose Zamora <strong>and</strong> Scott Solverson.Solverson noted, “He was bleeding real bad – all over his body… he had blood all over his face”.Zamora noted, “I can’t imagine he (Dahlgren) would hurt anyone, why would anybody do this tohim?” There was no apparent motive for the crime. Rushed to the local Hoag Hospital in NewportBeach, Dahlgren was told by doctors that he may lose sight in one eye. Other such homelessattacks have been on the rise in the Costa Mesa area; however the majority of these attacks gounreported. There have been no arrests so far; however officials are investigating internet sourcesfor further leads <strong>and</strong> information.Riverside, CaliforniaDrive-by-shooting Aims at Homeless ManDecember 30: On December 30 two unnamed 16 year-old youths were arrested in Riverside afterdrive-by-shooting a homeless man on the side of the road. The driver, a resident of Hesperia was“arrested on suspicion of reckless driving <strong>and</strong> being an unlicensed driver.” The shooter in thepassenger seat was also arrested on suspicion of assault. There was no motive to shoot the innocenthomeless individual, suggesting the action was influenced by discrimination against homelesspeople as a group.83