Wednesday, May 5, 2010

My worst nightmare

Hate crimes (also known as bias-motivated crimes) occur when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her perceived membership in a certain social group, usually defined by racial group, religion, sexual orientation, disability, class, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, gender identity, or political affiliation.

My son was assaulted after school yesterday, and yes, it's classified as a hate crime. The police are investigating and are expecting to make an arrest hopefully today.

I've lived in fear of this day since he was a little boy. What kind of children are we raising where our kids think it's ok to attack someone just because they are different? And how the hell am I supposed to keep him safe in this kind of world? Do we need to fear retaliation now? Do I need to escort him to and from school for the rest of the year? How do I keep him safe?

My heart is broken. And I am absolutely terrified that next time it will be worse.

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