Since the election of Donald Trump as 45th President of the United States, many of his angry supporters have seen Trump’s victory as a license to spread their racism far and wide, even going to far as to attack total strangers merely because they happen to be different.
The latest incident took place in Gainesville, Florida. On November 10, Caleb Joseph Illig was at the Gate Food Post when he saw a Hispanic man, later identified as Pablo Echevarria, doing his job and cleaning the parking lot outside the store. Illig then allegedly began beating Echevarria in the back of his head as he shouted:
“Let’s Trump down! This is for Donald Trump!”
According to the police report of the incident, Echevarria attempted “evasive movements” instead of fighting back. Another employee came to Echevarria’s and the cowardly Illig fled the scene. Law enforcement officials also say that “security camera footage clearly shows [Illig] striking [Echevarria] in the back of the head, and completely corroborates the [victim] and [witness’] accounts of the incident.”
When questioned by police, Illig claimed he had absolutely no recollection of the event and tried to blame his actions on alcohol use and the fact that he suffers from bipolar disorder. He has been charged with simple battery.
Gainesville police officer Ben Tobias told the Gainesville Sun:
“Just looking at election results, the community is divided almost 50/50. It’s not just here in Gainesville. I’d like to think we’re doing better, but we’re having our own problems crop up.
“It’s easy to say, but folks can’t just go around being scared to be a victim of a crime. If they think they’re being targeted, definitely contact us.”
Maybe if the people who commit these acts were charged with hate crimes and given harsh sentences–say a mandatory 10 years for the first offense–word would spread and some of these wannabe tough guys would dial back their violence. If not, lock them up and throw away the damn key.
Featured Image Via Facebook
