You probably recall the Queens hate crime last summer where Kevin Brown and Paul Heavey assaulted a group of Asian men, screaming racial slurs at them and telling them to "get out our neighborhood." This week, Heavey was sentenced to five years probation and community service: NO PRISON FOR QUEENS BIAS BEATER. What kind of weak-ass punishment is that? This was a hate crime. Brown and Heavey specifically targeted these men because they were Asian, going out of their way to chase them down. Calling someone a "stupid gook," rear-ending their car, and beating the crap out of them makes that pretty clear. But I guess that doesn't warrant jail time: Student Sentenced in Hate-Crime Attack. That's a load of crap.
Brown, the son of a retired detective, pleaded guilty to the bias crime and another assault back in March, and was sentenced to 3 1/2 years. He admitted beating Reynold Liang in the head and chest with a metal steering wheel lock. But I guess Heavey, who merely used his racial hatred to punch and kick his victims, will just have to think long and hard about his crime during those 75 hours of community service. And of course, adding insult is his lame-ass apology—required by his sentence—to his victims and the "entire Asian American community." The fact that the guy gave a mandatory apology doesn't change a damn thing. (Fallout Central has a interesting take on the "apology" and the coverage of the sentencing.) It's pretty apparent what was in Heavey's heart on the night of August 12th. That's racist!