Oklahoma Teen Beaten Unconscious in Hate Crime, Takes Action

Posted by Evan Rodd on Feb 29, 2012 in Crime | 19 comments

18-year old Cody Rogers is taking a stand against hate crimes after he was beaten unconscious at a party. The Tulsa, Oklahoma teen says he was attacked after a group of his male peers were heard using homophobic slurs, and asked to leave.

“There were some ladies who invited their boyfriends (to a going away party) who had a problem with some of the homosexuals that were there.”

Cody could hear the homophobic slurs from another room, and when those boyfriends were asked to leave the apartment, one refused. That person attacked Cody’s friend, a 21 year-old girl.

“I stepped in and they threw me to the ground, obviously, I’m a little beat up,” Cody said.

As he was on the ground, the two teens attacking him kept shouting the slurs. His friends were shocked to see it all unfold.

… It’s classified as simple assault,” Cody said of the case.

His friend Jordan thinks it should be classified as more, “I believe 100 percent that this was a hate crime.”

Currently, sexual orientation is not protected under Oklahoma hate crime laws, which include race, religion, national origin, and disability.

Cody has created a Facebook page to promote awareness, and help better Tulsa as a community. I want to give him major props for his bravery; my heart goes out to him during this time.

How many cases like this do we need to see before more legislation occurs? How should hate crimes in the United States be classified? How should we make these types of decisions?

(via Fox 23)

http://www.crotchzine.com/ Ben

Will this ever stop?

Bruce Poe

the only way it will stop,is when the victim oes after the attackers and really hurts them one by one,yeah i know its not the answer,but if it happened to me they would dissapear i promise that

http://www.facebook.com/evan.rodd Evan Rodd

Thank you for being passionate, Bruce, but I personally believe anti-violent resistance is far more productive. It’s important to raise awareness around these issues, and hopefully encourage lawmakers to offer more protection for LGBTQI victims of hate crimes. An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind, right?

http://www.facebook.com/people/Andrew-Lopez/632230510 Andrew Lopez

At least one person will have their sight in the end
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1664732393 Jim Self

Evan- I once thought exactly as you- It’s hard to believe or wait for that protection to come…..too many people are being hurt or killed in the time we are “holding candlelight vigils”

http://twitter.com/EvanRodd Evan Rodd

I think senseless violence just breeds more senseless violence. If we encourage that, our message will be lost. I don’t think we should take these issues lightly, but look what Cody did. He got proactive, and is using his story to raise awareness along with a message of love and acceptance.

Many great civil rights movements throughout history were accomplished with non-violent resistance. We should most certainly stand up for our rights, but we should do so in a way that makes our message accessible.
iRead

Defending oneself is NEVER senseless.
If a few more macho straight punks went home to mamma missing teeth, sporting black eyes and broken limbs, having been handed a thorough ass-whipping by the usually friendly, innocuous gay boy everyone assumes is easy-pickins, this shit would cease fairly quickly.

Shame on you for being such a complete coward. When ANYONE lays a hand on you unbidden, unwanted, the right is very nearly absolute to do whatever is within your means to stop it. The very first time you are passive in the face of physical assault, your fate is sealed. Not fighting back against physical assault is not non-violence, it’s madness. Learn how to stand up for yourself EVERY way, not just via moral high-ground. You can’t fight for the cause if you’re dead.

I’m proud of how Mr. Rogers handled the aftermath, too. But I’d rather have seen him do that after dinging the hell out of his two attackers. I love it when the good guy wins EVERY round–not just the rounds held in a courtroom.

Dooood, buck up a little. We’re not all sissies, you know. Some of us actually enjoy handing out a good beat-down after we’ve taken all reasonable steps to preclude and forgo violence. I know that I sure as hell do.

Non-violence, in my understanding, has no bearing on defending oneself from individuals who are not expressing a political point-of-view, but only their own stupidity and lack of self-control. These people, much like untrained dogs, need the adult version of a smack on the muzzle with a rolled newspaper. The on-the-spot beatdown is precisely what’s needed in these incidents.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=592796245 Trenton Flock

My heart absolutely breaks seeing that photo. The shock and disorientation on his face after being pummeled for protecting others and being himself. I hope they rake those little barbarians over the coals.
http://www.facebook.com/fassett1 Dustin Fassett

I just let him know you guys published this article . He has a morning interview on the local news .

http://www.facebook.com/evan.rodd Evan Rodd

Thank you for letting him know! He’s a very inspiring person, and his bravery is extremely compelling.

http://www.facebook.com/robert.polino Robert Polino

I am flabbergasted that Oklahoma doesn’t consider a brutal crime such as this as a hate crime??? What the hell is wrong with our federal government? Issues such as these should not be left up to a solitary state. WHEN IS SOMEONE GOING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS???

Anonymous

That’s why I’m so confused — because I was pretty sure the Matthew Shepard Act DID do something about this. But I don’t always know what’s actually going on, apparently…

Anonymous

This is absolutely awful, and I hope that Cody’s “Help Stop the Stomping” campaign brings about a change.

I’m a little confused, however. I thought that when the Matthew Shepard & James Byrd Jr. Act passed into law in 2008 it made sexual orientation protected Federally. I know not all things we would call hate crimes have been prosecuted as such since then, but I thought that was because of a failing on the part of local police not by the law themselves. Can someone correct me as far as what the Matthew Shepard Act actually *did* then, if sexual orientation isn’t protected in Oklahoma? Apparently there’s a glaring gap in my knowledge of that particular law.

Anonymous

2009 — that was a typo, sorry.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_YKNMNICXFJGUNWVIRGEAMD63ME BrandonM

As I understand it, local officials cover violations of local laws, state officials cover violations of state laws, and federal officials cover violations of federal laws. When local officials are at odds with federal law, you need to contact federal officials. I’m no expert, but Cody should contact his U.S. Senators and Representatives (um, let’s see, Tom Coburn is one of their Senators, right? Good luck there) and a national gay rights organization for help in determining how to approach the federal aspect of this crime.

http://www.facebook.com/ZippyTheBookWorm Christopher Crooks

Even better than hate crimes laws, which were originally instituted in response to police officers not enforcing the laws already on the books in cases involving minorities, would be prosecuting those police officers who don’t uphold equal protection.

More laws don’t help anything if the laws already in place aren’t being enforced.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Brin-Scott/1547703980 Brin Scott

Good for Cody for taking a stand and not sitting back and ignoring it. Good for the friends who asked the homophobic individuals to leave. Shame on Oklahoma for not protecting all their citizens in recognizing gay hate crimes.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Glenda-Sutlief/745641729 Glenda Sutlief

Many years ago after returning to Fairland Oklahoma to live where I had gone to High School… I was outted by a friends sister. I had the Sheriff come to my apartment with a shotgun that he held under my chin telling me how they didn’t like me being there and what would happen if i stayed. They had set me up with a crime of robbery and 22 other charges wih witnesses. The sheriff said that his shotgun could go off at anytime. That night I had Klansmen below my apartment on the street yelling what they were going to do to me…. “we’ll split you up the middle, tar and feather you and hang you on main street”
They threatened my family in Colorado by making personal visits to their home and endless phone calls.
A couple days later I recieved a phone call that there was a plane ticket in Tulsa waiting for me and if I didn’t get on that plane I’d be dead before the sun went down… I left.
This happened in 1973? or around then… So you see they haven’t changed much now have they? My prayers to Cody.. It’s time to fight for equal rights.
Anonymous

Defending a woman from her attacker and you coming to her rescue???, doesn’t seem like a hate crime. You were being a man.

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