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Charlie Howard: 25 years on

Discussion in 'Current Events, World News, & LGBT News' started by Bevo, Jul 28, 2009.

  1. Bevo

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    I came across this sad case while doing research on the legal status of gays and discrmination on gays for my Legal sudies class. Has anyone else heard of this case?

    Charlie Howard was a 23 year old gay who, on the 7 July 1984 in Bangor, Maine, was walking across a bridge with a male friend when he was accosted by four teenage high school students, youngest 15 and eldest 17, who yelled abuse at the two. Charlie and his friend were chased down the road but Charlie tripped over and fell face-down, having an asthma attack induced by the fear. The four teenagers picked him up and, despite his pleas that he couldnt swim, threw him into the river twenty feet below.

    The attackers left the scene and the friend called the emergency services but they could not find charlie or his body. As it flows through Bangor, the Kenduskeag Stream is bordered on both sides by cement walls until it spills into a larger river. Therefore there was nothing to catch him or to save him, since he couldnt swim. The Police found his body several hundred feet downstream from the bridge, underwater, with a large eel wrapped around his neck. The coroner determined a death by drowning, complicated by a severe asthma attack.

    The four attackers were arrested in the following two days. The Maine attorney general's office declared that the state would ask the judge to try the four as adults and for the charge of murder. The judge however refused and they were charged as minors for the lesser charge of manslaughter and all three were released into the custody of their parents. All three were given an "indeterminate" sentence at the maine youth centre where they would be eligible for parole on their 21st birthday.

    The unfortunate death of Charlie Howard, prompted many reactions in the community, ranging from terrible homophobia and "He is not a martyr" statements being made in the local paper, to the Bangor High School board issuing that anti-discrimination directives were to be followed in the future.

    This event galvanized the Bangor community in ways similar to the killing of Matthew Shepard, although the case never attained the same level of national notoriety.

    The gay community of Maine and the Bangor City Council erected a monument to the memory of Charles Howard in 2009. 7 July is now recognised as Diversity day in Bangor, Maine.

    Twenty-five years later, The Bangor Daily News tried to locate all three boys, now middle-aged men, for their views. The whereabouts of two of the men are unknown. The eldest, Jim Baines, lives and works in Bangor. Following his release from the detention center, Baines spoke regularly about tolerance to local students and even addressed the Maine State Legislature in support of a bill to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation. One of the others, Shawn Mabry, expressed his regrets about his participation and stated that he thinks about Charlie Howard everyday.

    Sorry for the length but i thought this might be interesting.
     
  2. olides84

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    Thanks for forwarding the story. I think it's important that things that happened 25 years ago are remembered and memorialized like they've done in Bangor. It helps to educate current society about the intolerant and discriminatory attitudes of the past, which of course still exist but to a lesser degree in the present.
     
  3. acorn7

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    And this is why the justice system should not be based on vengeance but on rehabilitation. Despite their terrible actions, these kids grew up to be positive forces in society.

    Very interesting story, thanks for posting.