A paroled rapist charged with a Sept. 11 bias crime was really just a victim of the horrific World Trade Center attack, his lawyer claimed in winning his release on a minimal $500 bail, a court transcript shows. [...] Galgano was busted just hours after the terrorist attacks for allegedly threatening two gay men holding hands at St. Vincents Hospital Blood Bank on West 12th Street in Greenwich Village. ... "My client was downtown when this tragedy occurred," said [public defender Brooks Holland". "He witnessed it. He was extremely emotional. ... "He did not call out because he saw these men holding hands. He expressed emotions he was feeling over the devastation he was feeling. He denies threatening these individuals."
Yes, I'm sure that I would mistake, "How can you do that? I'm so upset about all this!" for "I'll kick your ass, you queers." I mean, really, doesn't that sound like the sort of mistake that anyone would make?
The fun part is that he was already on parole for a violent crime, so the accusation should have automatically stuck him in jail without bail.
I must admit, California's classification of the man as a "moderate risk offender" baffles me. He raped two women violently, shot at others ... how is this "moderate"? And why would New York's judge, on looking at this history, agree that he's only a "moderate risk offender"? What on earth do they consider high risk?
Copyright © 2001, Iain Jackson, after-words.org
[Archives: 2001 and after]
Archives before February 5, 2001
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12/19/2001: vive la france
12/19/2001: princess, redux
12/19/2001: yemen and rumsfeld
12/18/2001: you're NOT in the army now
12/18/2001: interesting donation
12/18/2001: shame on winn dixie, indeed
12/18/2001: saudi princess
12/17/2001: new resolve
12/17/2001: a victim of the attack ... yeah, right
12/17/2001: polluters ho!