UPDATE/FOLLOWUP
CHAMPAIGN- Emotional words from the victim of a hate crime. It happened on Green street in Champaign just after one in the morning on Saturday. Police arrested Brett Vanasdlen and he was in court Monday. They say he made comments about the student being gay and then pushed him to the ground.
Steven Velasquez is a student at the U of I. He was walking with friends when he says he was attacked for his sexual orientation. He says in this day and age he couldn't believe this could happen and even worse on campus where he thought he was safe.
He was walking down Green street with two girls and another guy when a man started yelling at them for being gay. "It upset me so much that he had no idea who I was, I didn't even try to stick up for myself, I ignored him to go on with his action and throw me to the ground it was such a shock."
"Yes this happened but I have to move on I can't let it affect me because it will take over and inhibit my ability to embrace who I am." Velasquez was released from the hospital the following day Doctors say he was knocked out unconscious and suffered from some head trauma. The man arrested.. Brett Vanasdlen is charged with a hate crime. He's out on bond.
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8 comments:
After doing a google search of the name "Brett Vanasdlen" and after reading a second media report about the attack on Mr. Steven Velasquez, I began to wonder this: is Benjamin Vanasdlen (who in the second media report is the name of the man charged with the hate crime) Brett Vanasdlen? Did Vanasdlen give an alias name to the court/police? My google search reveals a baseball player from Minooka, IL (Brett Vanasdlen) who graduated from Minooka High School, then played baseball for one semester at Purdue U. before transferring to Parkland College in Champaign, IL. His baseball skills and his physical power are well-documented on the internet.
Is this the same man as the accused? Is someone (the media, the school, the defendant) hiding his true identity? Could it be that the accuser is the college baseball jock I've found on the internet? My search in Illinois and neighboring areas found no Benjamin Vanasdlen, just Brett and his younger brother Jon.
I've not been able to dig up anymore information regarding this story.
If and when I do, I'll certainly post it here.
re: April 20 at 2:35 AM, I'd like to know who you are. That's a pretty big accusation to make towards Steven, and the "oh and I'm gay too" claim sounds like a specious attempt at saying "oh btw i have no reason to lie."
If you're going to make that big of a claim, then make clear who you are.
This website states clearly in the banner what it's purpose is.
The original news article contained the names.
Police blotters and such all over the nation publish names (and sometimes addresses). If it makes you feel any better I always remove addresses.
If a person doesn't want their name published perhaps they should stay clear of "legal issues".
It may not have happened exactly how the story says. But the fact is, there was some type of altercation which caused the police to become involved.
Logic seems to say if Brett would have simply kept his prejudice to himself none of this would ever had happened.
The bigger issue is; what makes people think their self righteous prejudice is viable enough to act upon it in a confronting manner against another?
sounds like some people want to make life miserable for steven despite the fact that they have no evidence about this. there were a number of witnesses who saw brett did this. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the posts accusing steven of this were by brett or his lawyer. these bigots will stop at nothing, it's disgusting.
LOL
"If Steven had been straight" the incident wouldn't have happened.
So your comparison is obviously flawed.
Brett is obviously a homophobic bigot who needs to keep his bigoted thoughts to himself.
This thread seems to have brought out some juvenile homophobes.
Comments which belittle or attack gays will be rejected.
It is our hope that justice will be served and Brett will receive adequate punishment for his unacceptable and ILLEGAL behaviour.
There's a bottom line here (YouTube has posted a video about this too.. just enter "Vanasdlen":
The bottom line is; had Vanasdlen minded his own business and not insinuated himself into a situation in which he was NOT involved he'd not be facing hate crime charges.
I suspect (though I don't know) that Vanasdlen did more than say "oh look at the two guys holding hand". We all can guess what word was used.
Would I respond if someone called me out while minding my own business holding my partner's hand. You bet your ass I would.
This is easy:
Had Vanasdlen minded his own business he'd not be facing hate crime charges and possible jail time. Let this be a lesson to all the little bigots out there that we've had enough of your chiding.
As Peter Finch said in NETWORK "[We're] madder than hell and we're not going to take it anymore".
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