Group pushes for hate crime charge in anti-Muslim tirade

December 30, 2015 6:41 pm

By: Rebecca Turco

Email: rturco@abc6.com

SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. – Surveillance video of anti-Muslim remarks screamed at a South Kingstown mini-mart clerk is now catching the attention of a national advocacy group.

Ibrahim Hooper, the spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, is calling for the case to be considered as a hate crime, saying that would "send a very strong message to that tiny minority of bigots out there who are thinking about these kinds of things, that they shouldn’t do it, that they’re not going to get away with it.”

Thomas Giese, 37, is charged with disorderly conduct and marijuana possession after making a slew of anti-Muslim remarks and threats to a Ravi Food Mart clerk on Christmas Eve. (Click here for original story)

In Rhode Island, hate crime is an enhanced penalty. A person needs to have an underlying offense, at which point the prosecution could ask for enhanced penalties under the hate crime sentencing act. This would need to be done before the pre-trial hearing.

“The issue here is whether or not the disorderly conduct was motivated by the race or religion of the victim in this case,” explained attorney Michael D. Coleman. He feels the prosecution has a hate crime case, if they pursue it as such.

South Kingstown Police still need to conduct follow-up interviews with the victim and get a hard copy of the surveillance video before meeting with their lawyer, according to Captain Joel Ewing-Chow. "If it does rise to that level of being able to attach the hate crime statute to the charge, then we would definitely be supportive of it," he said.

Giese is scheduled to be arraigned on January 7. The prosecution has until the pre-trial hearing to decide whether to pursue the hate crime enhanced penalty. If they do and he’s found guilty, he would face no less than 30 days to one year behind bars.