LETTER: Barry Baker Should Be Charged With A Hate Crime

The following letter to the editor was submitted to Patch by James W. Fee, Jr. To submit a letter to the editor please email justin.heinze@patch.com.

Dear Editor,

I am deeply disturbed by a crime allegedly committed by Barry Baker. Baker is accused of sucker punching a man with cerebral palsy outside a 7/11 in West Chester, Pa. This crime is of particular interest to me because I also have cerebral palsy and the man being punched could just as easily have been me. What disturbs me even more about this crime is that it seems that the DA in the case, a Tom Hogan, has charged the man with "simple assault."

I believe the crime is more serious than this. If you view the video tap, recorded by the 7/11 security camera, you will note that the disabled man was first made fun of and then, for no reason, punched. I believe the man was punched because he belonged to a minority group, namely, disabled people with cerebral palsy.

I further believe that punching someone simply because they are disabled raises this to a crime at a much more serious level. I believe that Mr. Baker is guilty of a hate crime and I would like to see the DA, Tom Hogan charge him as such.

I am an out-of-state resident and do not have access to Penn. Senators or Congressmen. I wish some interested person reading this letter would please pass it along to anyone that can influence the DA' s decision to charge Mr. Baker with what I believe he deserves, a hate crime!

Sincerely,

James W. Fee, Jr.

Maryland

Patch file photo