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| Ray Widstrand (borrowed from his Facebook photos) |
Last Sunday night (August 4, 2013), 26 year old Ray Widstrand was attacked when he attempted to walk through a large group (reports of 30-50 people) of kids and adults involved in what appears to have been a gang fight on St. Paul, Minnesota's Eastside. According to reports, Ray was knocked down, stomped on, kicked; his pants were ripped off so the participants could go through his pockets and steal his possessions and money. He was then left on the street when the thugs heard sirens and dispersed. According to The Pioneer Press:
Police found Widstrand lying on the ground, bleeding from his nose and mouth, his pants removed and shirt torn, according to a criminal complaint filed by the Ramsey County attorney's office.
A witness said someone struck Widstrand in the head and knocked him to the ground; she said she saw blood coming from his head.
The witness said a second man then hit and stomped on Widstrand. A third man removed his pants.
The witness said the man was hit and beaten for no reason.
A second witness said Widstrand was assaulted when he walked into the area. When Widstrand went down, a "whole bunch of little East Side Boys" began to kick him, the complaint said.
When his pants were removed, they went through his pockets.
The second witness said the first person to hit Widstrand did it with a can in a sock. She tried to protect the man from people kicking and stomping him, while another witness said someone at the scene tried to use Mace to stop the attack, the complaint said.
A third witness identified Maiden as a man who stomped on Widstrand, based on a photo taken at the scene, the complaint said.
Three juvenile males and an adult male have been arrested in relation to this brutal assault and robbery. The adult male is a 19 year old named Isaac Maiden.
According to the criminal complaint, Isaac Maiden has been charged with four felony counts, including aggravated assault and crime committed for the benefit of a gang.
While Isaac Maiden was in court yesterday (Friday, August 9, 2013), Ray Widstrand was fighting for his life at Regions Hospital in St. Paul:
"He's in the most difficult time right now, as far as swelling and cranial pressure. We're in that critical time," his father, Peter Widstrand, said. (Pioneer Press)
Ray Widstrand is a 26 year old producer for Suburban Community Channels and a graduate of Irondale High School. A quick search revealed more than just those two items - Ray Widstrand is obviously a lover of comics, has a great sense of humor and is well-loved by his friends. He also is an aspiring producer of films, as shown by the videos uploaded to his YouTube channel.
A few photos from his Facebook page:
And finally, this photo captioned with: "It takes a certain kind of man to rock a poncho. Ask Clint Eastwood.
It takes a certain kind of man to rock a poncho with a giant stuffed banana with dreadlocks. Ask me."
Will there be justice for Ray Widstrand? Where are the people out yelling about this being a "hate crime"? This young man was out for a walk in his neighborhood - a place, according to his father, in which he was excited to be living. Unfortunately, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time - or that is how it will be portrayed by the media - and was attacked. But why should he have had to worry about being attacked? He wasn't part of the gangs and their fight. He was brutally attacked, his pants ripped off so his attackers could ROB HIM and then left bleeding in the street. A few good people tried to stop his beating by Macing his attackers but being MACED didn't make them quit. Blood thirsty and angry, they beat him until he passed out. Now his brain is swelling and chances are high that he will die.
Some people say that Trayvon Martin was in the wrong place at the wrong time, walking home with Skittles and an iced tea when he decided to confront George Zimmerman by punching him in the nose. Some people accuse George Zimmerman of profiling Trayvon Martin and "wanting" to kill him because Zimmerman was a racist. The outrage over the Zimmerman acquittal bled into riots and protests across the country.
In this case, Ray Widstrand was truly minding his own business. By all reports, he did not confront his attackers by breaking their noses: he was out for a walk and was brutally attacked. Where is the outrage? Where are the protests? Or will we see no outrage because the man in the coma is part of the most hated of all American groups: a young, employed, white male? If this man dies from his injuries, will there be protests and cries of justice for his attackers? Or will the incident pass all but his family by as just another moment of violence in our increasingly violent world?
Please pray for Ray Widstrand and his family.
If Zimmerman had not of bothered him in the first place, maybe Trayvon wouldn't of had to confront him. After all he was minding his business too.
ReplyDeleteBSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
DeleteRonnie Teeril - I would suggest that you not use such foul, threatening language on a public forum with your name. It will be reported to the police as a threat.
Delete~MNHockeyMama
This is truly sad.
ReplyDeleteNow as far as the comment from the person "SHM", lets try a little of YOUR logic on ya.
If you wouldn't have commented, I wouldn't have to confront you.
or
If the cop didn't have to pull me over for speeding down the street, I wouldn't have to exit my car and attack him.
Or
If Trayvon wouldn't have had to walk through a private neighborhood, Zimmerman wouldn't have had to confront him.
After all, Zimmerman was simply minding his own business UNTIL Trayvon came along.
FormerGuardianAngel
ReplyDeleteSHM,
When i was younger, and lived in the city, I volunteered to be a Guardian Angel. Back then, there were no 'neighborhood watch' needed in the suburbs as the crime and homelessness was isolated mainly to the big cities. I was trained in self-defense and we 'patrolled' the streets of our neighborhoods, reporting to the police activities that were un-seedy, dangerous or criminal. Why did we do that? To provide security to the residents who lived in the area. Along the way, we helped the homeless, the bums (drunks) and the police appreciated our help 'keeping the peace'. Should we have 'minded our own business'?? Should we allowed all those negative aspects to flourish and spread? Or should we have 'minded our business' and let the neighborhood degenerate in to a seedy cesspool, as many inner city neighborhoods have been allowed to, because of a vacuum of personal responsibility and civic duty?
I contend, you would.
I find repulsive the hypocrisy of those who claim to champion the poor and 'downtrodden', refusing to be leaders by coming out and organizing community watches to keep these elements out and clean up their communities. Shame on them.
There is a reason people seek to move out in to the suburbs. They dream of having somewhere safe to raise their children; they seek to live outside those negative elements stated above; they seek to OWN not rent, as these are people who have worked hard, refused to believe the lie they cannot succeed, and desire what every American has the equal opportunity to achieve with hard work, good morals, ethics and perseverance: pursuit of happiness.
So, if those seedy elements begin to leak out of the cities and trickle in to the suburbs (which was proven to be true in this case), who exactly are YOU to say 'mind your own business'?? It is their right to protect their property and their neighborhood. It is a community quality that is sadly lacking in the inner city, and if you don't like that, then get to work to fix it. I, and many others, are sick and tired of the whining about the problems, tighten your belt, suck up your gut and get to work to fix it. That is what adults do, children whine.
I would also like to point out that you are poorly informed as to the facts of the case. Trayvon was no innocent angel. He was getting skittles to make drugs out of them. He was wandering a neighborhood he had really no business being in, which in itself is not a crime, but it does lead to suspicious activity. As a former GA I would have been suspicious. Also, if he didn't have a big ole chip on his shoulder, and guilt about being in place he had no business being in, he would have turned around, introduced himself and had a civil conversation with the neighborhood watch, acting like a civil human being. He intentionally chose instead to turn around and attack Zimmerman. What the media never reported, but is in the testimony by his girlfriend, is that Martin thought Zimmerman might be gay, a supposition proposed by his girlfriend. As Martin had animosity towards gays, I believe it was a homo-phobic attack on Martins part, and I believe his girlfriends testimony backs that up.
This case was made to be about race by those who seek to profit from civil disharmony and a concerted effort to pit American against American. It is sad that there are those, such as you, who fall prey to the intellectually shallow campaign, and not only succumb to their lies, but perpetuate them as well.
As a minority myself, I am ashamed, disgusted and repulsed by a political party and subhumans like Al Sharpton claim to represent minorities. They do not represent me, and if you are an American, they should not represent you.
I would like to propose that the problem here is that blacks are allowed to be racist, but everyone else is not.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter was taught in school, that you cannot be black and be racist. I believe that to be a lie. I judge by words and deeds and someone like Al Sharpton is a racist....he only sees the world through the lens of color. Others see the world through the lens of ethnicity, like the palestinians, who are racist against the jews.
The vast majority of Americans no longer see, nor care, about the color of yours skin...as is testified by the fact people voted for a President who is not white. (or is he? he could technically be called a 'white-african american')
What needs to be addressed is hate. Hate comes in all colors, genders, ages, and ethnicities. But until we address that humans are flawed and prone to sin, and that will never change, we continue to have those who believe the lie that man is perfectible.......if only we did - X -. Until we shun and shame those who (as stated above) profit from hate, we will become a nation divided. Which only benefits the slave-master.
Prayers continuing for Ray, his family and friends. May they be comforted and supported as they face an uncertain future.
ReplyDelete@FormerGurdianAngle-Skittles to make drugs? What makes you say this. Could the kid not wanna just eat the candy? If I'm being followed, I have the right to confront that person, and ask why. Zimmerman was looking fir trouble, that's why he had a gun,case closed. All Zimmerman did is inherit Trayvons problem. Always having to watch his back!
ReplyDeleteRay,I also hope that you get better. So sorry this happened to a good person like yourself. Hope this guy get what he deserves.
ReplyDeleteBringing politics into this is not okay. This is a completely different situation and should not be compared to the Zimmerman case. I know many people that were very close friends with Ray, and by taking the focus away from him, you've turned this tragedy into an opportunity to argue about something only two people will ever truly understand (Treyvon and Zimmerman). However, thank you for bringing awareness to this terrible event, and for honoring Ray.
ReplyDelete