by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist
Fourteen-year-old Natalia was walking to her junior high school in Clive, Iowa, a small town just north of Des Moines, on a recent Monday afternoon to attend a basketball game. As she strolled along on the sidewalk she was suddenly run down by a woman driving a large, older Jeep Cherokee. After the driver was apprehended later that evening she declared that she had driven her vehicle onto the sidewalk and intentionally hit the girl because she was a "Mexican."
The driver of the hit-and-run vehicle was 42-year-old Nicole Poole Franklin. She was arrested less that an hour later in an area convenience store where she was hurling merchandise and racial slurs at the immigrant operator of the store. Ms. Poole Franklin told arresting officers that she was under the influence of drugs, and admitted to smoking methamphetamine less than an hour before hitting the junior high student with her large vehicle. Police said that she was "fidgety and had dilated pupils consistent with drug use."
The victim of the hit-and-run suffered a concussion and massive bruising. She was hospitalized overnight and missed a week of school. The school responded with counseling for students and a program of direct support for the victim and her family.
The driver of the assault vehicle has been charged with attempted murder, and there is some talk of also charging her with the commission of a hate crime. She has a criminal history of being the aggressor in a domestic abuse situation.
Joe Henry, the president of the League of United Latin American Citizens Council #307 in Des Moines, told the Des Moines Register that racist attacks and hate crimes have been on the rise in Iowa since the election of Donald Trump.
But even with the recent rise in apparently racially inspired attacks, prosecutions of hate crimes remains rare in Iowa.
Donald Trump and his political enablers may tell themselves that his words cause no harm, but the view on the street - or on the sidewalk - or in the convenience store - is far different. Hate speech divides and incites, and it reveals our very worst selves. When Donald Trump flaunts his unhinged bigotry, he is attempting to define our entire nation.
We cannot let that happen. The United States of America must be a place of vibrant diversity that is safe for everyone regardless of their faith, race, gender, or lifestyle.
America is better than Donald Trump.
Citizen Journalist
Fourteen-year-old Natalia was walking to her junior high school in Clive, Iowa, a small town just north of Des Moines, on a recent Monday afternoon to attend a basketball game. As she strolled along on the sidewalk she was suddenly run down by a woman driving a large, older Jeep Cherokee. After the driver was apprehended later that evening she declared that she had driven her vehicle onto the sidewalk and intentionally hit the girl because she was a "Mexican."
The driver of the hit-and-run vehicle was 42-year-old Nicole Poole Franklin. She was arrested less that an hour later in an area convenience store where she was hurling merchandise and racial slurs at the immigrant operator of the store. Ms. Poole Franklin told arresting officers that she was under the influence of drugs, and admitted to smoking methamphetamine less than an hour before hitting the junior high student with her large vehicle. Police said that she was "fidgety and had dilated pupils consistent with drug use."
The victim of the hit-and-run suffered a concussion and massive bruising. She was hospitalized overnight and missed a week of school. The school responded with counseling for students and a program of direct support for the victim and her family.
The driver of the assault vehicle has been charged with attempted murder, and there is some talk of also charging her with the commission of a hate crime. She has a criminal history of being the aggressor in a domestic abuse situation.
Joe Henry, the president of the League of United Latin American Citizens Council #307 in Des Moines, told the Des Moines Register that racist attacks and hate crimes have been on the rise in Iowa since the election of Donald Trump.
But even with the recent rise in apparently racially inspired attacks, prosecutions of hate crimes remains rare in Iowa.
Donald Trump and his political enablers may tell themselves that his words cause no harm, but the view on the street - or on the sidewalk - or in the convenience store - is far different. Hate speech divides and incites, and it reveals our very worst selves. When Donald Trump flaunts his unhinged bigotry, he is attempting to define our entire nation.
We cannot let that happen. The United States of America must be a place of vibrant diversity that is safe for everyone regardless of their faith, race, gender, or lifestyle.
America is better than Donald Trump.
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