Tribune Columnist Calls Crystal Lake Police Teen Hate Crime Case “A Load of Malarky”

Chicago Tribune columnist Dennis Byrne, who used to be on the editorial board of the Chicago Sun-Times, centered his column Monday on Crystal Lake.

He compared the felony hate crime arrest of a Crystal Lake South High School student with the decision in that allowed a neo-Nazi group to march in Skokie in the late 1970’s.

If you don’t remember the news stories, you probably remember the “Blues Brothers” movie depiction of it.

Byrne remembers that the ACLU filed a federal court suit that forced Skokie to allow the march.

“Apparently, the constabulary in northwest suburban Crystal Lake disagrees, seeing fit to arrest two high school girls for handing out allegedly anti-homosexual literature at their school. We have to say “allegedly” because the specifics of the girls’ pamphlets have not been disclosed because they are “evidence,” the police said. We are to believe that two girls are such a big threat to the commonweal that they should be arrested on–get this—felony hate-crime charges.

“As a sideshow to this circus, one of the girls has been locked up until trial because the judge decided the girl’s supposedly unhealthy home environment and lengthy juvenile record did not allow home detention.

“Thus, for exercising her right of political speech, she ended up in the slammer.”

Byrne notes the underlying crime is disorderly conduct.

“But the seriousness of the charge has been jacked up beyond reason to a felony because of a viewpoint that they expressed.”

Byrne goes on to cite more serious crimes they did not commit, including the famous limitation on free speech of yelling “Fire!” in a crowed theater.

He calls the Crystal Lake case

“a load of malarkey.”

There is much more, of course.

There always is columns by Dennis Byrne.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *