Rest in Peace J.B. Hehman (TLOZ Link5)

[ZippyTheChimp]

The case has been moved to Homicide at the NYPD.

April 8, 2006

Chase Led Man Into Car's Path

By THE NEW YORK TIMES

A 20-year-old college student who was struck and killed by a car last week in Harlem was chased into a busy road while fleeing a group of young men during what may have been a bias attack, the authorities said yesterday.

The death of the student, Broderick Hehman of Manhattan, a junior at New York University, was ruled a homicide by the city medical examiner, who found that while the direct cause was head trauma, Mr. Hehman had been fleeing assailants when he was struck, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner said yesterday.

On April 1, Mr. Hehman darted into the intersection at 125th Street and Park Avenue, where he was hit by a silver Mercedes-Benz, the police said. A witness, a homeless man named David Jones who sells used goods at the intersection, said that just before the collision, he saw a group of men trying to attack the student. Mr. Hehman died on Tuesday.

Investigators have two theories concerning the killing, a law enforcement official said yesterday: that about eight young men, some of them teenagers, were trying to rob Mr. Hehman; or that the group, at least one among them using a racial epithet, singled him out because he was white.

Police questioned a few men yesterday, the official said, adding that no arrests had been made.


Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company

[lofter1]

I found this post from JB in reply to THIS , a posting about Crime Stats:

At a news conference at his union’s Manhattan office, Patrick Lynch, president of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, cited a Newsday report in which police officers alleged that the Bronx 50th precinct commander intentionally downgraded crimes for three years. Lynch maintained that was not an isolated instance.

Comments from Readers

From: J.B. Hehman

Having read your March 31 issue's reprint of a Newsday article about the supposed fraudulent crime reports in ONE precinct in New York City, I can't help but wonder how much the editors at American Renaissance are gloating.? All right, so perhaps a dirty dozen precinct commanders might end up with altered crime statistics.? So what?? Did that warrant an enclosed link to the twelve-year-old article "The Late Great City of New York" beneath the caption "Perhaps things in NYC haven't gotten so much better since this article was written"?? Fugheddaboudit!

Corruption is, unfortunately, inherent in every American city; I am sure that there are many other cities whose police departments also neglected to report certain crimes.? Having lived in New York City for all of my eighteen years and having NEVER been a victim of crime no matter what neighborhoods I've gone to (including Harlem), I cannot grasp the logic behind American Renaissance's drawing a line from some cooked books to an overall lie kept under wraps by the police department for the past eleven years.? (1993 was the year that the NYPD's CompStat system was first implemented.)

There are some crimes that are quite hard to keep under wraps, like murder; and it is quite hard to keep murders, which have declined dramatically in New York, from being reported.? To deny this fact you will also have to deny declines in crime in cities like Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland and other American cities to prevent from leaving yourself open to accusations of bias.
Is crime still a major problem in New York City?? Without a doubt.? But it is in no way as bad as it was in the '70s, '80s, or early '90s.? You can see it, feel it, if you've been and/or lived here through the good times and the bad alike, like my family, my grandparents, and my friends.? Look at Harlem, Brooklyn, the subways, Times Square, Union Square, the Lower East Side--even the South Bronx.? The evidence, police corruption or not, is incontrovertible.

[czsz]

It should be a cause célèbre. This was a hate crime... there were racial taunts.

Don't hold your breath for Jesse Jackson to hold any rallies...

[czsz]

New clues in NYU student's tragic death
20-year-old John Hehman died afer he was chased into traffic in Harlem Saturday

(New York-WABC, April 7, 2006) - There are new clues tonight as to who may have chased an NYU student to his death. Now, police are stepping up their search for his killers.

20-year-old John Hehman died afer he was chased into traffic on 125th Street in Harlem Saturday night. Investigators now believe the group of teens responsible for his death - may also be terrorizing several businesses in the area.
Eyewitness News reporter N.J. Burkett is in Harlem with the story.

Apparently for the past several weeks, a pack of young men are going in and out of a number of local businesses terrorizing shopkeepers and their customers. Tonight, detectives say these may be the same people who chased the victim to his death.

Detectives hit the streets this afternoon armed with new leads as posters went up on street corners across Harlem.

One woman said she knows some of the young men questioned by police.

"That vehicle hit that white man and killed that white man. They're around here grabbing all our kids ... these kids had nothing to do with it," she said.

John Broderick Hehman was 20-years-old and a junior at NYU. Witnesses say he ran headlong into traffic and was struck by a silver Mercedes in the middle of 125th Street on Saturday night. The driver did not flee the scene and has not been charged.

Earlier this week, one witness told us Hehman was chased into the street.

"I saw the guy run out into the street ... a bunch of people were chasing him," the witness said.

Now, police are investigating reports that Hehman's pursuers shouted racist threats -- and may be the same young men who harassed and in some cases terrorized merchants and their customers along 125th Street.

The manager of Popeye's Fried Chicken told us that it happened at her restaurant several times.

"Mostly kids, about 20-22," she said.

Tonight, Harlem residents overwhelmingly want this case solved.

Police say their eyewitness accounts so far may not be reliable. The motive in this case is still not entirely clear, and for that reason this has not been classified a bias crime. Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD.

[infoshare]

It's sad that, even though there was video from an incident with this gang one week before JB was killed, it was only after JB's death that the video was looked at in a serious way to get these punks off the streets.

I am angry about what happened,,,,,,but I try to keep positive and look at the bright side fo things.;;;;;;; and not feed into racism and negitivity.

I liked this guy (just seemed like a good/special person) his profile had as his hobby ---- BE'in all clever! OR someting like that..... he was a cool kid.

I hope I can do something.....and send me A PM if you know how I can help.

[ablarc]

THE POLITICS OF BLAMELESSNESS:

One woman said she knows some of the young men questioned by police.

"That vehicle hit that white man and killed that white man. They're around here grabbing all our kids ... these kids had nothing to do with it," she said.

The vehicle. The vehicle did it. Probably driven by a white man.

"Mostly kids, about 20-22," she said.

Kids? Age 22. Well, I guess it's possible if you never grew up... Maybe this is just evidence of immaturity.

If you do this at age 33, are you still a kid?

[Schadenfrau]

I'm pretty sure that quote, as repugnant as it is, refers to the number of kids involved, not their ages.

I agree that it's inexcusable to blame JB's death solely upon the actions of an inanimate object, but given his past statements, I don't think he'd appreciate some of the racial generalizations some people are throwing out there.

[infoshare]

THE POLITICS OF BLAMELESSNESS:

Kids? Age 22. Well, I guess it's possible if you never grew up... Maybe this is just evidence of immaturity.

If you do this at age 33, are you still a kid?

There is a "gang" in my area that meets in a local courtyard....the group is 20-25 in number and 16 - 25 in age......not saying this is the gang;;;;;;;just that they are not "all KIDS".

[ManhattanKnight]

The lead story on today's 6:00 pm news show on WNBC (Ch. 4) was the investigation into TLOZ's death and the assertion at a news conference held today by Norman Siegel and others that the NYPD is being insufficiently aggressive in pursuing it as a hate crime. I wouldn't be surprised if the story is reaired during today's 11:00 pm newscast.

[infoshare]

I called the hotline....gave them what I have on the area......thanks MK for the posting the phone number.

[Schadenfrau]

I just saw Eric Adams from 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement calling JB's murder a hate crime on the Fox5 10PM broadcast.

Here's the WABC story:



Was the murder also a hate crime? Suspects may have yelled 'whiteboy'
By Stacey Sager

(Harlem-WABC, April 8, 2006) - The search continues for those who allegedly chased a 20-year-old NYU student John Hehman into the street where he was hit by a car and killed one week ago. Though police say there are many witnesses, so far, there is no one in custody. Some are now wondering if the motive behind it all was race.

Should this murder also be considered a hate crime? That's what some community activists were suggesting today. They were pretty critical of how the NYPD is handling this case.

Talk to people along 125th Street in Harlem and you'll find out most of them are well aware of what happened here last Saturday night. Witnesses reported to police that 20-year-old college student John Hehman was chased into oncoming traffic where he was struck and killed. What's a little more perplexing to investigators is exactly why he was chased after.

Norman Siegel, Civil Rights Attorney: If the reports are accurate, that one of the people in the group said, 'Get the white boy,' that's a hate crime.

Civil rights attorney Norman Siegel and the group known as 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement stood in Harlem on Saturday demanding some more clarity from the NYPD. Police are still investigating the motive for the killing whether it was robbery or whether one or more of Hehman's attackers referred to his race as they chased him down.

Eric Adams, 100 Black in Law Enforcement: Not only is this incident some form of denial. I believe that the historical denial in the police department not wanting to classify hate crimes when they are hate crimes.

In response, a spokesman for the police commissioner called that assertion "flatly untrue" He said, "The matter was immediately referred to our hate crimes investigators and is being treated as a possible bias crime."

Meanwhile, posters remain up around the neighborhood as detectives continue to ask the public for help. Investigators are still trying to determine if the suspects were part of a group of teens that had trashed a nearby McDonald's and threatened others around the neighborhood.

Andrea Wade, 125th Street Shopper: I think it's a disgrace because it just shouldn't happen nowadays. It's 2006 and things like that shouldn't happen.

Police in Harlem have made no arrests in this case. Community leaders tell Eyewitness News the reward money has now been increased. It's now $13,000 to anyone who can provide police with information leading to an arrest and conviction in this murder.

(Copyright 2006 WABC-TV)

[ablarc]

$13,000? OK guys, if twenty of us chip in $100 we can bump that to $15,000.

BrooklynRider, would you be up for organizing the effort? Or Edward?

[lofter1]

I just called the Crime Stoppers number on the poster (1.800.577-TIPS) and asked about how to donate to JB's Reward Fund. I was told that the $12K Reward comes from within the NYPD and that private individuals can't donate to that Fund.

In order to set up a Private Fund for reward we'd have to get in touch with one of the detectives on the case (contact can be made through the 1.800.577-TIPS line). Then the detective would give info on how to set up the fund.

The operator told me that it is a somewhat complicated process to set up a Private Fund.

But it might be worth a try ...

[ManhattanKnight]

Ch. 4 did reair the piece during its 11 pm newscast, and Chs. 2 and 7 had their own slightly different versions at the same hour. Implicit in all of them, but expressly mentioned on Ch. 7, was the truism that a hate crime is just that, even when the races of the perps and the victim are reversed from what we're accustomed to expect.

[BrooklynRider]

$13,000? OK guys, if twenty of us chip in $100 we can bump that to $15,000.

BrooklynRider, would you be up for organizing the effort? Or Edward?

I will check into the details and see what it takes. We've all seen rewards bumped up. If we do establish the fund, I hope we can pull together to get the word out to the press and keep this out front on the news. I need to PM Edward and see if it is okay to set it up as a WiredNewYork reward fund - for lack of a more appropriate name. It might also bring people to the site who have any bits of info. Here they can post anonymously. We might want to seek out other message boards and post links to this thread to drive a little traffic from area residents.

Any thoughts?