Reader comments
Salt Lake police seeking gay man's attacker

What? hate crimes don�t happen in Utah! These two cases cannot be true. Or just maybe people should pull their heads out of the sand.

I personally don't know anyone that doesn't think hate crimes happen in Utah. You must hang around a really naive crowd.

Why in the world is this alert going out one month later. The pic of the attacker should have been on the six o`clock news the same night. Violent criminals should not be allowed to roam the streets.

what's his name?

Am I seeing a homophobic trend amongst the islanders? You know what the means right?
I would guess there were plenty of witnesses to the assault. Why not ask one of them?

No one will ever come forward. They are afraid of retaliation from the family of this boy

The assault happened the night after it made all news outlets that the Salt Lake County DA wouldn't be pressing charges against the Polynesian family who attacked partners Dan Fair and David Bell, according to QSaltLake.

Wonder if there's any connection there.

Wasn't there an ever more gruesome beating on two gay men by islanders a while back? Is this becoming a trend among Utah Polynesians? I hope not.

the DA has made it ok for gays to be beaten when they didnt press charges against the poly family that attacked David Bell and Dan Fair. so thanks DA for sending a clear message that it's ok to beat someone bc they are gay. service and protection for all yeah right!. glad to see my tax dollars at work.

Maybe the News has not gotten out sooner because the Victim, is Brown and Gay. Maybe he did something to promote getting his eye socket busted. Not saying that attacking his right it is not. The person that attacked him should be caught and punished. Also where they when they came into contact. A good look into the attacker might give us vital information. It just seems that the Victim could find a better place to be Gay at then Utah. Hawaii, San Fran, almost anywhere else. How about East Lansing Michican.

what your sexual orientation is, people have no right to indiscriminately go around beating people up! People who do so should be arrested.

SO what good did it do to pass a hate crime bill in this great state.....if our own law enforcers wont enforce it to the extent that it should?

"It just seems that the Victim could find a better place to be Gay at then Utah."

So the victim deserved it because he is gay? It would be better to leave Utah?

Um... awesomeron ... the picture on this story is the attacker, not the victim. Just so you know.

Beyond furious with this story. As a state we pride ourselves on being caring and industrious people. And yet, as our people are being within inches of their lives we lazily sit by and tell them it is LEGALLY ok to behave this way? Completely innappropriate. The district attorney need not worry much longer because re-election is not an option. We WILL make sure as a people who do not tolerate violence, that this kind of hate crime and ignoring of hate crimes will be happen again.

re: Phere If by "it's ok to beat someone bc they are gay" you mean as soon as he's caught he's going to jail and will face larger consequences for his actions. Then the DA has also implied its ok to steal, cheat, and murder.

I still see where everyone is getting the idea that the DA/Utah is saying Hate Crimes are ok. Are they asking everyone to find this assailant so they can give him a prize? Are they calling the charges off? No. Police are looking for him and when they catch him he is going to pay.

The previous case was a different and very complex story. It was hard enough to figure out when they put it in as a full article, so I doubt all the self professed armchair lawyers posting here really have any idea of what should and should have been done just by reading a paragraph summary from DSN.

Maybe it would be easier to take the DA's interest in the case seriously had the Bell/Fair hate crime been prosecuted.

Remind me to yell hate crime if my neighbor of 5 years and fellow buddy beats be after I bring his kids into my house at 4 in the morning. I may not win the case but looks like I'll have the support of DSN posters.

Because we all know all of us who are different and covered by hate crime legislation would never claim such a thing if it weren't 100% true. Not even in a moment of weakness or anger would we besmurch the truth.

I dated a girl who thought it would be funny to take me, a total jock, to a gay bar! I didn't realize it until I witnessed a couple of gay dudes dancing on the floor together.....after a couple more drinks all of a sudden they were pummeling each other....Damn I LMAO! Those Gays are nuts!