Police: Greece Teens Posted Video With Racial Slurs After Dispute With Victim
By: Vanessa Herring
Updated: December 10, 2012
It's an extreme case of bullying that was caught on tape, "I hope you like your f------ hoodie you n-----," said one of three Greece teenagers who burned the hooded sweatshirt of a 16 year old boy. 18 year old Nicholas Robare is accused of uploading the video, laced with profanity and racial slurs to YouTube, "this is the remains of your hoodie you f------ n-----," says one of the teens in the video, adding, "if you want the ashes from your hoodie just message me."
Police charged Robare with aggravated harassment in the second degree. Two other teens took part in burning the sweatshirt but police say they won't be charged, "we believe we know who all those people are we've interviewed all of them, we believe, but the crime in this case is the sending of the video via Facebook to the victim that constitutes the crime of aggravated harassment in the second degree," explained Captain Patrick Phelan of the Greece Police Department, "so it's not the making of the video it's the sending of the video."
Community activist Davy Vara brought attention to the video on his blog. He says the harassment is much deeper than the racial slurs and threats. Vara says the victim was friends with 12 year old Noel Parcells. Parcells was killed by her father, along with her three year old sister, in a murder-suicide, "Noel Parcells gave a hoodie to the victim who was her best friend and that's where the getting back at somebody to hurt them kind of thing starts," said Vara.
The teens refer to Parcells in the video, "I hope you're happy now that Noel is rolling in her grave because of you, because you're too much of a p---- to come fight for your hoodie."
The eight minute video ends with the sweatshirt in ashes and the teens threatening the victim, "Next time it won't be a hoodie, next time we'll bust your f------ face."
Robare will be in court on January 3rd.
This is the second time a video depicting bullying in Greece has sparked headlines. In June students on a school bus videotaped themselves bullying bus monitor Karen Klein. In a statement the victim's mother said, "I don't understand how the bullying against Ms. Karen Klein drew international attention and netted her nearly one million dollars but no one, including the anti-bullying foundation that Ms. Klein has established, and the mainstream media, wants to deal with what happened to my son."
A spokesman for Klein's foundation issued a statement saying, "the foundation simply delivers educational content to empower young people on the subject of bullying, we are not a watch dog organization."
The victim's family plans to speak out at a press conference Tuesday morning.
Police charged Robare with aggravated harassment in the second degree. Two other teens took part in burning the sweatshirt but police say they won't be charged, "we believe we know who all those people are we've interviewed all of them, we believe, but the crime in this case is the sending of the video via Facebook to the victim that constitutes the crime of aggravated harassment in the second degree," explained Captain Patrick Phelan of the Greece Police Department, "so it's not the making of the video it's the sending of the video."
Community activist Davy Vara brought attention to the video on his blog. He says the harassment is much deeper than the racial slurs and threats. Vara says the victim was friends with 12 year old Noel Parcells. Parcells was killed by her father, along with her three year old sister, in a murder-suicide, "Noel Parcells gave a hoodie to the victim who was her best friend and that's where the getting back at somebody to hurt them kind of thing starts," said Vara.
The teens refer to Parcells in the video, "I hope you're happy now that Noel is rolling in her grave because of you, because you're too much of a p---- to come fight for your hoodie."
The eight minute video ends with the sweatshirt in ashes and the teens threatening the victim, "Next time it won't be a hoodie, next time we'll bust your f------ face."
Robare will be in court on January 3rd.
This is the second time a video depicting bullying in Greece has sparked headlines. In June students on a school bus videotaped themselves bullying bus monitor Karen Klein. In a statement the victim's mother said, "I don't understand how the bullying against Ms. Karen Klein drew international attention and netted her nearly one million dollars but no one, including the anti-bullying foundation that Ms. Klein has established, and the mainstream media, wants to deal with what happened to my son."
A spokesman for Klein's foundation issued a statement saying, "the foundation simply delivers educational content to empower young people on the subject of bullying, we are not a watch dog organization."
The victim's family plans to speak out at a press conference Tuesday morning.
