|
Victim Brutally Beaten while Sleeping; Car & Cell Phone Stolen Vigil to Be Held on Saturday, March 22nd in Marietta, Georgia Cobb County Candlelight Vigil
In a March 5th press release Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard, Dabarran's boss, stated, "Needless to say, my Office was horrified by this verdict. Because Ahmed was such a kind and wonderful person, it is extremely difficult to accept that the man who brutally murdered him has walked free." The acquittal led Howard to announce that his office is planning a national symposium for prosecutors on how to effectively combat the use of the "gay panic" defense. "Gay crime victims must receive equal treatment as crime victims," Howard said. "It is our hope that this symposium will honor Ahmed as the man that we knew him to be and reinforce this important principle of social justice." Controversy is not new to Cobb County over its treatment of gays. In 1993 the Cobb County Commission passed a resolution stating that the "gay lifestyle" was incompatible with community standards. The following year Cobb County lost the rights to host the 1996 Olympic volleyball games after the successful protests of Olympics Out of Cobb, a group which was angry about the anti-gay resolution. The Olympics controversy drew unwanted national and international attention to Cobb County. The Candlelight Vigil is being organized by an ad hoc committee of Atlanta and Cobb citizens outraged over the acquittal of Reed according to committee spokesperson Steve Koval. The committee members are Don George, the immediate past president of the ACLU of Georgia; Steve Koval, an attorney and immediate past president of the Atlanta Executive Network; Michael Manely, a Cobb County attorney; Chris Parsons, a community activist; Cherry Spencer-Stark, past co-chair of Cobb Citizens Coalition; Allen Thornell, Executive Director of Georgia Equality; and Craig Washington, Executive Director of the Atlanta Gay & Lesbian Center. Candlelight Vigil organizers are constructing a website, www.CobbCandlelightVigil.com, to publicize the event and provide information about the murder trial. Statement from District Attorney Paul L. Howard, Jr. "Needless to say, my Office was horrified by this verdict. We can only hope that the passage of time will lessen the pain we now feel and the pain that I know Ahmed's family is experiencing. Because Ahmed was such a kind and wonderful person, it is extremely difficult to accept that the man who brutally murdered him has walked free. "As a continuing tribute to Ahmed, the Fulton County District Attorney's Office has determined to convene a national training symposium for prosecutors and law enforcement officials focusing upon understanding and defeating what is commonly known as the 'gay panic defense.' Senior Assistant District Attorney Holly Hughes-a close friend to Ahmed and the head of this Office's Hate Crimes Unit-will coordinate this event. "Gay crime victims must receive equal treatment as crime victims. It is our hope that this symposium will honor Ahmed as the man that we knew him to be and reinforce this important principle of social justice." |
Ahmed Dabarran, brutally killed by Roderigus Reed who was acquitted of murder charges. Gay activists blame Cobb County prosecutors for mishandling the case.