Man Jailed 45 Days for Hate Crime
Christina Commisso, Toronto Star, Oct. 29, 2008
A 26-year-old man was sentenced to 45 days in jail after hanging a life-sized skeleton, which was painted black, in front of a house in the town of Georgina.
Luke Granados, of Georgina, pled guilty to the hate crime in a Newmarket court on Sept. 29. He was sentenced on Monday. He was also sentenced to a 12-month probation after he serves his time in jail.
York police spotted the skeleton in late November 2007. It was suspended with a noose around its neck from a flagpole flying a Confederate flag.
In May 2008, Granados was arrested and charged under the hate crime section of the Criminal Code, which states that anyone who promotes or communicates hatred against any identifiable group, other than in a private conversation, is guilty of a hate crime.
“Every member of our community needs to be engaged in the fight against hatred,” said Chief Armand La Barge of York Regional Police. “Those people who target a particular community threaten all communities, and when you victimize one community, you victimize all communities.”
Charges were also laid against a second suspect, a 22-year-old man from Georgina. Those charges have been stayed.
