NC Homophobe Assaults Gay Bar Owner But Will Not Be Charged With Hate Crime

Maybe someone can explain this one to me: A guy walks into a gay bar, begins using derogatory language toward some of the patrons and the owner of the bar–because the owner?also?happens to be gay–physically assaults the owner several times, is arrested, and then is released on a measly $3,000 bond.

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Image Via MyFox8

WTF?!

Sunday morning in Charlotte, North Carolina,?Lucas Dylan Wilhelmson walked into?The Bar at 316. He was allegedly upset that the Supreme Court had ruled in favor of same-sex marriage on Friday. He was intoxicated and looking to pick a fight.

According to?Rob Tufano, spokesperson for the?Charlotte-Mecklenburg police?department:

?From the second he started talking to people, it was downhill from there. He was looking for trouble. He said he was straight, but you could tell he obviously had deep issues from what he was saying and how he was acting. When he came in, he did not seem friendly at all.?He slaps the owner several times.?He continued to slap him. The owner never hits him back, according to witnesses.?

In fact, the bar’s owner, Jeff Edwards, even offered to call a cab for?Wilhelmson, and he was rewarded for his good citizenship with slaps and choking by the homophobic patron.?Wilhelmson also allegedly threatened to come back later and kill Edwards.

Wilhelmson will not be charged with a hate crime because?North Carolina has no protection for the LGBT community in its established anti-discrimination laws.

JoJo Hammond, a friend of Wilhelmson who says she is a lesbian, blames his actions on alcohol:

?I know this boy, I know his family.?When he gets a little drunk, he can be a little crazy, but I have never known him to be homophobic. When I heard of the story, I was very shocked that he would even be considered for a hate crime, because he’s just a nice kid. I have seen him when he’s had too much to drink, but a hate crime? I just don’t see that.?

First of all, Wilhelmson isn’t a “kid” as Ms. Hammond calls him. He’s a 21-year-old man who is legally responsible for his actions. Secondly, if this isn’t a hate crime, then what did he have to do to qualify for that charge? Burn the bar down?

For the record, this is hardly the first time Wilhelmson has been in trouble with the law. He has a rap sheet which?includes assault, hit and run, and DWI.

Yeah, what a nice kid he is.