New Jersey prosecutors are weighing whether to charge Rutgers freshmen Dharum Ravi and Molly Wei with hate crimes, on top of invasion of privacy, for allegedly broadcasting live video of Ravi's roommate, Tyler Clementi, having a gay sexual encounter. Clementi leapt to his death off the George Washington Bridge a few days later. Do Ravi and Wei's actions merit a hate crime conviction, which would double the maximum five years they face in jail?
Of course it's a hate crime: Does anyone think Ravi would have "taped and mocked" Clementi if he "was with someone of the opposite sex?" says Steven Goldstein, chairman of gay-rights group Garden State Equality. Of course not. This is "one of the most unconscionable, hate-related deaths of a student" in New Jersey history, and "we can only hope the alleged perpetrators receive the maximum possible sentence."
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