High School student set on fire by admitted homophobe, and where’s the media?

A vicious attack in which a Berkeley teenager riding a public bus was set on fire is not — in my opinion — getting the sort of national attention it ought to be getting.

Luke Fleischman, who also goes by the name Sasha, was asleep Monday on an AC Transit bus in Oakland when police say that another passenger set ablaze the kilt-like skirt he was wearing. Other passengers came to his aid after he tried to put out the flames himself.

Debbie Fleischman told the Oakland Tribune that her son will require massive skin grafting. She also said she is torn about whether the fire was a prank, or if her son was targeted because he was wearing a skirt.

Luke Fleischman is listed in stable condition at a San Francisco hospital after suffering second- and third-degree burns on his legs.

According to CBS San Francisco, more than 400 supporters have donated nearly $21,000 to help pay his medical bills.

Police arrested a 16-year-old boy, a junior at Oakland High School, on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and mayhem. His name has not been released, and authorities have not commented on motive.

When I say this has not gotten the attention it should have, I mean it. I try to keep up with the news, but had M. Simon not mentioned the incident, I probably would never have heard about it.

It’s a horrific story, and in many ways, the facts are worse than the Matthew Shepard case, because those particular sleazebags not only didn’t set their victim on fire, but they had known him in advance. Also, there is a serious dispute over whether the Shepard attack was in fact motivated by homophobia, but in this case, the attacker outright admitted it to the police.

As it’s so well known what happened, Sasha’s friends at school — including boys — wore skirts as a display of solidarity with him:

At school, Gonzer [a classmate] said he went “the whole nine yards” for Flieschman, dressing just as his friend often does: Bow tie, vest, white long sleeve shirt, cap – and a skirt. He said he thought Fleischman, “one of the smartest students at Maybeck, would get a kick out of it.”

Maybeck’s director, Trevor Cralle, arrived to school wearing a blue wraparound with yellow flowers to support Fleischman, whom he called an “excellent” and “spectacular” student. The motto of the school, which comprises about 100 students, is “Open Hearts, Open Minds.”

As Fleischman begins to recover, 16-year-old Richard Thomas made his first court appearance on Thursday in Alameda County Superior Court, charged (PDF) with a hate crime, aggravated mayhem and felony assault. Witnesses and video surveillance on the bus led to his quick arrest. He did not enter a plea as his family sought an attorney.

Though he is a minor, the District Attorney charged the teen – who attends Oakland High School – as an adult. A police statement indicates Thomas said he lit Fleischman’s skirt on fire because he was “homophobic.”

I’m thinking that this isn’t national news because the details don’t fit the narrative of the left. Gay bashers are supposed to be “cracker” types, and from anywhere but the San Francisco Bay Area.

UPDATE: Thank you, Glenn Reynolds, for the link, and a warm welcome to all.

This story is being relegated to local news, and I found a few more details here:

A probable cause statement signed by Oakland police Officer Anwawn Jones stated that during a police interview after the crime, Thomas told investigators he lit the fire because he was homophobic.

Fleischman, a student at Berkeley’s Maybeck High School, suffered severe second- and third-degree burns and was taken to the burn center at St. Francis Memorial Hospital in San Francisco.

In a statement today, District Attorney Nancy O’Malley called the crime senseless and said Fleischman was an “entirely innocent victim.”

“The intentional and callous nature of the crime is shocking and will not be tolerated in our community. Our thoughts remain with the victim and the victim’s family in wishing for a full recovery from the extensive burns suffered as a result of this crime,” she said.

Despite that admission, the attacker’s family claims he only set the boy on fire as a “joke.”

As they left the courtroom after a briefing hearing, the family of 16-year-old Richard Thomas said Thomas is not a “hateful person,” as the charges against him might indicate.

“He’s a very good kid, very good kid,” one family member said. “He was just joking around that’s all.”

I do not doubt that he thought it was funny. Lots of people have been tortured or murdered by attackers who had fun. But I don’t think finding amusement in such crimes is a defense. (And had he done the same thing to a sleeping dog or a cat, I doubt people would even for a moment entertain the “joke” defense.)


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35 responses to “High School student set on fire by admitted homophobe, and where’s the media?”

  1. Frank Avatar
    Frank

    And why isn’t this getting national attention? As you state it doesn’t fit the leftist narrative, and I would add because the attacker is black.

    At least right-wingers only want to bring back sodomy laws. For now.

  2. Frank Avatar
    Frank

    The exclusive college prep school Luke “Shasha” Fleischman attends turns out graduates for elite universities like UC Berkeley, Stanford, & Princeton. Graduation also requires a minimum of 60 hours of community service.
    http://www.maybeckhs.org/

  3. Frank Avatar
    Frank

    The Maybeck High School apparently has a “hippie” reputation. Would that we all could have attended a high school that gives these courses:

    All of his class sizes are small, ranging from 4 students in Spanish IV to 18 students in Pre-calculus. His Greek Literature class is taught by an inspiring teacher, whose Ph.D. thesis dealt with some of the texts that the class is reading. The students love to have him read Homer from the original Greek (in class) and to compare his translation impressions with the translation that the class read. I think word of Maybeck’s academic rigors really needs to get out…
    From parent Reuben Hale

    What next in our descent to barbarism, a flash-mob sets fire to the Bancroft Library?

  4. Kathy Kinsley Avatar
    Kathy Kinsley

    @Frank
    Some classical values do seem to recur far too often. (I suspect you were being more subtle than I…).

  5. BurkeanMama Avatar

    Frank you lie! I don’t know of a single “right winger” who in public or private advocates for the return of sodomy laws. We would like it if the state of California didn’t force teenage girls to open up their locker rooms to teenage boys, but no one is discussing bringing back sodomy laws. That’s as accurate as Sandra Fluke’s “war on women.”

  6. Pierre Avatar
    Pierre

    So Frank if the attacker is not a cracker type what is he? Nowhere in your blog do you mention what he is if he isn’t a cracker…why not? Are you afraid of being called a racist?

  7. Tom Avatar
    Tom

    Why not bring back sodomy laws? The nanny state is outlawing smoking, trans fat, large drinks, and other food which they don’t like. Sodomy, in the form of anal sex, is a very dangerous activity. There are strong correlations between the rate of anal sex and AIDs. No doctor would recommend the practice, It is not a healthy one. Since we are banning stuff which ain’t healthy, sodomy would be a good place to start.

  8. Lee Reynolds Avatar

    The attacker is black?

    I don’t see anything in the excerpts printed here in which his race is mentioned.

    If this is true, then that would explain why this story is being ignored by the Marxist Socialist Media.

    According to Modern Marxist theory, members of designated victim groups can only be vicitmized by members of the eternal oppressor group, aka whitey.

    When a member of one designated victim group attacks someone from another victim group, the MSM chooses from among the following tactics:

    1) Ignore the story, thereby quashing it.

    2) Obscure the group identity of the perpetrator until public loses interest in the story. If possible, present the story in such a way that the public is led to believe the perpetrator is conservative/christain/tea-partier,etc (See Jared Loughner)

    3) If the first two options are not viable, the story must be re-written as an example of a designated victim unconsciously attempting to assume the identity of the oppressor. That is to say, the perp did it because he was trying to be like whitey.

  9. Frank Avatar
    Frank

    @BurkeanMama, unfortunately there are more than few self-styled right wingers who advocate the return of sodomy laws. The most recent is Virginia Attorney General, Ken Cucinelli. Wasn’t he supported by the Tea Party? Eric had a recent post about this.
    http://classicalvalues.com/2013/11/the-anti-gay-right-proudly-basks-in-defeat/
    or this…
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/06/ken-cuccinelli-sodomy_n_4226708.html

  10. Frank Avatar
    Frank

    @Pierre, first, this isn’t my blog, I’m just a commenter here, and second, I did mention that the attacker is black. A report on KTVU, Channel 2, in Oakland showed footage of him being arrested.

  11. Frank Avatar
    Frank

    Kathy, yes that is exactly what I was thinking.

  12. Frank Avatar
    Frank

    @Lee Reynolds, here is a story and picture of the handcuffed attacker, Richard Thomas, being escorted up the steps of the police station. Looks black to me.
    http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/crime-law/teen-charged-hate-crimes-bus-passenger-fire-case/nbksC/

  13. Lee Reynolds Avatar

    @Frank

    Well then, there you have it. The MSM is essentially embargoing the story because the perp’s melanocytes are an inconvenience for them. They can’t use the story to attack middle America, so they ignore it.

    Too bad for them he wasn’t a White-Hispanic.

  14. PacRim Jim Avatar

    Don’t let your kids even think about visiting Oakland.
    It’s hell in a colostomy bag.

  15. Tom Perkins Avatar
    Tom Perkins

    Well Frank you’re a lying sack of s***.

    Ken Cucinelli never wanted to bring back any anti sodomy laws, he just didn’t want to have to let out of prison the pedophiles convicted of child molestation under the same law which included anti sodomy phrases. That’s usually what happens whenever a law is found unconstitutional and it is old enough it does not have an severability clause.

  16. Gilligan Avatar
    Gilligan

    While we are discussing homophobic violence by black teens, perhaps it is worth mentioning that after George Zimmerman was found not guilty, Rachael Jeantel was interviewed on TV and she stated that Trayvon Martin told her that he thought that George Zimmerman was gay so he was going to beat him up.

  17. Jubadoobai Avatar
    Jubadoobai

    What kind of animal willfully sets person on fire just because he’s wearing a skirt? May God have mercy on his soul cuz I hope the courts have none.

  18. th Avatar
    th

    Was the 16 yr old a black or not, we still don’t know, obviously he was because even this clown won’t say it.

  19. submandave Avatar

    @Frank: RE Cucinelli, I urge you to not believe the left-wing hype. The appeal he filed had NOTHING to do with gays, but with retaining the law as a prosecutorial tool against adult predators who solicit sex from minors. In his brief Cucinelli specifically said the law should not and, in fact, could not be used to prosecute activities between two consenting adults.

    When the left wants to disparage an opponent from the right, they misrepresent what he/she says or does as fitting one of the pre-conceived stereotypes. When the right wants to disparage an opponent from the left, they quote him/her fully and directly.

  20. fred Avatar
    fred

    The attacker looked like Obama’s son so it isn’t newsworthy.

  21. Reformed Trombonist Avatar

    > At least right-wingers only want to bring back sodomy laws. For now.

    Not this right-winger. And I’m a card-carrying Calvinist. What happened to this kid is beyond deplorable.

    Yes, I think culture is overindulging the whole alternative lifestyle thing and this probably has dire, if not graves, portents for our society.

    Separate issue. What should be considered legal is not always what should be considered moral, and vice versa.

    Funny that we Christian types are never credited with the ability to make that distinction.

    I think the grudge harbored by most right-of-center Christians toward government is that the government itself is pushing values on our children that we don’t want. Check out the latest ads for ObamaCare, for examples of what I’m talking about.

    I hope this poor kid gets good medical care and recovers completely, and I hope his assailant gets an appropriate punishment. And I hope our legislation helps.

    I also hope he comes to accept Christ and to reject the alternative lifestyle. But that’s up to him, not our legislators.

  22. stonedome Avatar
    stonedome

    “The intentional and callous nature of the crime is shocking and will not be tolerated in our community. Our thoughts remain with the victim and the victim’s family in wishing for a full recovery.”

    two issues with the DA’s statement…

    “will not be tolerated”
    it’s too late…the animals have been bred and are out of their cage

    “our thoughts remain”
    there will be no mention of prayers to God for his speedy recovery

  23. Frank Avatar
    Frank

    @Tom Perkins – …you’re a lying sack of s***

    Cuccinelli tried to walk away from the FACT that he was trying to bring back Virginia’s anti-sodomy law because it didn’t pan out for his election chances. Was there no other way to remedy the release of pedophiles? As a state attorney general he knew perfectly well this wouldn’t pass a challenge. They why go this route? The answer is that he was personally in favor of it and it played well to a certain social conservative base of supporters.

    Cuccinelli on homosexuality:
    “When you look at the homosexual agenda, I cannot support something that I believe brings nothing but self-destruction, not only physically but of their soul.”

    And then he endorsed his running mate, Bishop E.W.Jackson. Jackson on homosexuality:
    “Homosexuality is a horrible sin, it poisons culture, it destroys families, it destroys societies; it brings the judgment of God unlike very few things that we can think of.”
    http://thinkprogress.org/election/2013/05/21/2042491/cuccinelli-wont-defend-running-mate-comments/

    Now, both of these men as well as their supporters have every right to their personal views. But please don’t try to tell me, given these publicly stated opinions, THEY didn’t have a political agenda by trying to resurrect the “crimes against nature” law.

    And by the way, had I been voting in Virginia, I would have voted for Cuccinelli even though I disagree with his social agenda. Lesser of two evils.

  24. Frank Avatar
    Frank

    It should be noted that Luke “Shasha” Fleischman was wearing a kilt-like dress. In an interview his mother said that he considers himself “a-gender”, not trans-sexual.

    It could be that this young person is part of a protest movement targeting or making fun of gender studies.

    The attacker just assumed he was gay.

  25. Eric Scheie Avatar

    This post was not about Cuccinelli (for whom I would have — barely — voted despite serious reservations). However, as the point was raised, it seems only fair to note that Cuccinelli has long been in favor of Virginia’s sodomy law, and in fact led the effort to prevent the VA legislature from repealing it (and replacing it with a narrower law focusing on minore):

    http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/04/03/1816861/ken-cuccinellis-appeal-and-how-he-helped-undermine-virginias-protections-against-adult-sex-with-minors/

    ***QUOTE***
    In 2003, the U.S. Supreme Court’s Lawrence v. Texas ruling held that states may not ban private non-commercial sex between consenting adults. Virginia’s Crimes Against Nature statute, which made oral sex (even between consenting married couples) a felony, was clearly the sort of legislation the Court was referencing.

    A year later, a bipartisan group in the Virginia Senate backed a bill that would have fixed the state’s Crimes Against Nature law to comply with Lawrence — eliminating provisions dealing with consenting adults in private and leaving in place provisions relating to prostitution, public sex, and those other than consenting adults. Cuccinelli opposed the bill in committee and helped kill it on the Senate floor. In 2009, he told a newspaper that he supported restrictions on the sexual behavior of consenting adults: “My view is that homosexual acts, not homosexuality, but homosexual acts are wrong. They’re intrinsically wrong. And I think in a natural law based country it’s appropriate to have policies that reflect that. … They don’t comport with natural law.” As a result, the law’s text remains unchanged a decade after the Supreme Court’s ruling.
    ***END QUOTE***

    For him to turn around later and ask the courts to rewrite the same law that he fought to keep shows that he is not only in favor of sodomy laws, but also thinks it’s just fine for the courts to engage in rewriting laws. (Precisely the judicial activism conservatives are said to be against.)

  26. LTC Ted Avatar
    LTC Ted

    :It’s a horrific story, and in many ways, the facts are worse than the Matthew Shepard case,…” Isn’t there now some controversy regarding the “received facts” of the Shepard incident?

  27. Frank Avatar
    Frank

    @PacRimJim-
    Don’t let your kids even think about visiting Oakland. It’s hell in a colostomy bag.

    Agreed. Many years ago I lived in Oakland while working swing shift in Richmond. I’d get off the bus at 14th & Broadway at 1:00AM, walk over to DeLauers Bookstore, and then on up to my apartment, without fear. I wouldn’t walk the same route now, in broad daylight.

  28. Frank Avatar
    Frank

    This post was not about Cuccinelli…

    Exactly. It’s about a kid set on fire simply because he was wearing unconventional attire, and because he was assumed to be gay. That this hasn’t received a lot of national attention, presumably because the attacker is African American, only confirms our worst opinions of the media; what cowards they are and/or what self-serving bias they exhibit.

    You can already see hints of a whitewash in the making. The term “prank” is floating about in local media reports, as if this little 16 year old heathen is a “basically good kid” who just inadvertently and, you know, without any real malice, screwed up. His parents probably got a memo from Al Sharpton.

    The fact is that there is widespread homophobia in the black community in this country that the liberal media dares not address. Their fey fantasy come true in The White House needs their blind support, don’t cha’ know?

  29. Frank Avatar
    Frank

    Amend the above – …homophobia and racism in the black community…

  30. Simon Avatar

    Don’t let your kids even think about visiting Oakland. It’s hell in a colostomy bag.

    My brother was killed in Oakland in ’74.

  31. chocolatier Avatar
    chocolatier

    I live in Berkeley, and this case is getting relatively little press both here and in Oakland. I think that may partially because we do not know yet what the attacker’s legal strategy is going to be. There is speculation that his lawyer will claim that his client didn’t intend to do as much damage to his victim as he did. In other words, that this was a poorly thought-out teenage prank. The attacker is 16 years old. I am skeptical that that argument will fly in court, but we are waiting to see what the charges will be and what the defense line will be. We also don’t know the full extent of the victim’s injuries.

  32. […] MORE: It occurs to me that maybe I’m overreacting. Perhaps the perps think that they are merely having fun, like the guy who set a teenager on fire in Oakland. […]

  33. Frank Avatar
    Frank

    “…we are waiting to see what the charges will be…”

    According to KTVU, Channel 2:
    (Thomas)…was charged as adult and with hate crime enhancements Thursday, prosecutors said.
    The suspect, Richard Thomas, has been charged with aggravated mayhem and felony assault resulting in serious bodily injury, according to the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office.

    “We also don’t know the full extent of the victim’s injuries.”

    Again, according to Channel 2:
    Fleischman…suffered severe second- and third-degree burns and was taken to the burn center at St. Francis Memorial Hospital in San Francisco.

  34. Phil Ossiferz Stone Avatar
    Phil Ossiferz Stone

    I note CBS has taken their link down. Can’t interrupt the narrative, now can we…

  35. […] to think setting people on fire is becoming a trend, but it was only weeks ago that I wrote about a high school kid who was set on fire by a 16 year old assailant who admitted that he was motivated by […]