Man who claimed he was beaten for being gay admits he made it all up after police receive video of him hitting HIS OWN head after back-flipping off a curb
Katherine
2012/08/09 08:57:44
PUBLISHED: 01:13 EST, 9 August 2012 | UPDATED: 01:13 EST, 9 August 2012
A young man who told police he was beaten up in a would-be hate crime appeared in court today admitting that he made the entire incident up.
The story of Joseph Baken travelled from Missoula, Montana across the country when a picture of his scratched and bruised face made waves on the internet. Now, Baken has declared in court that he made the false police report after video surfaced of him attempting to do a back flip and failing.
Police say that Baken initially claimed three men beat him early Sunday after he went into a Missoula bar, announced it was his birthday and asked if anyone knew where he could find a gay bar.
Photos of Baken's badly bruised face were posted on an anti-homophobia Facebook page and other sites, and the case prompted widespread support from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
The site alleged that the fictitious assailants used anti-gay curses targetted at Baken's homosexuality. 'Nobody deserves this, especially no just because of your sexuality,' the organizers wrote on the Wipe Out Homophobia page.
Shortly after the case began to rise to national attention, police received an anonymous video of Baken attempting to do a backflip off of a street curb and subsequently hitting his face on the sidewalk.
As a result, he was charged with filing a false police report, to which he plead guilty on Wednesday. Police officer Scott Brodie says the decision to file charges was partially due to the fear and anger prompted by his claims.
Now the same anti-homophobia sites are criticizing Baken, saying that he was making light of an issue that is extremely serious to many who are true victims of hate crimes. The only shining examples in this case? The Missoula police and officials who Montana activists are praising for their swift and sharp response to the claims.
'The city of Missoula should be proud of the way it responded, and we will continue to work toward including assaults that target Montanans based on their sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression in the legal definition of hate crimes in our state,' Jamee Greer of the Montana Human Rights Network told the local Billings Gazette.
(If you really hate watching videos of people getting hurt,
I suggest not clicking play. Quick, but looks painful. And stupid.)
A young man who told police he was beaten up in a would-be hate crime appeared in court today admitting that he made the entire incident up.
The story of Joseph Baken travelled from Missoula, Montana across the country when a picture of his scratched and bruised face made waves on the internet. Now, Baken has declared in court that he made the false police report after video surfaced of him attempting to do a back flip and failing.
Police say that Baken initially claimed three men beat him early Sunday after he went into a Missoula bar, announced it was his birthday and asked if anyone knew where he could find a gay bar.
Photos of Baken's badly bruised face were posted on an anti-homophobia Facebook page and other sites, and the case prompted widespread support from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
The site alleged that the fictitious assailants used anti-gay curses targetted at Baken's homosexuality. 'Nobody deserves this, especially no just because of your sexuality,' the organizers wrote on the Wipe Out Homophobia page.
Shortly after the case began to rise to national attention, police received an anonymous video of Baken attempting to do a backflip off of a street curb and subsequently hitting his face on the sidewalk.
As a result, he was charged with filing a false police report, to which he plead guilty on Wednesday. Police officer Scott Brodie says the decision to file charges was partially due to the fear and anger prompted by his claims.
Now the same anti-homophobia sites are criticizing Baken, saying that he was making light of an issue that is extremely serious to many who are true victims of hate crimes. The only shining examples in this case? The Missoula police and officials who Montana activists are praising for their swift and sharp response to the claims.
'The city of Missoula should be proud of the way it responded, and we will continue to work toward including assaults that target Montanans based on their sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression in the legal definition of hate crimes in our state,' Jamee Greer of the Montana Human Rights Network told the local Billings Gazette.
(If you really hate watching videos of people getting hurt,
I suggest not clicking play. Quick, but looks painful. And stupid.)
Read More: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2185852/Jo...
at black-flips.
But bigotry is seen big here, when a teenager makes up a fake crime and it turns out to be fake, everyone suddenly blames all gay people.
So what about all those straight people that make up crimes?
Are all women responsible for those women who make false rape charges suddenly too?
Yes, the little jerkwad hurt himself trying to do a back flip off the curb.
Yes, the little jerkwad told a lie about being beaten up because he is gay.
No doubt this happened because the Republicans, Straight People, and Tea Party's didn't appropriate ay money for a free homosexual gymnasium in which he could train in a proper and safe environment free from persecution.
After years of preaching equality and the acceptance of gays into the general flow of society, they in fact want exceptions to accomodate just them.
Doesn't sound to ME that he was "persecuted" in the Gym where he was already training..
AND,,
It ALSO sounds to ME that the incident that caused his injuries would have occured just as easilly in a gay gym as in any other..
I wonder how many people had to answer for this crime BEFORE he admitted to telling the lie.
Does he get PASSED BUBBA?
They HAVE to make up their victim status because most people don't want to touch them for fear of contracting their AIDS virus. Most people don't want to be SEEN near them because it is revolting. This is why gays call people "homophobes", because people try to avoid being near that filth.
There's something very flawed with your logic. You're simply grasping at straws here.
This guy obviously was in the wrong, he wanted some attention and he himself made this into a public case and it happened to catch the attention of some LGBT support groups.
But the lie itself had nothing to do with any of the groups. At least no one was falsely accused or blamed of this fake crime. He still needs to pay the consequences for wasting public resources on a made up story.