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hate crimes

Arson and hate crimes: Man arrested for one church fire, four still pending

Someone has a God problem – or at least an issue or two with churches, based on a string of arsons that have been blazing around town for the past two months.

Fire file photo Ryn Gargulinski
Fire file photo Ryn Gargulinski

Arson is one of the most cowardly crimes. It’s tough to be rough and tough when a guy’s claim to fame is setting something aflame and then running away.

We say “guy” because Fire Focus tells us that 80 percent of arsonists are men. These dudes often come from impoverished and dysfunctional families and have a history of behavioral problems.

No fewer than five churches have set aflame since April. The most recent was June 1 at the Coronado Baptist Church around 10:30 a.m. – in broad daylight. The church sits at 2609 N. Park Ave, between Glenn and Grant roads, in the middle of town.

Gabriel J. Villaescusa, 30, was arrested for the June 1 fire, according to an announcement from the Tucson Police Department. The alleged firebug faces charges of arson of an occupied structure, criminal damage, and six counts of endangerment. All are felonies.

The other four arsons were:

* Flowing Wells Baptist Church 4314 N. Romero Rd. at 11:57 p.m. April 9
* Alliance Bible Church, 1301 W. Wetmore Rd. at 11:26 p.m. April 26
* Northwest Community Friends Church, 5950 N. La Canada at 12:18 a.m. April 30
* Catalina Lutheran Church, 15855 N. Twin Lakes at 9:42 p.m. May 10

fireskull
Fire file photo Ryn Gargulinski

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the string of church fires as possible hate crimes.

As is the American way, all folks are innocent until proven guilty. We’re not saying Villaescusa is responsible for the latest arson – or all five of them – until a court says so.

But we do know that arsonists often have a history of other criminal behavior and, if the behavior is coupled with bed wetting and animal cruelty, is a prime indicator that the criminal could move on to bigger and better crimes – like murder.

Villaescusa’s record contains no fewer than 11 past criminal infractions, according to Pima County Justice Court records.

They include criminal damage, theft, three incidents of misconduct involving weapons, two incidents of false reporting to law enforcement and two incidents of drinking alcohol a mere three months prior to his 21st birthday. He was busted for drinking twice in October 2000. He turned 21 in December of that year.

To be fair, the theft charge and one false reporting charge were dismissed. He pleaded guilty to a host of others. And now he has some fine arson charges to deal with.

Perhaps little boys don’t sit around thinking they want to grow up to be arsonists, but fire starting can begin at an early age.

Fire file photo Ryn Gargulinski
Fire file photo Ryn Gargulinski

Fire Setter Profiles

Curious fire setter: Usually young kid who throws matches at the family cat or plays with lighters and curtains.

Troubled fire setters: Usually youngish kid who sets fires as a cry for help or attention.

Delinquent fire setter: Generally an adolescent who is impulsive, irresponsible, has poor social skills and crappy judgment who likes to oppose authority. Often riddled with behavioral problems and bad grades.

Strategic fire setters: Usually a teen with a rap sheet and penchant for delinquent behavior who has no guilt whatsoever about the fire and laughs in the face of the consequences.

Pathological fire setter: Usually a loner who has long been fascinated with fire, likely a victim of abuse and a history of neurological or medical issues. These are rare birds.

Pyromaniacs: Please do not mix up the ho-hum arsonist with the exciting pyromaniac, someone who usually has little or no control over his impulse to burn things down.

Then there is the motivation. Folks set fires to vandalize, for revenge or for the thrill of it all. Some arsonists actually get a sexual rush after setting things aflame.

And here comes a peek at the serial arsonist:

The serial arsonist is involved in three or more separate fire setting episodes with a characteristic emotional cooling off period between fires. This period may last days weeks or even years.

Serial arson is the most serious type of arson due to apparent random selection of victims and unpredictable gaps between incidents.

Furthermore a serial arson is not a separate or distinct motive for fire setting it is a pattern of fire setting frequently encountered in revenge, excitement or extremist motivated arson

Serial arsonists often create a climate of fear in entire communities community leaders tend to compound the problem by pressuring law enforcement agencies to identify and quickly apprehend the fire setter often the arsonist evades apprehension for months while investigators become increasing frustrated by the lack of experience in handling these baffling cases

This type of arson usually involves a disorganized crime scene physical evidence is often present. The offender frequently uses available materials found at the scene and carries the source of ignition with them usually a long offender is involved.

He will tend to be minimally educated and an underachiever. He generally has poor interpersonal relationships and is socially inadequate. Often he is unemployed and if he has an employment history it is erratic and involves little or no skill.

Serial arsonists often have a history of substance abuse and a history of police contact/arrests for minor nuisance offenses.

The offender walks to the scene of the fire and generally lives within one mile of the crime scene He is very likely familiar with the crime scene and could justify his presence in the area.

It is important to analyze the cluster centers of fire activity. The tighter the cluster the closer to the area of significance to the offender.

Source: Winnipeg Police Service and Crime Classification Manual

Fire file photo Ryn Gargulinski
Fire file photo Ryn Gargulinski

[tnipoll]

wb-logolil

What do you think?

Have you ever hated anything enough to burn it down?

Do you know any arsonists?

Have you ever burned a flag? Styrofoam?

Someone in effigy? Please explain.

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Hate crime accusations begin: Neighbor kills Hispanic man after allegedly saying ‘go back to Mexico’

We were waiting – and it’s here: the Age of the Hate Crime.

Photo/illustration Ryn Gargulinski
Photo/illustration Ryn Gargulinski

We already have an accusation going down in Phoenix, according to a report in the Arizona Republic.

Juan Varela, 44, a third-generation Mexican-American, was shot dead May 6 while outside watering a tree in his Phoenix yard.

Varela’s neighbor, 50-year-old Gary Thomas Kelley, was arrested for the killing and is facing charges of second-degree murder.

Kelley allegedly stuck a gun in Varela’s neck and pulled the trigger. Police initially said the reason behind the killing was either an ongoing feud between the two neighbors or a case of Kelley being drunk and disgruntled – Kelley was holding a beer when arrested.

Varela’s family wants the slaying classified as a hate crime. And now police are saying well, OK maybe.

“Investigators said (Kelley), who was arrested immediately after the shooting, repeated a racial slur several times and told Varela to ‘go back to Mexico’ or he would die,” the Republic reports. “Phoenix police Bias Crimes Unit investigators are looking into the allegations of a hate crime.

“The victim’s brother and mother, Antonio and Paula Varela, each filed harassment injunctions against Kelley this week in (Maricopa County) Superior Court.”

No killing is a good killing – but those motivated by bias are even more senseless and tragic.

If convicted, Kelley genuinely deserves punishment that fits the magnitude and motivation of the crime.

And now the floodgates have been opened.

Every other killing, assault, robbery, car crash and bike theft may now come riddled with accusations of being a hate crime.

Just watch.

A quick glance at FBI statistics show 9,691 people were victims of hate crimes across the nation in 2008. The total number of violent crimes for that period was more than 1.3 million.

The majority of the hate crimes, 51 percent, were motivated by race with anti-black crimes at the top (anti-white placed second); nearly 18 percent were motivated by religion with anti-Jewish at the top; more than 17 percent were motivated by sexual orientation with anti-male homosexuals at the top; 12 percent were motivated by ethnicity or national origin with anti-Hispanic at the top; and nearly 1 percent were motivated by a disability, with anti-mental disability over anti-physical disability.

Arizona reported 185 hate crime incidents for 2008, a total that represented 6 million residents, which happens to be on par with the population of the entire state. The number of residents listed in these state statistics reflect the “population represented” by the reporting agencies, which is not necessarily the state’s entire population.

Keeping the population in mind, Arizona was still not near the top of the list.

California, with 36 million residents represented, reported 1,381; New Jersey, 8 million represented, reported 744; New York, 17 million represented, reported 570; Michigan, 9 million represented, reported 560; Ohio, 9 million represented, reported 345; and Massachusetts, 6 million represented, reported 333.

The states with the fewest hate crimes reported include Mississippi, with a represented population of 750,000, with four; Wyoming, represented population 500,000, with six; Alaska, represented population 280,000, with eight; and Georgia, represented population 550,000, with nine. The full state statistic table is available at www.fbi.gov/ucr/hc2008/data/table_12.html

Since the “fever pitch” of anguish and anger over illegal immigration issues does not look like it’s going to break anytime soon, we should keep an eye on Arizona hate crime statistics to see if they do, in fact, increase.

The fever’s fire is also being constantly fed with more potential boycotts, like the rumor of Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game moving out of Phoenix and interpretations of the Arizona law that read something like the description found in the Republic article.

“Arizona’s new law makes it a crime to be in the state illegally.” Is it not already a crime to be in the country illegally?

But maybe that’s not the point. The point is the law was never enforced. Ugly things happen when big issues are consistently ignored, only to rear up and bite us in the kneecap. We’re witnessing those things right now.

[tnipoll]
wb-logolil

What do you think?

Are you outta here yet?

Will this “fever pitch” die down anytime soon?

Have you or someone you know been the victim of a hate crime? Was it prosecuted as such?

Filed Under: blogski, crime, danger, death, life, police, fire, law, stupidity Tagged With: anti-hispanic crimes, anti-hispanic killing, crime, danger, dead, death, gary thomas kelley, gross, hate crime murder, hate crime murder arizona, hate crime murder phoenix, hate crime phoenix, hate crimes, hate crimes arizona, juan varela, murder, phoenix killing hate crime, rynski's blogski, sick, tucson, tucson crime, twisted

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