Scott Leader (left) and Steve Leader (right).
“The homeless man was lying on the ground, shaking, when police arrived early Wednesday. His face was soaked, apparently with urine, his nose broken, his chest and arms battered.”
The Boston Globe reports that Boston Police have arrested two brothers from South Boston for ambushing a 58-year-old homeless man while he slept at a bus stop. The man was targeted because he is Latino.
One of the men who beat the victim so severely that he nearly died said that he was inspired to this act of violence by GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump. As we have chronicled here at Boing Boing, Trump is in the habit of saying horribly xenophobic, racist things about people from Mexico and Latin America in general. Like, the Mexicans are all rapists thing, but also something equally insane and racist every single day on the campaign trail. It’s no surprise that crazy assholes would use crazy stuff said by a crazy rich guy to justify crazy racist violence. Wonder if they’ll be convicted of a hate crime, or of anything at all.
[The victim] told police he was awakened by two men urinating on his face. He said they ripped away his blankets and sleeping bag, and started rummaging through his things.
“Next thing . . . he was getting hit in the face and head,” according to the State Police report. “He remembers being punched several times and hit with the metal pole.”
The man was taken to Boston Medical Center, where he remained in fair condition Wednesday afternoon, a hospital spokeswoman said. The police report said he had a broken nose, bruises on his head, and a large bruise across his torso.
The brothers walked away from the scene laughing, a witness told State Police.