European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 8, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 18 stars and stripes sunday april 8 2007 unprovoked beatings of attacks against homeless increase homeless people soaring by Todd Lewan the associated press Orlando Fla it was a Balmy night the sort that brings the homeless out from the shelters when the police were summoned to America Street on the driveway of a Condo just a few paces from the Gutter Lay a Man a dying Man he looked to be 50ish and a resident of Orlandos streets judging by the moldy jacket and hed been bludgeoned so badly bludgeoned that he could hardly move before being rushed to the Hospital where he died of his head injuries the Man August Felix de scribed his attackers Young Fellows did it he whispered to the officers who got to him first kids within three months two 16yearolds and three 15yearolds had been charged with seconded Gree homicide in the March 26 2006 at tack the motive i dont think there was a motive sol Barbara Jones a police spokeswoman said other than Lef s beat someone up that High schooners had turned Alleg edly on a whim into executioners brought pause to City officials and advocates for the homeless not just because the killing was unprovoked but because it fit into a trend larger than Orlando a nation i dont think there was a motive other than lets beat someone up of sgt Barbara Jones Orlando Fia police spokeswoman wide surge in violence largely by teenagers and Young adults against some of Ameri Cas most vulnerable citizens a 2006 report by the National coalition for the homeless found 142 attacks last year against homeless people 20 of which resulted in death a 65 percent increase from 2005 when 86 were violently assaulted including 13 homicides by comparison 60 such attacks were re ported in 1999 the year the Only entity to gather such data began to study the problem and these numbers Likely Are Low because they reflect Only the most egregious at tacks reported in newspapers or by agencies that serve the homeless and some victims themselves according to Michael Stoops acting executive director of the washing to based coalition the trend is particularly troubling he says because such attacks no longer occur just in major cities on the East and West coasts As was the Case in the 1980s in its most recent study hate violence and death on main Street Usa the coalition documented attacks against the Desti tute in 62 communities last year alone in 26 states since 1999 such violence has occurred in 44 states and puerto Rico and in 200 communities nationwide an overwhelming majority of the attack ers 88 25 or younger 95 percent were male sixty eight percent of those accused and convicted in attacks and since 1999 nonlethal deaths 12 were Between the Ages of 13 and 19 this pattern of violence in Stoops View Hast gotten the attention it de serves from the Public or Law enforcement homeless people Are the newest minority group in America that is of to hate and Hurt he said ifs As though somehow there viewed As less de serving less human than the rest of us americans did pay attention to the Story of 58yearold Jacques Pierre a homeless Man who been sleeping on a Bench on a College Campus when three teenagers woke him up taunted him then nearly killed him with baseball bats Why that Jan 12 2006 ambush in fort Lauderdale was filmed by a surveillance camera and broadcast worldwide Tor once says Sean Cononie who oper ates a homeless shelter in that Seaside City americans saw with their own eyes How kids Hunt Down and Mil homeless people As though it were a sport such sport has occurred elsewhere in Toms River no five High school students were charged with beating a 50yearold homeless Man nearly to death with pipes and baseball bats throwing hockey pucks at him for Good measure As he slept in the Woods in Butte Mont a 53yearold Home less Man was killed at a greyhound bus depot because he refused to give another 122 20 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 1999 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 Man a cigarette according to court records the victims Skull was fractured in Spokane Wash a on legged 50yearold homeless Man was set on fire in his wheelchair on a downtown Street he died of his Burns police charged a 22yearold Man with first degree murder in Nashville Tenn a homeless woman sleeping on a boat ramp was shoved into the Cumberland River according to wit Nesses two men were charged with Homi cide in her drowning authorities say the at tack was unprovoked though for the past decade assaults on the homeless have dotted the us map Florida is the state where such attacks Are most frequent by far the coalitions february report says last year the coalition documented 48 at tacks in Florida where 60867 of the states 178 million residents Are homeless Accord ing to Federal figures by comparison 11 at tacks were counted in California where 170270 of that states 36 million people Are homeless homeless advocates also link the trend to the popularity of bum fights a video series created in 2001 and sold on the inter net the videos feature homeless people battering one another for Money can a cartoon catch a col Case killer opus creator lends pen in quest to solve old murder by Matt Curry the associated press Dallas a pulitzer prize winning cartoonist is lending his talents to a crime fighting television show in an attempt to track Down the killer of a Young musician who was slain nearly three decades ago Berkeley dreamed Best known for the 1980s political cartoon Bloom county and the Quirky opus comic strip has More than a passing interest in the 1979 Case authorities believe the killer May have burglarized breathed Home when dreamed was a student at the University of Texas in Austin the cartoonists drawing of the burglary scene was to be aired saturday night on Fox americas most wanted i had forgotten about it for Many years breathed said thursday in a Telephone inter View from his Southern California Home once americas most wanted called i got angry about it All Over again in Austin Michael chills slaying is remembered As the Book of Days murder because the killer was suspected of breaking into the Homes of breathed and several other student photographers who contributed Blacka Edwhite pictures to a 1978 desk Calen Dar by that name Cahill 28 was shot to death april 131979 when he confronted a burglar leaving his apart ment with his guitar the University of Texas dropout worked As a Cook but his main Pursuit americas Berkeley breathed creator of the comic strips Bloom county and opus is lending his talents to the crime fighting television show in an attempt to track Down the killer of an aus tin Texas musician in 1979 was a music career driving up to his Home with friends he saw a Man walking away with his guitar in its Case he jumped from the car chased the Man and was shot to death in his driveway the killer escaped and was never identified investigators believe the same person who shot Cahill had just broken into the apartment of a photographer in the same building it seems like there was a lot of clues out there but not the kind of clues that Lead to solv ing the Case said Sharen Soliz a detective with the homicide cold Case unit of the Austin police department what were hoping is that by americas most wanted featuring this someone out there knows something Soliz said if it is the Book of Days burglar that committed the Mur Der someone out there knows someone has seen that guitar in 1979 after police went Public with the pos sible connection to the Book of Days Calen Dar the burglaries stopped Soliz said breathed believes he surprised the intruder during the breaking at his Home about a week after the shooting he said the burglar had stacked albums by his door including dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd the House was turned upside Down and it took a few minutes to understand what happened he said like similar breaking at the time the Perpe Trator seemed to be focused on a few selected items he ended up killing a musician and he was stealing music As Well As photographs and photographic equipment breathed said there was this Odd connection Between the music and photographic Community dreamed did not know Cahill personally but had heard of him from the cites vibrant music scene i found it very exciting to help out he said Mike Cahill might not be completely forgotten in quite hopeful and thankful that we get a second Chance it Doest happen often malls banking on teen curfews the associated press Richmond Heights to Chaz Brewer visits the upscale St Louis Saueria mall about once a week checking out clothing stores like Aero Postale and Amer ican Eagle and hanging out in the food court but come april 20 he cant visit the mall by himself on a Fri Day or saturday night under a new policy that prohibits teens 16 and under after 3 pm unless they have a Parent or guardian with them Brewer 16 Doest plan on cruising the mall on a Friday night with his mom that like a party proper for real he said teenagers across the nation Are facing similar dilemmas malls looking to restore what they Call a family Friendly Environ ment Are putting policies into place requiring that younger teens have adult supervision Dur ing certain hours almost always on the weekend mall officials say the policies Cut Back on unruly behaviour and loitering that can turn off other shoppers teens charge there being singled out for the bad be Havior of a few at least 40 malls out of 1100 in the United states have put teen curfew and escort policies into effect