Aaron Webster
Encyclopedia
Aaron Webster was a gay
man living in Vancouver
, British Columbia
, Canada
, who was beaten by a group of men close to a gay cruising area in a woody part of Stanley Park
near Second Beach on November 17, 2001. According to reports, the youths came across a nearly-naked Webster and chased him to a parking area where they beat him with baseball bats. After the beating, Webster was found beside a path in the park by his close friend Tim Chisholm, and died within minutes in Chisholm's arms.
Although some media called Webster's killing the first gay-related murder in Canadian history, much like the Matthew Shepard
incident in the United States
it was merely the first to attract widespread media attention.
The coroner's report listed the cause of Webster's death as "a blow to the left side or back of the victim's neck. This blow caused a tear to the vertebral artery which resulted in a massive and rapidly fatal hemorrhage at the base of the brain."
A march and vigil was organized by Little Sisters Bookstore co-owner Jim Deva, and took place the day after the killing, with hundreds of people marching through the streets of downtown Vancouver toward the site of Webster's death. Another rally, including British Columbia Human Rights Commissioner
Mary-Woo Sims
, was held several weeks later. Vigils were also held in several other Canadian cities.
The killing was widely covered in the national news in Canada, and led to significant controversy around whether the attack constituted a hate crime
. The incident also received some coverage in the mainstream media in the United States, although gay media reported it far more prominently.
, his name could not be published as he was only 17 at the time of the incident.
Although the police investigated the crime as a gay bashing
, the prosecutor chose not to prosecute the case as an anti-gay hate crime, which under Canadian law would have permitted a stiffer sentence but may have been more difficult to prove — instead, the case was treated as a simple manslaughter
resulting from a robbery. The teenager pled guilty and told the police investigator that "the idea was to find, [and] get in a fight with someone."
Three more young men were subsequently arrested. One, a youth when the crime was committed, was charged under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, and the other two, Ryan Cran and Danny Rao, were charged as adults.
Judge Valmond Romilly rejected the prosecution's assertion that the incident was not a hate crime, finding the first teenager guilty and calling the incident "a thug brigade, stalking human prey for entertainment in a manner very reminiscent of Nazi
youth in pre-war Germany". Romilly handed down the maximum sentence permissible under the Act: two years in a youth detention centre and a third year under house arrest
. The second young offender was also found guilty and sentenced to the same penalty, although the judge in that trial did not rule that the case constituted a hate crime.
Justice Mary Humphries ruled Cran guilty of manslaughter and sentenced him to six years in prison, but acquitted Rao on the grounds that inconsistent and conflicting testimony made his role in the attack unclear.
in a minimum security prison and was deemed to still be a risk to society.
Cran was paroled on February 5, 2009. Spencer Herbert, the provincial MLA
whose Vancouver-Burrard
riding encompasses Stanley Park and Davie Village
, subsequently called for the province to create a provincial telephone hotline for people to report gay bashing incidents and threats, as well as the appointment of a community victim services worker to investigate gay bashings.
, a housing cooperative
in Vancouver. In 2005, Cityview officially changed its name to Aaron Webster Housing Cooperative. The Cooperative Housing Federation of B.C. also launched an Aaron Webster Memorial Fund to finance diversity
projects in housing cooperatives.
A memorial calendar was published in 2002 to raise funds by donation for a bench and shelter to be placed in Stanley Park in Webster's memory. Most of the images used were photos taken by Webster himself of Vancouver models. The calendar was sponsored by many Vancouver organizations. The calendar's reverse side featured a picture of Webster, as well as a poem by Deano Costa, "The Path".
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
man living in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, who was beaten by a group of men close to a gay cruising area in a woody part of Stanley Park
Stanley Park
Stanley Park is a 404.9 hectare urban park bordering downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was opened in 1888 by David Oppenheimer in the name of Lord Stanley of Preston, the Governor-General of Canada....
near Second Beach on November 17, 2001. According to reports, the youths came across a nearly-naked Webster and chased him to a parking area where they beat him with baseball bats. After the beating, Webster was found beside a path in the park by his close friend Tim Chisholm, and died within minutes in Chisholm's arms.
Although some media called Webster's killing the first gay-related murder in Canadian history, much like the Matthew Shepard
Matthew Shepard
Matthew Wayne Shepard was a student at the University of Wyoming who was tortured and murdered near Laramie, Wyoming, in October 1998...
incident in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
it was merely the first to attract widespread media attention.
The coroner's report listed the cause of Webster's death as "a blow to the left side or back of the victim's neck. This blow caused a tear to the vertebral artery which resulted in a massive and rapidly fatal hemorrhage at the base of the brain."
A march and vigil was organized by Little Sisters Bookstore co-owner Jim Deva, and took place the day after the killing, with hundreds of people marching through the streets of downtown Vancouver toward the site of Webster's death. Another rally, including British Columbia Human Rights Commissioner
British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal
The British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal is a quasi-judicial human rights body in British Columbia, Canada. It was established under the British Columbia Human Rights Code...
Mary-Woo Sims
Mary-Woo Sims
Mary-Woo Sims is a Canadian politician and social justice activist. Best known as a former chief commissioner of the British Columbia Human Rights Commission, Sims was also a candidate for the New Democratic Party in the electoral district of Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam in the 2006 federal...
, was held several weeks later. Vigils were also held in several other Canadian cities.
The killing was widely covered in the national news in Canada, and led to significant controversy around whether the attack constituted a hate crime
Hate crime
In crime and law, hate crimes occur when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her perceived membership in a certain social group, usually defined by racial group, religion, sexual orientation, disability, class, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, gender identity, social status or...
. The incident also received some coverage in the mainstream media in the United States, although gay media reported it far more prominently.
Prosecution
The crime went unsolved for over a year. On February 12, 2003, police arrested the first of four suspects, a 19-year-old from Burnaby. Under Canada's Youth Criminal Justice ActYouth Criminal Justice Act
Canada's Youth Criminal Justice Act is a Canadian statute, which came into effect on April 1, 2003. It covers the prosecution of youths for criminal offences...
, his name could not be published as he was only 17 at the time of the incident.
Although the police investigated the crime as a gay bashing
Gay bashing
Gay bashing and gay bullying is verbal or physical abuse against a person who is perceived to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender . Such abuse is used also to bully heterosexual persons and persons of non-specific or unknown sexual orientation.A "bashing" may be a specific incident, and one...
, the prosecutor chose not to prosecute the case as an anti-gay hate crime, which under Canadian law would have permitted a stiffer sentence but may have been more difficult to prove — instead, the case was treated as a simple manslaughter
Manslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
resulting from a robbery. The teenager pled guilty and told the police investigator that "the idea was to find, [and] get in a fight with someone."
Three more young men were subsequently arrested. One, a youth when the crime was committed, was charged under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, and the other two, Ryan Cran and Danny Rao, were charged as adults.
Judge Valmond Romilly rejected the prosecution's assertion that the incident was not a hate crime, finding the first teenager guilty and calling the incident "a thug brigade, stalking human prey for entertainment in a manner very reminiscent of Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
youth in pre-war Germany". Romilly handed down the maximum sentence permissible under the Act: two years in a youth detention centre and a third year under house arrest
House arrest
In justice and law, house arrest is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to his or her residence. Travel is usually restricted, if allowed at all...
. The second young offender was also found guilty and sentenced to the same penalty, although the judge in that trial did not rule that the case constituted a hate crime.
Justice Mary Humphries ruled Cran guilty of manslaughter and sentenced him to six years in prison, but acquitted Rao on the grounds that inconsistent and conflicting testimony made his role in the attack unclear.
Parole of Ryan Cran
Cran, who was incarcerated at Matsqui Prison in British Columbia, applied for parole on April 3, 2007 after serving two years of his sentence. The Canadian parole board denied his parole, as he had been caught drinking vodkaVodka
Vodka , is a distilled beverage. It is composed primarily of water and ethanol with traces of impurities and flavorings. Vodka is made by the distillation of fermented substances such as grains, potatoes, or sometimes fruits....
in a minimum security prison and was deemed to still be a risk to society.
Cran was paroled on February 5, 2009. Spencer Herbert, the provincial MLA
Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is one of two components of the Parliament of British Columbia, the provincial parliament ....
whose Vancouver-Burrard
Vancouver-Burrard
Vancouver-Burrard was a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada. It first appeared on the hustings in the 1933 general election....
riding encompasses Stanley Park and Davie Village
Davie Village
Davie Village is a neighbourhood in the West End of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is the home of the city's gay subculture, and, as such, is often considered a gay village or "gaybourhood". It is centred on Davie Street and roughly includes the area between Burrard and Jervis streets...
, subsequently called for the province to create a provincial telephone hotline for people to report gay bashing incidents and threats, as well as the appointment of a community victim services worker to investigate gay bashings.
Legacy
Webster had been president of CityviewAaron Webster Housing Cooperative
Aaron Webster Housing Cooperative is a housing cooperative located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.The co-op, located on Pender Street, was completed in 1987 and comprises one four-storey building complex with thirty-one suites, four of which are wheelchair accessible.The co-op was renamed...
, a housing cooperative
Housing cooperative
A housing cooperative is a legal entity—usually a corporation—that owns real estate, consisting of one or more residential buildings. Each shareholder in the legal entity is granted the right to occupy one housing unit, sometimes subject to an occupancy agreement, which is similar to a lease. ...
in Vancouver. In 2005, Cityview officially changed its name to Aaron Webster Housing Cooperative. The Cooperative Housing Federation of B.C. also launched an Aaron Webster Memorial Fund to finance diversity
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g...
projects in housing cooperatives.
A memorial calendar was published in 2002 to raise funds by donation for a bench and shelter to be placed in Stanley Park in Webster's memory. Most of the images used were photos taken by Webster himself of Vancouver models. The calendar was sponsored by many Vancouver organizations. The calendar's reverse side featured a picture of Webster, as well as a poem by Deano Costa, "The Path".
External links
- Aaron Webster news archive, Peace, Earth & Justice News
- Aaron Webster memorial and news archive, Stop Hate 2000