Man charged with anti-gay hate crime in bus altercation
A Texas man accused of using anti-gay slurs while threatening a man in Seattle now faces a hate crime charge.
King County prosecutors claim Gregory B. Augustus threatened to assault another man at a Crown Hill bus stop. According to charging documents, Augustus, who’d been living in Seattle for a month at the time, continued to use the anti-gay slur after police removed him from the Metro bus.
“Oh, I forgot. I am in Washington state. We need to protect the (anti-gay slur),” the 49-year-old told police, according to charging documents.
At 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 20, the alleged victim and Augustus were waiting for a bus at the corner of Northwest 90th Street and 15th Avenue Northwest when Augustus accosted the other man, a Seattle detective told the court.
Augustus waved his hands in front of the other man’s face and then threatened to attack him while using anti-gay slurs, the detective told the court. Both men boarded a bus; the alleged victim reported the incident to the bus driver, who arranged for police to meet the coach in Ballard.
Officers boarded the bus and spoke with the alleged victim, who pointed them toward Augustus. As he was being removed, the detective continued, Augustus loudly complained that he was being pulled of the bus because of the man, who he again referred to by an anti-gay slur.
Augustus, whose criminal history includes multiple assault convictions in Texas, was booked into King County Jail but later released. He has now been charged with malicious harassment, a felony under Washington’s hate crime statute.
King County prosecutors claim Gregory B. Augustus threatened to assault another man at a Crown Hill bus stop. According to charging documents, Augustus, who’d been living in Seattle for a month at the time, continued to use the anti-gay slur after police removed him from the Metro bus.
“Oh, I forgot. I am in Washington state. We need to protect the (anti-gay slur),” the 49-year-old told police, according to charging documents.
At 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 20, the alleged victim and Augustus were waiting for a bus at the corner of Northwest 90th Street and 15th Avenue Northwest when Augustus accosted the other man, a Seattle detective told the court.
Augustus waved his hands in front of the other man’s face and then threatened to attack him while using anti-gay slurs, the detective told the court. Both men boarded a bus; the alleged victim reported the incident to the bus driver, who arranged for police to meet the coach in Ballard.
Officers boarded the bus and spoke with the alleged victim, who pointed them toward Augustus. As he was being removed, the detective continued, Augustus loudly complained that he was being pulled of the bus because of the man, who he again referred to by an anti-gay slur.
Augustus, whose criminal history includes multiple assault convictions in Texas, was booked into King County Jail but later released. He has now been charged with malicious harassment, a felony under Washington’s hate crime statute.
Wouldn't it be nice if felony convictions meant you could not travel to another state unless you could behave yourself for a period of five years or something to get your interstate travel privileges back. But the liberals will never stop hugging a**holes.Â
We have this thing called the Constitution which guarantees free travel between the states unless you are actually incarcerated or have a court order not allowing you to do so. Otherwise, the Westboro Baptist Church would be contained in a Kansas gulag where they belong.
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Look, I don't like this hillbilly knucklehead any more than you do, but if he doesn't have a court order preventing him from travelling, then his right to travel is just as inalienable as any other in the Constitution.
 @svensson But, ironically, my Washington State marriage "disappears" when I cross into Oregon.
 @svensson  @strangel00p I agree that we should all have the freedom to travel within our own country (and beyond).
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And with regards to my Washington (same-sex) marriage, it is clearly unconstitutional that it does not travel to other states and has been judged so in a number of Appellate cases. The challenge to DOMA (which, in contravention of the Constitution's Full Faith and Credit Clause, allows for states to ignore the marriages of other states), is currently under review by the SCOTUS. More info here:Â http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_of_Marriage_Act
@strangel00p While I'm sorry that you and your partner have to deal with that, but your marriage isues are not really on-point here. If you are referring to our State's making gay marriage legal [as I suspect you might be], I am not aware of any challenge to that law going before the Supreme Courts at either the State or Federal level, so it's Constitutionality isn't in question.
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If we were to follow Citizen-Whatshisface ideas, we'd end up with police at the border of each state asking for ID to see who and who does not have the right to travel in their own country. The Soviets used such tactics to control their citizenry and the Chinese do so now. We Americans tend to violently disagree with such measures.
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While still living in Texas, Augustus apparently satisfied all requirements in regards to his court case and has the liberty to travel the country. Sadly, the redneck knucklehead ended up here, where he was arrested for assault [that is, making threats] and harrassment. If we ever see him again, he'll likely be put into a situation where his travel will lawfully be curtailled yet again [i.e. jail].
From Texas with miltiple assault convictions, well you picked the right state to fly under the radar and your looking at serious corner time now dude...
Aren't all crimes hate crimes?
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 @bobalouie No, though it sounds broad in terms of the word itself, hate crime tends not to be random and it targets specific group of people with distinct physical attributes. Basically it focuses on race, ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation.Â
Would it be a hate crime to do a burn-out on a rainbow sidewalk? Just asking.
 @Klondiko What does that even mean?
 @Klondiko Ummmm......think your moms Pinto will do a burn out?
Who care this isn't news. Hate crime? Most all personal assaults are usually caused by hate. The perps. hate themselves or others.
Sounds like a homeless goofball. This isn't news worthy. He sounds like a guy who has been incarcerated a few times in the past. Probably has drug/alchohol problems too. If he was using the word I think he was using, it has little to do with anybody's sexualality and more to do with a general insult cause the victim wouln't fight back. It's the same as being called a wimp or coward. Nothing to do with whom one has sex with or is attracted to.
This is the danger when we outlaw words.
 @localperspective "Sounds like a homeless goofball. This isn't news worthy."
And yet, if he had thrown something through a store window while screaming "leftest" rants, it would be. Wouldn't it?
No.
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 @localperspective Sure.
The guy is a puke and needs to be dealt with appropriately, but because the alleged victim is calling himself gay well this puke gets a special set of laws thrown at him. I am over 6' tall I want special laws because short people keep taking advantage of me to help them reach stuff. I can't change who I am and it's not fair so I need extra protection.
You would think that after spending time in prison for assault convictions that he would be less likely to be using gay slurs as he had to be bending over for his cell mate a few times
I wonder what drew him to this State? I mean, it's not like your average drifter winds up here because of our very liberal social services for the..."homeless."
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A lot of people seem to have problems with reading comprehension. They think that Augustus is being charged because he used a gay slur, NO!  If that was true then Westboro Baptist Church would've been jailed a long time ago.
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He was arrested for harassing and THREATENING because he perceived this victim to be gay.
Wow! After this and his prior convictions, this guy is a complete dirtbag!
I'm really tired of these whiny liberals.
@Claire2342 - we're tired of whiny right wingers that blame everything on liberals who whine while doing the blaming.
I can understand someone going to jail by starting a fight and getting in someone's face and harassing, but a felony?  that's really scary, what if i said a little comment to someone and then bam, they don't like it, so it's a felony?  this is ridiculous!
 @Claire2342 I live very close to the area and don't want shmuckss like in my neighborhood.Â
@Claire2342 I think you should re-read the article, and maybe an RCW or two. You can start with the one for this specific charge, compliments of "Utter Reality" just down a few comments.
What a punk.
If you allways wondered what it would be like if the kindergarten teacher made and enforced the laws, now you know. No one sticks and stones can break my bones but names will never hurt me.
So if I am a black man and someone refers to my color while cussing me, they are charged with a hate crime??There is something terribly wrong with our country if this is the direction we are going.
 @ObsidianOne I just read the statute.  It says that there must be a threat involved that puts the victim in reasonable fear of harm.  Who knows if the charges will stick, however.
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http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=9A.36.080
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@UtterReality @ObsidianOne Thanks for the research.
@ObsidianOne
 If they are harassing and threatening you because (keyword) you are black, then yes that is a hate crime. As it should be.
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If someone was harassing your grandmother while she was at a bus stop, threatening to follow her home and kill her because she is white/asian/black/etc... would you be okay with that? Or would you wish that she could be helped by somebody?
oh geez...why is this in the news??? This is a one on one issue. There are worse crimes that effect more, and so many people who are in need, Please KOMO...
If I am  just standing at a bust stop and some idiot/psycho starts waving his/her hands in front of me making threats, I am not going to stand there. I am going to report it to the driver just like the 'victim' did.  That guy needs some anti-psychotic meds, anger management and needs to  learn to live and let live.Â
 @magicmarker Bust stop?
 @Furd OOPS ! LOL !!
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What a loser, yes welcome to Washington. Hope you don't come back, except for your arraignment!
@virtual anomaly  Think for yourself.
@ObsidianOne I was.
Close the borders!! From Texas.Â
@DT  Texas is a wonderful State. To me, it has the proper way of life. It's called personal responsibility. You should get you own thinking process and quit listening to the media.
@ObsidianOne In my own personal opinion, Gregory Augustus sounds like one smart-mouthed punk. I don't care where your from, talking to people like that is just disrespectful, period. If that's what you call "the proper way of life" then there is something seriously wrong with you.
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Oh and I love how all your comments on this article are about how people should "think for themselves" or "get their own thinking process." Just because you don't agree with what they had to say doesn't mean that they aren't thinking for themselves.
@ObsidianOne You are so cliche. Who's really the robot?
Maybe he was looking for a date...stranger things have happened....the victim should of thrown a few punches and then kissed him full on the mouth and taken him back to his place..God knows men from Texas have issues..
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Bunch of cry babies in todays society. Just move on with your life if they do not assault you, or even if they do who are they to you if it is only a punch or two. I have deblt with dumb asses pleny of times, they are what they are, and I don't care what they think.
 @slyderwso Really? We should allow people to  assault others verbally and persistently and just put up with it?Â
@KH @slyderwso I'm wondering if there aren't some people who think it's too bad that the discussion (harrassment) wasn't ended by someone on the bus with a gun--these days a lot of people seem to be espousing that resolution...(sarcasm alert)
@slyderwso I think the cry baby here is the one who got arrested. May he find Washington an unwelcome place and go find a new home.
 @slyderwso Welcome to Orwell's world, where thought-crime is now a reality.
Mugshot?