WWII vet, beaten by teens outside Eagles Lodge, dies

[cali]

SPOKANE, Wash. -

WWII veteran Delbert Belton survived being wounded in action during the Battle of Okinawa only to be beaten and left for dead by two teens at the Eagles Lodge in Spokane on Wednesday evening.
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Belton, 89, died from the injuries he suffered in the beating Thursday morning at Sacred Heart Medical Center.

Witnesses say the Belton was in the parking lot of the Eagles Lodge at 6410 N. Lidgerwood, adjacent to the Eagles Ice-A-Rena, around 8 p.m. Wednesday when the two male suspects attacked him.

Belton died from his injuries Thursday at Sacred Heart Medical Center.

<snip>

http://www.kxly.com/news/spokane-news/elderly-man-dies-after-being-attacked-outside-ice-arena/-/101214/21574858/-/9flm7iz/-/index.html

[JohnnyLib2]

1. horrible, beyond words. May he rest in peace.

[CincyDem]

2. Ya just have to ask "WTF is wrong with people". n/t

[Initech]

104. Seriously!

[snappyturtle]

3. ..............

[Bay Boy]

4. Senseless crime...

...I hope they catch these punks.

Can someone tell me, is this something unexpected for this area?

[ileus]

18. Is it really expected in any area?

gosh I hope not...

[Bay Boy]

20. I know areas in my town

that I wouldn't walk around in after dark.

[Supersedeas]

81. that's the sad and unspoken truth

a WWII Vet dies after serving his country, after serving all of its people and after serving all of its neighborhoods...beaten to death by teens in a parking lot because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time

now, the sad, unspoken truth is that there are some neighborhoods in the free United States that are just off-limits, especially at night...you literally risk your life by being there. Meanwhile, it is national news when Oprah receives rudeness from a sales clerk about a purse, while life-threatening assaults and murder occur in American cities everyday because innocent people inadvertently cross an invisible line where they should not have tread

i fear that these lines will soon be less than invisible

[Bay Boy]

109. You made a good point about...

...comparing this murder to Oprah's 'tragedy'.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

96. It's not a bad area.

I used to go grocery shopping across the street at the Fred Meyer. I think that store is vacant now.

[indepat]

5. reeks of a societal illness

[anneboleyn]

19. Seriously -- this, Zimmerman killing Martin, and the Christopher Lane murder

Zimmerman obviously was not a teenager but these incidents, all involving teenagers, have been very depressing -- just tragic losses of life.

[Myrina]

73. And then there's this:

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2013/08/19/police-indiana-teen-hunted-killed-cats-with-bow-and-arrow/

Because he was bored.
BORED.
Just like the jackasses that killed the Aussie athlete.
BORED!?!?!?!

Go mow a neighbor's lawn!
Go volunteer at a youth center!
Go to the library!

Jesus H Christ on a Cracker, what has gone wrong with this country??

[RKP5637]

53. IMO we often live in a sick society ... I'm not sure if it's worse now or if we just have

better communications, wherein in the past it would have been in a newspaper someplace, but now instant national coverage via the net. I see the latter as a very good thing, raising the consciousness as to how sick society/members often can be.

[AverageJoe90]

114. Definitely the latter, from all of what I've seen over the years.

Sad thing is, stuff like this just wasn't talked about on the national news 50 years ago.

[Liberal_in_LA]

6. .

[MineralMan]

7. Speechless.

My father, also 89, is a WWII vet, too. If such a ting happened to hiim, I would dedicate myself to finding those who did it, and would see to it that justice was served. Legal justice, of course...

[cali]

9. heartbreaking. I really hope they apprehend these creeps and

that they get a good long sentence.

[tabasco]

13. If it was me,

I wouldn't give a damn about the legal part.

[customerserviceguy]

28. Legal justice for you

Any kind of justice for me.

May the slime that did this get brutalized in prison for decades for it.

[LittleBlue]

8. He fought for our country, and two of our citizens

decide to beat him to death.

I hope the pond life who did this never sees freedom again.

[leftynyc]

63. You have no idea

if these animals were citizens.

[Ilsa]

10. This burns me up.

I hope the judge sentences them to some community service at a VA clinic or something similar after prison. They need to be educated by whomever is left of the WW2 era, which is quickly thinning out.

[cali]

11. community service??? they beat an elderly man to death. sorry, but

they need to go to prison.

[Ilsa]

12. I finished my sentence before adding "after prison."

I went back and edited it. I was in a hurry, I was so mad.

[JI7]

23. i don't think they should ever get out of prison

[Luminous Animal]

44. I do. They are teens. If our prison had a rehab model,

They could go on to do great things.

[Supersedeas]

82. Wow, your belief in the culprits who did this is truly remarkable

If only I had such faith

[Mike Daniels]

93. This wasn't an accidental killing as the result of a mutual fight or a mugging gone bad.

This sounds like a deliberate beat down of an innocent person done for nothing more than "kicks".

Someone who does something like that doesn't need rehab. They need a psych exam and permanent incarceration.

[Lizzie Poppet]

101. I concur.

Frankly, I'd almost prefer they go to a morgue, rather than a prison...but I can't quite overcome my general objections to capital punishment. Although those objections are based on the fallibility of the criminal justice system, I think making exceptions for those who are "certainly" guilty of a sufficiently heinous crime is a very slippery slope.

That said, I think it's possible that these persons, as well as the three involved in the Lane killing, are very possibly irredeemables who can never be allowed to rejoin society.

[geek tragedy]

17. There should be no 'after prison' for such human filth. nt

[Ilsa]

21. I tend to agree, but then the DU group claiming

that parole should never be off the table would start a battle. So, I just assumed that parole might be available in three or four decades.

[XemaSab]

66. There won't be any WWII vets around then

[Skip Intro]

24. We agree on that. n/t

[razorman]

27. These scum should never see a free day again. But, if they do,

it should be so far in the future that there are no WW2 vets left.

[magical thyme]

76. AFTER prison? There should be no AFTER prison.

Life term, if their luckier than they deserve.

[anneboleyn]

14. Honestly. An 89 year old man who survived the Pacific front

only to be brutalized and to die after being beaten by these teenagers who are apparently still at large. Honestly this story, the Christopher Lane story (the young Australian man who was murdered), and the Trayvon Martin story have all been so sad, so depressing.

[Supersedeas]

83. We are a nation of cowards

So says our Attorney General of these United States

[steve2470]

15. this is so horrible, it affects me personally

My dad was a WW2 vet, died at age 92 a few years ago. Those...humans....who killed him need to be sent away for a very long time. So horrible.

[customerserviceguy]

30. Humans

You're so much more generous than I am about this.

[steve2470]

47. ok, whaleshit at the bottom of the ocean, now I feel better lol nt

[customerserviceguy]

50. At least

whaleshit has a place in the ocean ecology. As far as I'm concerned, the most vengeful version of a deity ever dreamed up on this planet couldn't make a hell hot enough for these punks.

[steve2470]

51. I cannot disagree, sir nt

[get the red out]

54. I agree

And I also think that the parents of these monsters need to addressed in some way. Kids like these, and the ones who murdered the baseball player out of boredom don't get dropped off in the cabbage patch by the stork. There was some serious parenting failure contributing to this.

[AverageJoe90]

115. Violence and/or emotional neglect in the family should DEFINITELY be investigated......

.....because, sadly, both of these things are each major factors in cases like this, and are sometimes intertwined.....yet, our "liberal" MSM often fails to address this in a satisfactory manner, sadly enough.....

[madville]

16. That's terrible

What kind of person can beat to death an elderly person? I wonder if this is something like the Chris Lane shooting, "bored" black teenagers or wannabe gang members with a racial chip on their shoulder?

[leftynyc]

64. My grandmother was mugged

when she was 90 years old. In Coney Island, NY (where she lived). She had just cashed a check. 90 years old and well below 5 feet tall.

[Supersedeas]

84. If only we could provide teens when easier, more convenient ways of making money

It is our own fault you know...for not otherwise occupying teenagers with jobs that are satisfying, entertaining, and life fulfilling.

[leftynyc]

90. He wasn't a teenager

I know she was upset (but surprisingly lucid) but she said he was in his 30's. She gave him the cash but this little old lady was one tough broad - she refused to give him her wedding ring and that was when he knocked her down and took off.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

22. Regarding Okinawa

I'd bet any amount of money that the bastards who beat this man to death don't know a single thing about the terror this man very likely experienced while fighting for his country on Okinawa. I can only understand it dimly, academically. And it was horrible for all involved--US military, Japanese military, and Japanese citizens. My wish for these cretins is that they be forced to read all about what happened on Okinawa, that they be compelled to learn about the man they murdered and what he did for his country, even though he was almost almost certainly more terrified than most of us can imagine. And I'd like for them to do this reading while they're serving life sentences.

http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/battle_of_okinawa.htm

[greytdemocrat]

25. What scum.

The POS that did this should fry.

[BlueCheese]

26. Rest in peace.

I've been reading some history of late. The soldiers who fought in that war, or any war, have courage I'm pretty sure I don't have. What a terrible way to go.

While not trying to make light of the situation, I'm always been cautious of people like this: "He loved playing pool, even though he claimed he was no good at it."

[oberliner]

29. Do you think race played a role?

What do you think the motive might have been for the attack?

[FarCenter]

33. It would seem to be racial.

Spokane police are looking for two male suspects in the attack. They said the suspects are African Americans between 16 and 19 years old. One suspect was described as heavy set and wearing all black clothing. The other was described as being about 6 feet tall and 150 pounds. There was no description of what clothing the second suspect was wearing other than a silk do-rag.

[Seeking Serenity]

34. Our one-post troll got MIRT'd promptly.

Every instance of white-on-black crime or black-on-white crime is NOT a "racial" crime.

[FarCenter]

35. It always is because of the response it evokes in the black and white communities.

[The Straight Story]

39. No, but look at what we are seeing:

This is just a small sample from Twitter (only covered about 3 minutes) - I don't know their political affiliation, rw'er, etc - but this is trending and the comments are pretty consistent.

If obama had 2 sons, they would look like the 2 thugs that killed American hero #DelbertBelton. Obama hates our veterans too.

Where's the outrage for #ChrisLane #DelbertBelton ? Why aren't you on TV Mr. President calling for justice for them!

#DelbertBelton , who was murdered in a racial attack, hasn't gotten anywhere near the attention of a rodeo clown with an Obama mask. Why?

Wonder if the two black teens who beat #DelbertBelton to death will claim he was being racist towards them?

-------------------------------

Here are the issues as I see them: If we are to be consistent when it comes to crimes and hate crimes why do we devote so much more time to one than the other (same thing as asking why do we cover missing white girls more than those of other races/sex - it is a fair question).

We cannot blame this crime on guns, and since guns didn't make this crime happen there might be another reason (cause gun crimes only happen because guns force people to commit the crimes, in this case we actually have to think and look for motives and question why it happened instead of spending all day over what was used/how).

If two Christians beat up and killed a Muslim the first thing people would note is the religion of the perp/victim. If two white kids beat and killed a black man we would be talking about race and it's motivation.

Why is so taboo to ask that same question in this case? What OTHER motivation comes to mind? Not robbery? Maybe ageism?

We can rule out guns making it happen, we can rule out robbery, we can rule out sexism.

Asking questions about motive is pretty natural, even if we don't like where it is leading. Why are some so afraid to ask the questions in this case and the Lane case (and any other case we see in the news)? Seeking reasons for why a few do something does not mean we feel the many are the same (unless it is guns, then the many = the very few).

[Psephos]

45. A thoughtful post. n/t

[Skip Intro]

37. If the races were reversed, DU would be barely moving.

But yeah, it probably was racially motivated. The killing of the AU baseball player also. There is circumstantial proof of the latter.

[cali]

48. why not "ageist"? Actually, it seems to me more likely that these two creeps

just saw an easy target with a frail old man.

[steve2470]

49. I agree, frail old man who could be easily robbed and killed for "kicks"

This crime really disgusts me deeply. He deserved a dignified end, especially because of his WW2 service.

[theHandpuppet]

52. Yep, I would agree.

Two sniveling cowards looking for a soft target and what better than a small, frail old man?

[CreekDog]

117. I thought you didn't believe in racism -or maybe you believe only white people are the victims of it

Last edited Wed Aug 28, 2013, 06:54 PM - Edit history (3)

Here's a post from yesterday, where you're *playing the race card* and making the accusation of racism. (I don't use the term "race card" but since you do, i thought i'd use it on you).

I guess when it's racism against white people, you're all ears.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=3547579

Skip Intro (18,379 posts)
37. If the races were reversed, DU would be barely moving.

But yeah, it probably was racially motivated. The killing of the AU baseball player also. There is circumstantial proof of the latter.

[City Lights]

32. I have no words...

[Shampoobra]

43. Thank you for your sig line

"Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent." ~ Isaac Asimov

I just now wrote it down and taped it above my monitor. (It seems a lot of my anger is generated from sitting in front of a computer screen.)

[City Lights]

59. And thank you for yours!

[brewens]

36. What a shame. I had lunch at that Eagles Lodge a couple of years ago. I met a good

bunch of guys there. I wonder if he was one of them?

[senseandsensibility]

38. Terrible, horrific...

Last edited Fri Aug 23, 2013, 07:17 PM - Edit history (1)

I don't know what else to say. My sympathies to his loved ones, however hollow these words may be, and I hope he rests in peace. I would like to thank the gentleman for his service.

[OmahaBlueDog]

40. I hope Mr. Belton is now in a far better place

Despicable. He deserved a better end.

[cigsandcoffee]

41. Wow, he really didn't deserve to die that way. How fucking awful. n/t

[rollin74]

42. This makes me so mad!

so senseless

WTF is wrong with people?!!??

[flvegan]

46. "Witnesses say..."

So, you watched it happen but did nothing to stop it? Okay, not everyone has the ability to intervene. I get that, and that's okay. Thanks to those that give witness account but can't do more either by ability or location or other issue.

Otherwise, you dimwit cowardly fucks, damnit DO something. Really? "Heavy set" and "6 feet tall and 150 pounds" are the alleged crims? So fatass and Barbiedoll (that's right you little bitch, Barbiedoll) for no reason we can see, predate a veteran. I'd feel sorrow for your loved ones while I also laughed long and hard at hearing your heads got emptied on the pavement.

Your vile kind need not breathe.

Sorry, but that could have been my dad. And I'd have hunted them to the end of my days. Wretched wastes of space.

[get the red out]

55. I wouldn't feel sorry for their loved ones

Why didn't loved ones do anything to see that these teens were brought up with any kind of moral compass? Parents of these kind of teens always get portrayed as victims instead of part of the damn problem.

I would feel sorry for their families at all.

[Jenoch]

68. That is poor reporting.

The 'witnesses say' could mean somebody saw him in the parking lot and then went inside the Eagles Lodge, it probably does not mean they witnessed the beating, otherwise there would have likely been quotes from them in the police report.

[magical thyme]

78. They may not have been in a position to intervene...

It was in a parking lot. They could have seen it at the very end, as they were arriving too late to intervene. Or heard the commotion from inside looked out a window to see what was going on, and then run outside again too late to intervene.

No reason to assume that an audience stood by watching and doing nothing.

[pintobean]

56. I'm wondering if it was the "knockout game"

Knockout, also known as the knockout game and knockout king, is a violent activity played by teenagers in which they attack an innocent pedestrian in an attempt to knock him or her unconscious with one punch.[1] The game can result in serious injuries or death for its victims and corresponding criminal charges for those playing it.

Cases involving teens playing knockout

Cases involving teens playing knockout come to light when extremely serious consequences turn deadly. In one such case, in 1992, three teens were charged with assaulting an MIT student while he and a friend were walking near campus. Prosecutors said that one of the teens stabbed the student through the heart, killing him.[2] In another case, a St. Louis, Missouri teenager and his friends allegedly attacked a couple as they were walking home from the market. After one of the teens struck the man, he hit his head on the ground and ultimately died in hospital.[3]

Both cases involved immigrants. The MIT student was Norwegian and was chatting with a compatriot when he was killed. The victim in St. Louis was a Vietnamese immigrant that was walking home from the Vietnamese market with his wife. Although authorities are unsure whether immigrants are targeted, the fact that immigrants are victims often makes other immigrants in the same area feel more at risk.

In May 2013, a 51 year-old man named Michael Daniels died from his injuries after he was attacked outside a convenience store in Syracuse, NY, by two teenagers playing the game.[4] The suspects, 15 year-old Ander Grady and an unnamed 13 year-old, were charged with manslaughter.[5] Grady's charges were later upgraded to criminally negligent homicide, reckless endangerment, and assault

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knockout_%28violent_game%29

From the St. Louis case:

A so-called “game” in which teens sucker-punch people for fun is the reason Hoang Nguyen, 72, is dead, prosecutors say.

And on Thursday, as Elex Murphy — the young man convicted of playing that deadly “game” — was sentenced to 55 years in prison, Yen Nguyen had a chance to speak about what losing her husband has meant for her life in America.

“After the death of my husband, I lived in this lovely country but I feel very lonely,” she said, through a translator. “When we came here, we came here as a couple.”

Hoang Nguyen was a teacher in Vietnam but retired upon coming to America and studied English at the International Institute. Yen Nguyen worked for a sewing company, as she still does.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/knockout-game-widow-tells-of-lonely-life-after-husband-s/article_636cb831-f292-5238-b70d-5e523205ff1f.html

[Supersedeas]

87. another incident of inner-city "wilding"?

taking it to the "woods"

[Blue_Tires]

57. Nice to see the commenters below the story are keeping it classy

[Supersedeas]

89. isn't anger, dismay, frustration, and nausea

a reasonable reaction under the circumstances.
I suppose a measured, teacup in hand, classy response is called for instead.
I bet that's the sort of response the victim expected when he landed on the beaches of Okinawa, too.
Get real.

[Blue_Tires]

97. You get real -- Anger is one thing, outright racist ranting/Obama bashing is another...

Maybe some of those comments have been pushed down since I last looked...Expand a few and you'll see what I'm talking about

[4Q2u2]

58. 18-19 yrs Old

The Killers are roughly that age. Mr Belton was that age when he was fighting in the War. What a difference in values. I would also say that I bet the Mr. Belton of age 19 would have kick the crap out of these coward POS.

Rest in Peace Mr. Belton you deserved better.

[RZM]

65. I thought the same thing

Ill bet these two twits couldn't have walked a mile in this man's shoes back then.

[Lizzie Poppet]

102. If these vermin had encountered Mr. Belton in his prime...

If these vermin had encountered Mr. Belton in his prime and decided to give him shit, I suspect they'd have ended up pissing their pants.

[Niceguy1]

60. tjat should be a hate crime

R at least have the same enhancememts

[cali]

61. Maybe. We don't have enough info to make that call

[Niceguy1]

62. preying on the weak

All it takes is a white to kill a minority, no matyrr what the motive, for peiple to call it a hatr crime. The elderly should havebthe same protection.

[4Q2u2]

67. There are Laws for this instance

Many states have laws on the books that add years to a sentence when the victim is in a characterization of extremely defensless.
People with disabilities and the eldery fall into the catagories.

"New York’s law is ambiguous. It says prosecutors must prove only a crime was committed “because of a belief or perception regarding the race, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, religion, religious practice, age, disability or sexual orientation of a person.” " NYTIMES

[Jenoch]

69. I might get flamed for this,

but when do we expect to hear from Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, or even President Obama to comment about this terrible crime?

[cali]

74. Why should they? Horrific crimes occur every day in this country

I think it's disturbing that you demand that these 3 black men condemn this crime.

Ugh.

[Jenoch]

75. I made zero demands.

[cali]

77. fine. you implied that they should address this crime.

that's ridiculous. One of the main reasons that Trayvon Martin was such an issue was that Zimmerman wasn't arrested for shooting him. That spoke to systemic, institutional racism.

[Jenoch]

79. Sharpton and jackson get involed

in local black and white crimes all the time. Sharpton was not Sharpton until the Brawley case. I should not have included President Obama in my post.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

98. I believe Zimmerman was not arrested

initially, because it was a clear case of self defense.

After the jury examined all the evidence, they saw it as self defense as well. I never saw the race angle in that case. Zimmerman was asked to describe him and said, "He looks black".

[cali]

99. it was decidedly not a clear case of self-defense.

He followed the kid after being advised not to. He made comments about them always getting away with stuff.

Ugh. bigotry sucks.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

110. I really hope you're not calling me a bigot.

Are you calling me a bigot? I want an answer.

I believe Zimmerman was saying that the people who were committing the crimes in the area, were always getting away. In my book 'they' doesn't mean a race/colour.

[cali]

111. I was calling Zimmerman a bigot.

I think the initial reaction to the case was one of institutionalized racism.

I think people denying the latter particularly, are either blind or bigoted.

[cali]

94. what on earth are you trying to say here?

spit it out.

[theHandpuppet]

88. Pretty disgusting, isn't it?

I don't recall it ever being this bad. It's going to drive some good people away, I fear.

[ieoeja]

95. I am very, very close to walking away from this site.

No any better ones?

[Glassunion]

91. It's been acceptable for a lot longer than today.

It's all in the context of how the juries look at it and who gets picked for duty.

You can be racist, as long as you are supporting a popular belief around here.

[Paladin]

86. If I want to see right wing flame bait like that.....

....I have Facebook and way too many regressive acquaintances. That's exactly the sort of shit they put up. Proud of yourself?

[Sissyk]

70. BREAKING NOW on CNN

Teen arrest has been made. That's all I know so far but you may want to add to your OP.

Hopefully, more arrest to come.

This is just horrifying!

[Myrina]

72. Horrible.

Goddamn.

[Eleanors38]

85. They'll catch these turds when they start...

...passing gas out the mouth about how they did somebody. They can't resist it, like a drug addiction. And even in the lowest places, there are enough people who won't be able to stand the stench.

[maddezmom]

100. Really sad story

[get the red out]

103. I am so sick and tired

I am sick and tired of these violent, murderous teenagers. I have absolutely no sympathy for them or their inept parents.

Ten minutes after they are caught there will be a parent of at least one of these hateful young people talking about what an angel their child is, and he just got in with the wrong crowd and isn't really like that, goes to Church every Sunday. He's an angel alright, ANGEL OF DEATH.

It's time to talk about parenting in this country, and it's past time to hold parents accountable for raising children that kill. The parents are not victims, they are part of the problem.

[shenmue]

105. Sometimes I hate people.

[Catherine Vincent]

106. :(

[life long demo]

107. I really think those two punks beat Belton because he was an elderly guy.

Belton was white, but if he had been black, I believe the same thing would have happened. Two young coward punks saw an opportunity to beat down an elderly guy. Those two should be sentenced to death or life in prison with no parole.

[Rex]

108. This makes me sick to my stomach

Punks. Nothing but punks. I hope they get locked up for a long long time. I am afraid I have no compassion on this one.

Disgusting.

[Raine]

112. This breaks my heart so awful for someone that age to die

like that, someone that age should be respected not abused like that, my father was of that generation. I have to at the thought of someone that age who had been thru a war dying at the hands of such thuggish pieces of shit.

[AverageJoe90]

113. Rest in peace, Mr. Belton.

[Mr_Teg]

116. Hooligan thugs...