no jail time for white athlete who inserted coat hanger in rectum of disabled black teen

Children and young adults with disabilities are among the most vulnerable and when people take advantage of their trust, they can and should be considered the vilest creatures on earth. Enter Idaho’s John R.K. Howard, a white 19 year old creature of the underworld who sodomized a disabled Black teammate with a coat hanger. Guess how much jail time he’s getting for this heinous crime? None. Not one day in a correctional facility. The Guardian had a more graphic description of the assault, which began with an invitation for a hug. The article says, “The young man said that one of his friends motioned for him to come over and hugged him while another player shoved a hanger into his anus. Then, the victim said, Howard kicked the hanger, which pushed it further into his rectum.” They also reported that the victim said, “Pain that I have never felt took over my body. I screamed, but afterwards, I kept it to myself.” This assault came after months of racist bullying, the Times-New reports that Howard repeatedly called him the n-word and taught him a KKK-glorifying song that called for the lynching of black people, and that other members of the football team called him “fried chicken,” “watermelon,” “Kool-Aid” and “grape soda.” But the defense has made their case that this was neither rape nor racially charged and jur agreed. And just like the scores of white men before him, Howard will do community service and go on with his life.

Drew Nash, Times-News / www.magicvalley.com