Another Beating Reported – Victim is a “a veteran of Iraq and recipient of the Bronze Star for valor”

by Prince Of Petworth February 16, 2016 at 1:38 pm 80 Comments

Thanks to a few readers for sending – WJLA reports:

“A decorated war veteran is recovering after a brutal attack Friday night. He says it happened at a McDonald’s on 911 E St., N.W., D.C.”

The Daily Caller previously reported:

Christopher Marquez, a veteran of Iraq and recipient of the Bronze Star for valor, said he was dining at a McDonald’s in northwest D.C. when a group of black teenagers came up to him and allegedly began harassing him about the black lives matter movement. Marquez ignored them which prompted calls and shouts that he was a racist.

Marquez left the establishment after eating, but allegedly sustained a sudden blow to the back of his head outside the McDonald’s, which knocked him unconscious. When he woke up, his pants were ripped and wallet gone, which contained $400 in cash, three credit cards, his VA medical card, school identification, metro card and driver’s license.

los

so infuriating on so many levels. Worst perhaps is that part of me believes MPD would have been at the scene (which should be since every other day something goes down in/around Chinatown metro), they probably would have been powerless against a group of out of control teens.

I’m not sure what you can do about these teens in DC, but it appears that they are becoming a grave an imminent threat. Riding the metro, they are my #2 concern.
- Dan
  
  What’s #1? A train wreck? I think you’re much likely to be harassed by teens.
  - Dan
    
    much more likely.
    - Los
      
      #1 Train event
      #2 Teens*
      #3 Terror attack
      
      *My spidey sense (aka I grew up with gangs so I know when they’re about to escalate) gives some protection
Philippe Lecheval

I’d be willing to donate to a Go Fund Me project that hunts these kids down and drops them off in Iraq. They wouldn’t last 24 hours.
NH Ave Hiker

Yikes, $400 in cash. I certainly would never carry that much.
- Jeff
  
  Yes, this is clearly the victims fault.
  - NH Ave Hiker
    
    Wow, certainly never said that in no shape or form. Just stating that seems like a lot to carry.
    - NH Ave Hiker
      
      *in any shape or form
- Anon
  
  Wow, what a dildo thing to say here.
- anon
  
  If losing $400 is going to break you, then you have financial issues. The real pain of being jumped is not loss of money, but the loss of trust.
  - Anon
    
    So what if he does have financial issues? It’s none of our business. He’s a victim, we shouldn’t be judging his financial situation. That’s a decent amount of money whether it hurts you financially or not.
  - Anon Steak
    
    NH Ave Hiker, were you wondering if the attackers knew he had a lot of cash on him? It does seem odd that out of all the people to randomly attack they got the one with the biggest payoff.
    - anon
      
      I think a lot of people carry several hundred in cash, but you would never know it. Those of us who like cash know not to flash it.
    - NH Ave Hiker
      
      I wasn’t trying to victim blame in anyway, this guy certainly didn’t deserve what happened in the least. That being said, I’ve never carried that much cash on me unless I’m going to buy something off CL or something. I dunno, maybe that was the case, I have no idea. I honestly had no idea people still like to carry that much cash in this day and age…I personally wouldn’t on a regular basis
Lisa

That address is literally across the street from FBI HQ. Surely, the FBI has cameras watching the entire block. There must be footage that they can find of the attack…
- Formerly ParkViewRes
  
  Agreed, but not sure the camera would record across the street? Worth checking though. This is freaking ridiculous.
  - Teddy
    
    Wouldn’t the McDonalds have security cameras? Especially in a downtown urban location.
    - HaileUnlikely
      
      With such a high profile victim, I’m thinking the police are probably on it.
Anacostia

Still can’t call these strings of attacks hate crimes though.
- anon
  
  How about we just call this individual attack a hate crime. Once the teens began “harassing him about the black lives matter movement” then we can call it a hate crime.
- Anonymous
  
  Looks, sounds, and smells like a hate crime to me
- swootang
  
  Per a DC Police Officer on a reddit thread about this (so give that as much credit as you’d like), they did categorize this as a hate crime.
7thStTechGuy

Marquez is the Marine on the right in the picture supplied. The man that he is carrying is one of the top choices to become the Sr. Enlisted Man in the Marine Corps, Command Sgt Major Bradley Kasal. Marquez is simply a selfless hero(and was decorated for it)- good to know that you can walk around an beat people up and steal their money without general consequence in this city. Here is more information on those terrible events in 11/04.
https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/1uiuiu/brad_kasal_supported_by_two_fellow_marines_exits/

He also is running, or ran for Congress in California.
HIll Easter

1 – this wasn’t in Chinatown – it was on 9th and E – across from the FBI. It is a new spot for a homeless camp.
2- this article fails to mention (see wjla) that the youth were part of BLM – and got enraged when the Veteran didn’t engage them
- Formerly ParkViewRes
  
  1. It says Penn Quarter-Chinatown
  2. What are you talking about? Quoted directly from above: “…said he was dining at a McDonald’s in northwest D.C. when a group of black teenagers came up to him and allegedly began harassing him about the black lives matter movement.”
- HaileUnlikely
  
  The assailants asking him if he supports BLM makes them a part of BLM in about the same sense as me asking you how you if you support Greenpeace (Do You?! Huh?! Do You?!) makes me a part of Greenpeace.
  - stacksp
    
    Agree. Articles like this make it seem like these youth are activist within BLM and I guarantee that they have not donated 1 red cent to the cause and are not active members of BLM. This paints BLM in a bad light because they do not promote violence and randomly beating people and have no ties to these guys.
    - Anon
      
      Yea – can we please agree to ignore the blatant racists here? There’s no point engaging them at all. (Well, unless you’re really bored I guess?)
      - Kingman Park
        
        Who are the racists exactly?
      - Anon
        
        One of those “if you have to ask” moments, you know?
      - Kingman Park
        
        Well, when I narrow it down, it’s either the kids who beat a man for not responding to them about BLM. Or Hill Easter, who assumed the teens were a part of BLM because they, you know, mentioned BLM before beating a veteran.
      - Kingman Park
        
        You can’t just dismiss people as racist for saying something disagreeable. Using that logic I can just call you racist.
    - textdoc
      
      Isn’t BLM more like a cause — like, say, feminism — than an organized movement per se?
      - stacksp
        
        Yes
      - stacksp
        
        I guess Yes and No. There is a defined organized leadership where they do have representatives who manage to get a presence at social events but it is a an overall cause with an undefined, unregulated “membership” or “followers”. Not sure you can be a member of something you dont contribute finanically to.
      - Finitor
        
        Yeah, I think some folks are using the organization as a finite entity to distance the attackers, but black lives matter is a broader social movement without organization.
        
        It’s like environmentalism, in that there are formal organizations and lone individuals advocating the cause. When someone burns down a subdivision of new construction in the name of nature, while no organization may endorse that behavior it still must be considered a radical, violent component of the overall environmental movement.
      - BMouse
        
        Or it’s teenagers finding a random excuse to screw with somebody.
      - justinbc
        
        http://blacklivesmatter.com/find-chapters/
  - Tees
    
    Would harassing a person about the KKK, bringing up race, and then proceeding to beat that person be a hate crime? People are beginning to allow themselves to understand these acts for what they are – now it’s what to do about them?
    - HaileUnlikely
      
      My point was that I thought the article unfairly implied that these individuals were affiliated with BLM in some meaningful way and thus that their actions reflected something about BLM in some meaningful way. They may well be, but I would not take any of the facts presented so far as evidence of such.
      - textdoc
        
        Yeah — my guess is that they’re sort of on the coattails of the cause, appropriating it to suit their own desires.
        .
        It sounds like they were keen to pick a fight and figured that would be a good topic for a lead-in.
      - justinbc
        
        There’s a distinct difference between implying and inferring. The article merely states the account of the victim. “These people confronted him about X.” If you read more into that than what’s stated at face value that’s on you. Can we not even state facts about crimes now without the SJWs coming to the defense?
      - HaileUnlikely
        
        I inadvertently conflated the article with HillEaster’s comment about it (asserting that the attackers were “part of” the BLM movement, whatever “part of” even means in this context), my bad.
- Dognonymous
  
  I dunno that I’d call the homeless camp new if you’re referring to the one at the corner of E and 10th, in front of the Hard Rock. Young homeless, probably teens and 20s, starting camping out there over a year ago. I think they mostly just play Magic cards and smoke pot, though. Not sure this would be the same group.
  - HIll Easter
    
    The one in front of Hard Rock has been disbanded. The street was clear for a month or so, but now the camp has moved from Hard Rock to McDononald’s. I walk over it every day when I go to work.
    - Dognonymous
      
      Got it. Haven’t been by there in a few months. That McDonalds was always pretty busy with kids and homeless folks anyway, but I guess that’s true of a lot of McDonalds in DC.
  - Chris
    
    I work a few doors down. The homeless camp outside of that McDonalds seems to have disbanded recently. They may have smoked weed, but the big problem was the crack they smoked.
- Jco
  
  So, are you trying to say that their rage entitles them to cause physical harm to another human being who was merely trying to avoid conflict? Whatever you’re implying doesn’t sit well with me.
  - Anon
    
    Jco, relax. Nobody said implied anything to that effect.
    - JCo
      
      I just don’t understand why that detail needs to be reemphasized unless Hill Easter was trying to either 1) assign blame to or negative association with the BLM movement or 2) somehow justify the teens’ reaction. I understand that context is nice, but all that matters are the actions that transpired outside the McDonalds, for which the teens themselves are the only ones responsible.
      - Anon
        
        I’m sorry, I must’ve glossed over that part – you seem to be correct in that Hill Easter’s casual racism seems to be airing itself out. I’m with you that it seems completely unnecessary.
- dcgator
  
  I was worried someone would come through and try to ascribe this attack to a BLM scheme or idea. As HaileUnlikely mentioned, just because they asked about BLM, it doesn’t mean this was some sanctioned attack. I’m glad it’s not being spun as if this is part of the BLM movement. Although, knowing some PoP readers, it’s only a matter of time…
- CapHillNative
  
  Black Lives Matter is a movement that has some articulate and more visible leaders and organizers, other than that you cant really be “part of BLM” to be clear. I would hate for the Black Lives Matter movement to be associated with violent teenagers in the city.
  
  My thoughts go out to the victims of these incredibly frustrating and senseless crimes.
  - stacksp
    
    +1
poff

It happened at the McDonalds across from the FBI. Would they have footage of it?
petworther

I don’t believe these guys are affiliated with or represent BLM in any way. That said, I think that in the same way the left seeks to hold republicans responsible for their rhetoric when someone shoots up an abortion clinic, a black church, or a sikh temple, leaders of BLM who espouse violent rhetoric should be held to account for this kind of attack.
- stacksp
  
  Is that to say that Johnetta, who is one of the most vocal BLM activist, should come out and denounce this beating eventhough BLM was used under false pretenses. She may not even be aware of this incident given that she isnt local to DC.
  - petworther
    
    Not calling out anyone specifically. She very well may not be aware, although this thing is national news at this point.
    .
    I don’t pay close enough attention to have any idea who the “leaders” of this leaderless movement are, but yeah, I’ve seen some pretty aggressive rhetoric from some people on the issue and this should be the time to dial it back and make clear they don’t condone violence.
    - los
      
      “I don’t pay close enough attention to have any idea who the “leaders” of this leaderless movement are, but yeah, I’ve seen some pretty aggressive rhetoric from some people on the issue”
      
      such as? If they are calling for violence, this would be news to me.
  - AdMo Resident
    
    This is likely to get some national coverage soon.
  - eggs
    
    Most of my active duty and veteran friends all over the world are aware of this – it’s being given a lot of coverage in military social media. A friend who’s currently stationed in Germany posted about this yesterday. It’s getting a lot more coverage than you’d think, and most people don’t realize that this wasn’t exclusive to him, that it’s actually happening all over the city to different people. It’s absolutely being treated as an attack on a vet and not a random attack on a guy.
    - stacksp
      
      I saw it mentioned for the first time of Fox 5 last night and it was reported on the DailyMail this morning. DM reports that the victim was asked does Black Lives Matter to you? Either way, video surveillance footage would be helpful to piece everything together. Was this random? Was their a prior confrontation? Who knows?
      
      The veteran angle I guess matters to some. Not so much to me. He could have been a 7-11 cashier and he still would not deserve to be assaulted like this.
      - eggs
        
        I should clarify I guess – I wasn’t saying that his vet status has anything to do with whether he somehow “deserved” this, I was responding to stacksp’s comment that “She may not even be aware of this incident given that she isnt local to DC.” and pointing out that you don’t have to be local to have heard about it, since it’s getting a lot more press than I think we’re realizing.
- justinbc
  
  I’m just curious why everyone is so quick to automatically assume that these people have no “affiliation” with BLM whatsoever? Based on what evidence? They weren’t wearing t-shirts with hashtags on them? You know that’s not a mandatory every-day uniform right? Why should any criminal receive the benefit of the doubt about who they’re affiliated with? I’m sure Subway wishes they had that luxury with old Jared right about now.
  - dcd
    
    It’s not the criminals getting the benefit of the doubt, it’s the movement that is getting the benefit of the doubt.
    .
    And I’m conflicted about this. To me, the apologists who claim “there’s no evidence they are affiliated or represent BLM” are being disingenuous, because it isn’t like BLM has membership cards, regular dues, and the other hallmarks of an organization. (And those who claim you can’t “belong” to an organization without contributing money” are real headscratchers.) On the other hand, I am hesitate to tarnish an entire movement with the actions of a few of its adherents. On the other other hand (third hand?), we (liberals) do it all the time – attribute the actions of the whacko right wing to mainstream conservatives and GOP members simply because they occupy the same half of the political spectrum. So I don’t know.
    - stacksp
      
      The surveillance footage should clear all of this up. BLM is more of a cause than an organization but honestly people can paint the situation any way they want. If I was BLM, i would stand as far away from this as possible because its not something that they promote, not something that they sanctioned so they should not have to speak on it imo. If that’s not the case, than the situation changes.
    - justinbc
      
      I understand and agree with all 3 of those hands. The convenience of only being able to ascribe the positive aspects to a somewhat intangible movement is undeniable. However, if there are actual “leaders”, and there are, a profile case such as this would be the perfect example to speak out against tactics which those driving the political influence of the movement do not agree with. It doesn’t help that for many liberals the first line of offense in this report seems to be over the very mention of BLM, rather than the beating itself. It’s a very “protect the shield” mentality so often endemic of the other side.
      - HaileUnlikely
        
        I agree with most of that. I’d just rather start from the position of “I don’t know and I haven’t heard anything persuasive yet” than start from the position of “yes they are” or the position of “no they aren’t.” That’s where I started and I’m still there.
      - dcd
        
        “It doesn’t help that for many liberals the first line of offense in this report seems to be over the very mention of BLM, rather than the beating itself. It’s a very “protect the shield” mentality so often endemic of the other side.”
        .
        Agree 100%.
      - stacksp
        
        Generally speaking I think most people acknowledge the incident as a heinous and vicious attack. May not have come across that way but that is evident right away.
    - CapHillNative
      
      Guys, you can’t be associated with BLM period unless you’re an organizer. The only time people are associated with the Black Lives Matter movement is when they are actively involved in a demonstration. Most black people are Pro/For Black Lives Matter, so is every crime we commit part of the movement? Please stop. Black Lives Matter is not an attack on the safety of white people or white people period. Stop struggling to make white people the victims of something larger than an awful crime committed by individual highly troubled teenagers. Black Lives Matter is not a threat to you, it is a plea.
      - dcd
        
        This seems a little disingenuous. The perpetrators (allegedly) specifically referenced BLM – I don’t think you can simply wave it away with, “it has nothing to do with BLM, just highly troubled teenagers” any more than you can wave away police violence with, “there’s no systemic problem, it’s just one out of control cop.”
      - madmonk28
        
        I don’t think any reasonable person would assume that the attackers were in any way associated with BLM. Their reference to BLM in the prelude to the attack does suggest that race was a motivation for their actions. Lord knows BLM isn’t the first movement to be used as a justification for committing violence; see patriotism and every religion ever for more examples.
      - CapHillNative
        
        dcd, the systemic problem isn’t the Black Lives Matter movement. It’s rooted in generational poverty, lack of education, and lack of present/knowledgable parenting (caused by generational poverty which was caused by RACISM). To be fair and honest, if you want to find a systemic cause it would be hundreds of years of institutional racism, leading to being poor, leading to parents who are young/not around/don’t know better/don’t do better… I wasn’t going to go there because I didn’t find that discussion immediately productive but since you did… Because some perps shouted “Black Lives Mattter” doesn’t make them part of the movement, maybe part of the frustration that a lot of black people in this town share (but don’t act on in such violent horrific ways, but not part of the movement.
  - HaileUnlikely
    
    I think I instigated most of that line of discussion. I’m not asserting that they are not affiliated with the movement, I am stating that I have seen no evidence that they are affiliated with it.
- MMMkay
  
  Can anyone really “represent” BLM? I thought it was a decentralized, leaderless movement.
  - CapHillNative
    
    The only people that accuse others of representing Black Lives Matters are white people… hmmm
Brooklander

A white teen in Howard County created and circulated a racist video, resulting in denunciations from school personnel, assemblies, and teach-ins. Where are the remarks from school administrators, teach-ins, and assemblies regarding the rash of violent attacks against white and Latino people by black teens in DC? The identities and schools of several of the assailants are known.
Anon

Phew, that Daily Caller comment section is insane.

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