Fatal Beating of Bar Owner by Homeless Man in Tulsa, Okla., Sparks War Against Indigents

The Associated Press



TULSA, Okla. Aug. 17, 2004 — A homeless man's fatal beating of a brass-knuckle-wielding bar owner has triggered something approaching a war against Tulsa's homeless population.
T-shirts around town blast homeless people with a four-letter word, and some people are warning of vigilante justice. Downtown bar owners have stapled wanted posters to telephone poles with a picture of Terry Badgewell, the man who used a length of pipe to kill Deadtown Tavern owner Shawn Howard.


A prosecutor said the killing was self defense and refused to file charges, but the victim's family is gathering thousands of signatures on a petition to force a grand jury investigation.

"We're very committed," said Howard's mother, Kay. "Shawn deserves this."

Meanwhile, Tulsa's homeless are feeling the heat. Michael Cypert, 31, who usually stays at a Salvation Army shelter near downtown, said patrons of the Deadtown Tavern chased him away from the area during a memorial for Howard a few days after his June 25 death.

Police have warned homeless people to stay away from the bar, and Cypert said has seen people downtown wearing "F--- the homeless" T-shirts handed out by bar owners. (I want a t-shirt-Synikul)

"I think it's crazy to say 'F--- the homeless.' I don't think it's right," he said. "Most of the people I see around here are either mentally ill or have family problems. We don't panhandle over there or anything."

Badgewell left Tulsa after the wanted signs and T-shirts surfaced, said his attorney, Steve Hjelm. He won't say where Badgewell has gone for fear of retribution.

"We took it as a kind of vigilante effort," Hjelm said.

It started in the wee hours of June 24, when Howard and bar manager Josh Martin left the Deadtown Tavern wearing brass knuckles, as usual, for protection against the many vagabonds and drug dealers who inhabit the dimly lit neighborhood.

A fight began with Badgewell, who was resting in a warehouse stairwell across the street. Howard struck Badgewell in the jaw, and the homeless man grabbed a pipe and began swinging.

How it started is unclear. Martin said he and Howard encountered Badgewell while chasing two crack dealers away. District Attorney Tim Harris said the pair told Badgewell to leave the spot where he was preparing to sleep, starting an exchange of words that escalated into violence.

Police called to the scene about 4:30 that morning found Howard unconscious in the parking lot. He died of head injuries the next day.

Badgewell, 38, was arrested on two complaints of assault with a deadly weapon, but he was released June 30 after Harris declined to file charges.

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20040817_1307.html

I cannot say I am surprised... The fundsless do not have rights, not even to life... The state of the nation. The greatest nation...

The fundsless need to get off their lazy asses and work for a living like the rest of us.

Yeah, that's great advice. I love the fucks that say that. It's really fucking easy to get a job when you're unshowered, wearing hobo clothes, and have no permanent adress to give. Yup. The people that hire with those criteria are swarming all over the fucking place.


You stupid fucking hick.


Unless of course you were being sarcastic, then, ummm.... whatever.

Give me a break man-your smarter than that you know thats not the only reason for homelessness.

The homeless shelters in every city provide all those services, including helping them find jobs.

If I became homeless suddenly because of some kind of personal financial crisis, I can fucking guarantee you I wouldn't be on the street more than a few weeks.

You're right, there are the crazy ones too. They should be locked up.

Okay, try it.

There's a lot of mental illness wiht a good chunk of the homeless in the UK. Of course they're not all mentally ill, some have fallen on really hard times. Some are seriously out of their minds on the weardown burn of harsher drugs

Not pretty.

only about 10-30% of the UK homeless are so due to financial circumstances, but they still find it hard to get anywhere for thee whole no perosnal hygene, no fixed abode reaosns.

Neon

The excess population needs to die and fulfill the malthusian law of growth/loss ratios. There is absolutely no reason in the world to keep a dysfunctional person alive one second longer. The reason we have this problem of homeless people is because of social welfare programs. The problem with social welfare is that it looks great on paper, but it doesn't work in real life. You want to destroy your mind with drugs, eh? Why don't you just do yourself and the rest of society a favor and blow your brains out with a shotgun. Family problems? If you can't solve them yourself you are weak and the weak deserve to die. Which is only natural. You don't see african rhinoceri or asian yaks getting welfare checks when they get old and gray or sick. They have the good sense to die when the time comes. Helping the helpless is a WASTE of time.