The Orange County Human Rights Commission and Anti-Semitism

Recently, in Orange County, we were shocked and saddened by a terrible stabbing murder of a young Jewish (and apparently gay) college student named Blaze Bernstein. Samuel Woodward is charged with the killing of Bernstein, who was last seen in Woodward’s company on January 2. Bernstein’s body was later found in a park in Lake Forest near Irvine.

https://www.ocregister.com/2018/02/02/arraignment-set-today-for-blaze-bernsteins-accused-killer/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/blaze-bernstein-murder-suspect-samuel-woodward-pleads-not-guilty/

Aside from the brutal murder, there is the question of possible hate crime charges. It has been reported that Woodward told police that Bernstein tried to kiss him. Thus, many are speculating whether the killing was an act of hatred towards homosexuals. This week, the Orange County District Attorney, Tony Rackauckas, joined State Senator Janet Nguyen and  other officials in calling for special circumstance sentencing in cases of hate crimes against people based on sexual orientation. Current state law does not apply this to victims based on sexual orientation.

I have no inside information on this case, and cannot say what the apparent motive is other than what the authorities have released. However, in addition to the gay angle, it has also been reported that the suspect is a member of a racist, anti-semitic, Nazi-style organization called Atomwaffen Division.

Here is their website. Viewer warning: This is disturbing in the extreme.

https://atomwaffendivision.org/

So the question should be asked: Aside from the anti-gay angle, did Bernstein’s Jewishness also play a role in his killing? Police have released no statements or evidence that supports that, as far as I know.

Curiously, the much-maligned Orange County Human Relations Commission (OCHRC), seems silent on the Bernstein case. Normally, in cases involving even possible hate crimes or minor but odious expressions of hate, such as insulting language, insults or racial slurs, they are all over the local media especially under their recently-retired CEO, Rusty Kennedy. Over the years, I have been quite critical of Kennedy and the OCHRC for their seeming indifference to complaints of anti-semitism at UC Irvine. Kennedy, while head of the OCHRC, actually attended the infamous Durban conference in South Africa that singled out Israel as a “human rights abuser”. He also, in my view, showed favoritism toward Muslims and any complaints about alleged Islamophobia. Indeed, OCHRC recently  co-sponsored teacher training in Islamophobia by the Orange County School District, “training” that also featured seasoned activists and CAIR officials bashing Israel. In their defense, OCHRC put out this white paper.

http://www.ochumanrelations.org/press-releases/oc-human-relations-affirms-commitment-fighting-anti-semitism/

“The OC Human Relations Council has been one of the leading non-profit organizations in the fight against anti-Semitism since our inception in 1991.  For 26 years we have documented and responded to every anti-Semitic hate crime and incident reported in Orange County.” 

Nonsense. In 2008, I wrote a letter to Kennedy outlining anti-semitism at UC Irvine on the part of the Muslim Student Union and their invited speakers. In reply, I received a letter from Kennedy rebuking me for criticizing the UCI administration for their indifference. Lesson learned.