Speaking out

A man with cerebral palsy talks about his experiences of hate crime and urges other victims not to suffer in silence.

“A lot of people are working very hard to make Hull a more tolerant and culturally diverse city – and we should all report hate crimes and incidents when we see them. Nobody should have to suffer in silence.” - Ian Bourne

Above and below: Iain at work for Hull City Council’s sheltered housing service

Ian Bourne is determined to live the best life possible.
He has a full-time job, dresses smartly, enjoys nights out with friends and going on holidays abroad.
He’s also passionate about rugby league and pop music - The Jam, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones being among his favourite artists.
But because he has cerebral palsy he has been a target for hate crime over the years – particularly because of the way he walks.
Ian regularly hears insults from passers-by ranging from “I wish I’d had as much to drink as you” or “he’s p*****,” to shouts of “spastic” and people making monkey noises.
“It’s sometimes gets to you depending on what mood you’re in,” says Ian (40), a business support officer in Hull City Council’s sheltered housing service.
“If you’re really happy and someone shouts something you just think ‘Oh do one!’ but if you’re a bit down in yourself it gets to you.
“I don’t care about what they’ re actually saying – because I’ve got enough friends who understand my condition– but it’s the humiliation of being ridiculed in public by a bunch of idiots.
“What worries me is that these people could have a go at somebody less confident than me and it could completely devastate them and they’d never want to go out again – and that’s not right in the 21st century is it!
“I don’t know whether these people do it to be clever or to impress their mates but at the end of the day I’m not going to shut myself away and let them stop me doing what I want to do.

Enough is enough

Ian has been working in the city centre since 1988 and says the abuse has become worse over the years, although it’s died down a bit recently.
He doesn’t report every incident of abuse - “If you react every time you would make yourself ill,” he says - although back in April there were two incidents in the space of week which he felt he had to do something about.
One incident involved some workers on a building site shouting abuse at him – after which Ian contacted staff from Hull Citysafe, the local crime-fighting partnership, who wrote a warning to the construction firm operating on the site.
“At the end of the day I’m not saying these people need to be hung and quartered, but they need to be told ‘hey, this is not on!’” says Ian.
“A lot of people are working very hard to make Hull a more tolerant and culturally diverse city – and we should all report hate crimes and incidents when we see them. Nobody should have to suffer in silence.”

What is hate crime?

“Hate crime isn’t just verbal abuse and it doesn’t just happen to disabled people,” says Gemma Allenby, hate crime co-ordinator from Hull Citysafe.
“It can be property damage, graffiti and physical assault as well as intimidation, harassment and bullying.
“And victims can be targeted because of their colour, religion, ethnicity, national origin, gender identity or sexual orientation.
“The one thing all the crimes and incidents have in common is that they are all motivated by prejudice or hatred.
“They are particularly severe as they target identity, which victims cannot change or hide - nor should they be expected to.
“The sad thing is that much of the time victims don’t report the incidents – rather see them as normal everyday life – and that’s something we need to change.
“We need to encourage victims to come forward no matter how small the incidents appear to be.”

Visions of a better future A scheme called True Vision was set up last year to help people report hate crimes and incidents more easily. Under the scheme, hate crimes and incidents can be reported by ringing the Stop Hate Line on 0800 1381625 (a free 24-hour phone line). Victims or witnesses can also call in at any of the hate crime reporting centres in Hull, which include the council’s customer service centres (see page 3 of this magazine for addresses) where trained advisors are able to take reports. Other centres are Fuel nightclub in Baker Street, Victim Support Hull, on Spring Bank, Age Concern Hull, in Porter Street, and the pavilion in Pearson Park. Hate crimes and incidents can also be reported directly to the council’s Antisocial Behaviour Team (on 300300) or to Humberside Police. True Vision was set up by Hull Citysafe - a Hull City Council and Humberside Police partnership - which works with the Crown Prosecution Service and Victim Support to tackle hate crime and to raise awareness of how widespread the issue is. “When you report a hate crime or incident you don’t have to give your name, but if you do it means we can get back in touch to provide support and advice,” says Gemma Allenby. “Together we can stop hate crime happening, and make sure that the perpetrators are brought to justice. “But we’re also providing activities and training so that everyone can learn about hate crime and why it is wrong. “Often people commit hate crimes or incidents because they are reacting to myths and misunderstandings about people who are different to them, and often they don’t realise the full harm and distress they can cause.”