Spitting is one of the most disrespectful and downright disgusting acts of violence you can serve someone with, especially during a global pandemic.
While a vile act like that is usually punishable by law, for some reason a white woman who recently did it with clear racist intentions towards a Black woman was let off the hook by Hartford Superior Court after they felt “special probation” would be better than charging her with a hate crime.
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According to The Washington Post, the incident at hand stemmed from a Black Lives Matter protest held outside the Connecticut Capitol building. Keren Prescott, a Black woman who was leading the outcry for social justice, was interrupted by the flying saliva of the white perpetrator at hand, Yuliya Gilshteyn, who did it because she was told to “back up” for not wearing a mask.
More on the story, via TWP:
“Then, Gilshteyn, who was carrying a small child at the time, turned to her left and spat in Prescott’s face, hitting her glasses and mask, and retreated from the scene, according to a video of the incident. Gilshteyn, 45, of New Fairfield, Conn., faces multiple charges from the encounter — including felony hate crime of intimidation due to bias. The spitting incident was denounced by the Hartford state’s attorney as “the most foul thing I have ever seen.”
But the hate-crime charge may not hold up after a judge granted Gilshteyn special probation this week. The Wednesday ruling from Hartford Superior Court calls for Gilshteyn to enter accelerated rehabilitation, a pretrial diversionary program for first-time offenders in Connecticut. She was also ordered to complete 100 hours of anti-hate curriculum in the next two years.
Hartford Superior Court Judge Sheila M. Prats ruled that the hate crime and all of Gilshteyn’s charges would be dismissed if she completes the special probation program.”
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“I am asking her to back up. I am looking at the officer because there’s an officer literally right in front of me,” Prescott said of the ordeal in her own words, continuing by adding, “This is not small. For many people, this is like the worst form, I would rather be punched… I didn’t even realize until I looked at the video that I had the spit on my glasses. I still had spit on my mask. And it wasn’t until probably an hour later that it finally registered. What if she has COVID? My grandmother would have been 101-years-old this year if she had not died of COVID last May.”
Ioannis Kaloidis, Gilshteyn’s attorney, admits her client’s actions were “inappropriate” and “shocking,” but is sticking by the notion that it wasn’t done with racist intentions. Let us know which side you agree with by sounding off on our social channels.
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