Judge: Racism, not road rage, fueled attack by whites

A judge has ordered two Muskegon County brothers to face ethnic intimidation charges in a beating case, reversing another judge's ruling last year that attributed the attack to road rage rather than race. In a written decision released Wednesday, Judge Dennis Kolenda determined that while the Sept. 17, 2003, beating of black motorist Ronald Robinson initially was not motivated by race, race became a factor as the attack continued. Further, he said Michigan's ethnic intimidation law does not require race to be the single motivating factor. "People can, and often do, begin an endeavor with one intent, continue it with another subsequently developed intent and finish with a third," Kolenda wrote. In November, Grand Rapids District Judge David Buter determined that because race was not the sole motivation for the beating, state law would not allow for ethnic intimidation charges against brothers Robert Hornof and Glenn Schutter. His decision said racial slurs uttered during the beating were vile and offensive but that the brothers, both white, were angry over a road rage incident and were not motivated by race. Kent County prosecutors appealed the decision. [more ]