CLAREMONT — The decision by the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office to not categorize the near-hanging of a biracial boy in Claremont as a hate crime brought mixed reaction from several residents interviewed this week in the city.
Some were adamant that the incident in August 2017 was racially motivated.
“You don’t make the comments he made to his (the boy’s) family members and say it wasn’t racially motivated,” Jillian Chaloux of Claremont said in a phone interview. “It is clear it was a hate crime.”
But others were noncommittal and one woman said it was more like horseplay that got out of hand.
A 25-page report released this week by the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office revealed that the Sullivan County Attorney’s Office filed delinquency petitions, including for assault, against a 13-year-old boy for pushing Quincy Chivers, 8, off a picnic table after he had put a rope from a tire swing around his own neck. But although the young teen may have used “hateful” and racist language toward the victim and his sister at some point in the past, prosecutors said there wasn’t enough evidence to say the incident was motivated by racial animus.
Quincy suffered rope burns on his neck and had to be airlifted to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. The 13-year-old boy pleaded guilty in January 2018 to committing misdemeanor simple assault and was subject to Family Court’s continued jurisdiction, including engaging in rehabilitative services. Release of the report was delayed pending a court appeal over what could be revealed by prosecutors about the case because it involved juveniles.
Carol Carley, a downtown business owner, took the opposite view of Chaloux. While agreeing the incident was a terrible thing, she described it as a “bad accident.”
“I don’t believe it was racially motivated,” Carley, co-owner of The Ceramic Corner off Opera House Square. “It was a bunch of kids who screwed up. If it was racial, I don’t think they would have been playing together.”
Residents John DeCook and his wife, Sharlene, walking on Pleasant Street, both said race certainly appeared to be a factor.
“It was definitely racially motivated,” Sharlene DeCook said.
“I’m not sure as I wasn’t there,” John DeCook said. “I’m sure there were some words thrown around, but they probably didn’t need to charge him. It is a tough situation.”
Claremont Police Chief Mark Chase declined to comment on the facts of the report but did say both his department and the Attorney General’s Office conducted a “very thorough investigation” into the incident.
It does appear, Chase said, there was some “racial component” to what was said that day, and on that basis, his department was obligated to investigate the incident with the rope swing as a possible hate crime as defined under state law.
“What this comes down to is a child being hurt,” Chase said. “I hope the community can move on and also hope all the children can move on and grow to be healthy and productive.”
Reports of what some people categorized as a “lynching” drew national attention to the city, and Chase said vigils held in Claremont the wake of the incident offered residents an opportunity to discuss it publicly.
“There was anger in the community and being able to talk about it maybe helped people. I was glad I was able to be part of that discussion,” Chase said.
Claremont School Board Chairman Frank Sprague said the incident was tough for the community and highlighted the ever-increasing role of schools in teaching tolerance and diversity. He said former Superintendent of Schools Middleton McGoodwin had assessed the situation well.
“I think Middleton was spot on when he said we try to teach children about diversity and guide them in their interactions with each other,” Sprague said. “We are not a very diverse community (in terms of race) and the schools have an important role to play on diversity.”
Mayor Charlene Lovett said in an email on Friday that the community has come together since the incident to improve the climate in the city for all residents.
“I’d like to thank the Claremont police and the Attorney General’s Office for their work on this investigation,” Lovett said. “The release of this report provides clarity and will help all of those directly involved and the community to move forward. Prior to the release of this report, the Claremont community took numerous actions to ensure all citizens are treated with respect and dignity. It will continue to do so.”
Lloyd Gabourel, a Hanover resident who attended a community vigil in Claremont after the incident, said that, like Chaloux, he didn’t feel the prosecutors’ decision made sense based on the earlier racist language that the teen may have directed toward Quincy’s sister. The report also indicates the teen may have called Quincy the “N-word” in the past.
“That is how that child feels,” Gabourel said. “I was shocked (by the decision). In my mind it is pretty clear it was a racially motivated act based on the words spoken. I don’t see how you can think otherwise.”
The 2017 incident helped prompt Republican Gov. Chris Sununu to create an Advisory Council on Diversity and Inclusion. One of the recommendations of the group led to legislation Sununu signed into law last month that will allow anti-discrimination lawsuits against school districts in New Hampshire courts. The measure bars discrimination on a number of factors, including sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, age, religion or national origin, and also requires school districts to create new anti-discrimination policies and set policies on how to address discrimination when it occurs.
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.
