Lawyers are working on a January 26 potential bail plan for an accused machete-wielding youth who screamed “F**K white power” during an attack at the Calgary Zoo.A 62-year-old white victim is working on emotional healing with the help of counseling she must pay for.She remains “on guard” everywhere she goes in public.The “very large bruise” on her back has healed. With the help of a chiropractor she must pay for: she only recently has been able to walk without pain.But as any crime victim knows, the trauma never ends with the assault. Often, when the shock wears off, that’s when it sets in. And lingers.The senior experienced a vicious and unprovoked attack in the parking lot on December 26 when attending Zoo Lights with her husband.The 17-year-old accused arrested at the scene — who cannot be named according to the Youth Criminal Justice Act — was on bail for three assault charges with a weapon, a common assault and several breach of conditions allegations.Charges stemming from the Zoo incident include two assault charges, four property mischief charges and three additional counts of breaching release conditions.He has remained locked up at the Calgary Young Offenders Centre.The victim is locked in her own prison of cautious fear, according to her January 18 Victim Impact Statement.“I have never felt so much hate from another human being and you don’t even know me,” she wrote. “What you chose to do, by assaulting me, has changed me significantly.”“I am now on guard for threats from complete strangers, where I was not before.”“My ability to focus at work has been impacted.”“I am angry at you, at our media, at our legal system and our governments.”This woman experienced a severe backlash when she posted now deleted comments about the assaulter on social media. She said he was not an immigrant as many concluded, but indigenous.“This assault should be called what it was; this was a HATE CRIME!” she wrote in the Victim Impact Statement.“Before you assaulted me, you were waving your large knife around and yelling ‘F**K white power.’”“You attacked a white woman and I wish I could think of any other reason for you to do this other than because I was white.”“I did nothing to you. I walked onto a public sidewalk in a very busy area with many people around.”“I made the mistake of getting on that sidewalk without really surveilling my surroundings, but should I have to do that?! Should I have thought to be afraid rather than excited to go to Zoo Lights?”In a December 28 interview with The Western Standard, the victim recalled a “skinny” guy waving something in his hand in the dark.He was swinging a machete in what was described as a crazed, drug-fuelled rage. She was walking with her husband south toward the sidewalk that would take them down to the Zoo transit entrance. They were assaulted within four minutes of arriving.“We were probably 15 feet away from him and his sister. As we started to get closer, his sister turned around and put her arms up and stopped us. She said ‘Don’t go forward. I don’t want him to hurt you.”“He was so close to me. I was at the nose of that car. I started running like crazy. I could feel him behind me. I bent my head down and put my hands over my head and continued to run,” she said.He smashed the hood of one car she was crouching beside with something hard.She was hit in the back with a “heavy” weapon.Her husband rushed to her defence. No one else did until police arrived within minutes.Her final victim Impact message to the alleged assailant?“I want you to get long-term help for whatever it is that has you HATE white people so much that you wish to do harm to them.”“There must be serious consequences.”“Thankfully, I don’t know who you are and I don’t ever want you to know who I am.”The accused could be set free January 26 if the Crown agrees with whatever release plan is presented... that’s unless the prosecution challenges his release.She’ll continue to work on complete recovery. “I’m doing well after receiving accelerated resolution therapy (ART) with my psychologist last week,” she told the Western Standard Tuesday.“I'm grateful that I have the money and the open mindedness to get this kind of help. I wrote to the prosecutor to request the accused remain in custody. I will heal and move forward from this.” “It's a very sad and maddening world we live in, isn't it?” she said.
Lawyers are working on a January 26 potential bail plan for an accused machete-wielding youth who screamed “F**K white power” during an attack at the Calgary Zoo.A 62-year-old white victim is working on emotional healing with the help of counseling she must pay for.She remains “on guard” everywhere she goes in public.The “very large bruise” on her back has healed. With the help of a chiropractor she must pay for: she only recently has been able to walk without pain.But as any crime victim knows, the trauma never ends with the assault. Often, when the shock wears off, that’s when it sets in. And lingers.The senior experienced a vicious and unprovoked attack in the parking lot on December 26 when attending Zoo Lights with her husband.The 17-year-old accused arrested at the scene — who cannot be named according to the Youth Criminal Justice Act — was on bail for three assault charges with a weapon, a common assault and several breach of conditions allegations.Charges stemming from the Zoo incident include two assault charges, four property mischief charges and three additional counts of breaching release conditions.He has remained locked up at the Calgary Young Offenders Centre.The victim is locked in her own prison of cautious fear, according to her January 18 Victim Impact Statement.“I have never felt so much hate from another human being and you don’t even know me,” she wrote. “What you chose to do, by assaulting me, has changed me significantly.”“I am now on guard for threats from complete strangers, where I was not before.”“My ability to focus at work has been impacted.”“I am angry at you, at our media, at our legal system and our governments.”This woman experienced a severe backlash when she posted now deleted comments about the assaulter on social media. She said he was not an immigrant as many concluded, but indigenous.“This assault should be called what it was; this was a HATE CRIME!” she wrote in the Victim Impact Statement.“Before you assaulted me, you were waving your large knife around and yelling ‘F**K white power.’”“You attacked a white woman and I wish I could think of any other reason for you to do this other than because I was white.”“I did nothing to you. I walked onto a public sidewalk in a very busy area with many people around.”“I made the mistake of getting on that sidewalk without really surveilling my surroundings, but should I have to do that?! Should I have thought to be afraid rather than excited to go to Zoo Lights?”In a December 28 interview with The Western Standard, the victim recalled a “skinny” guy waving something in his hand in the dark.He was swinging a machete in what was described as a crazed, drug-fuelled rage. She was walking with her husband south toward the sidewalk that would take them down to the Zoo transit entrance. They were assaulted within four minutes of arriving.“We were probably 15 feet away from him and his sister. As we started to get closer, his sister turned around and put her arms up and stopped us. She said ‘Don’t go forward. I don’t want him to hurt you.”“He was so close to me. I was at the nose of that car. I started running like crazy. I could feel him behind me. I bent my head down and put my hands over my head and continued to run,” she said.He smashed the hood of one car she was crouching beside with something hard.She was hit in the back with a “heavy” weapon.Her husband rushed to her defence. No one else did until police arrived within minutes.Her final victim Impact message to the alleged assailant?“I want you to get long-term help for whatever it is that has you HATE white people so much that you wish to do harm to them.”“There must be serious consequences.”“Thankfully, I don’t know who you are and I don’t ever want you to know who I am.”The accused could be set free January 26 if the Crown agrees with whatever release plan is presented... that’s unless the prosecution challenges his release.She’ll continue to work on complete recovery. “I’m doing well after receiving accelerated resolution therapy (ART) with my psychologist last week,” she told the Western Standard Tuesday.“I'm grateful that I have the money and the open mindedness to get this kind of help. I wrote to the prosecutor to request the accused remain in custody. I will heal and move forward from this.” “It's a very sad and maddening world we live in, isn't it?” she said.
