By Selwyn Duke
Imagine you’re walking down the street and someone sucker punches you, breaking your glasses and swelling your lip. Your attacker then continues raining down blows upon you, spits on you, and pejoratively refers to your religious orientation while provoking you to fight. Imagine this happens in front of tens of witnesses who are willing to corroborate events.
Now imagine that the authorities tell you no arrest can be made because the incident wasn’t witnessed by a police officer.
But no imagination is necessary because this is precisely what happened to Jewish dentist Elliot Einbinder on September 11 as he was walking on Smith Ave. in Baltimore, Maryland. His attacker was a 24-year-old black female who, after initially lying to the police and claiming Dr. Einbinder initiated the confrontation, admitted she was “just having a bad day.” Baltimore Jewish Life explains the police inaction, writing, “Apparently an attack of this sort is considered a 2nd Degree Assault and unless witnessed by a Police Officer, and/or unless any type of weapon is used[,] an arrest cannot be made.… The victim must take the information to a court commissioner. The commissioner determines whether to issue a warrant for the perpetrators [sic] arrest or to send a summons for them to appear in court.” This is despite the incident smacking of a “hate crime,” with the assailant — who hasn’t even been named and shamed — challenging Dr. Einbinder with, “C'mon, fight me, Jew.”
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