The Tragic Story Of Tyler Clementi ,Rutgers Webcam Voyeurism Victim

[Dakota Valkyrie]

Dharun Ravi confided to a friend in a text message that he was "creeped out" after secretly watching, via webcam, his roommate kiss another man in their dorm room and boasted he had a plan to keep "the gays away."

Ravi told Michelle Huang, in a text, that his computer could alert him when someone was on his dorm bed at Rutgers University.

Ravi, along with another student, watched Tyler Clementi and the other man from a room across the hall on Sept. 19, 2010.

Two days later Ravi exchanged roughly two-dozen texts with Huang, who testified today in a New Brunswick courtroom where Ravi is on trial for invasion of privacy, bias intimidation and hindering apprehension.

The texts, displayed for the first time today, provided the most dramatic evidence yet to support the prosecutor’s allegation that Ravi targeted Clementi because he was gay, then tried to embarrass and humiliate the 18-year-old violinist from Ridgewood.

The texts also cut into defense attorney Steven Altman’s contention that his client never uttered an anti-gay remark and didn’t have an issue with Clementi’s sexual orientation, and only tweeted the news as something of a prank while not taking it seriously.

About a dozen Rutgers students have testified at the trial so far. The students said they never heard Ravi say anything derogatory or malicious about Clementi, although one testified that he believed Ravi was uncomfortable with his roommate being gay.
[...]

After having sent a Twitter message urging his followers to watch the second encounter, Ravi texted Huang, a friend from West Windsor-Plainsboro North High School and a Cornell University student, about a gathering in a Rutgers dorm room.

She read the exchanges during direct examination from Middlesex County First Assistant Prosecutor Julia McClure, who is leading the state’s case against Ravi.

"...people are having a viewing party with a bottle of bacardi and beer in this kids room for my roommate," he wrote at 8:41 p.m. on Sept. 21, using crude text message slang.

"... Lol why? Is he still gonna be on webcam?" Huang replied, referring to Clementi. On the stand today, Huang was composed but appeared embarrassed when reading aloud some of the exchanges, saying they weren’t meant to be serious.

"Were you teasing him," Altman asked her, trying to drive home that point.

"You could say that, yeah," she replied.
[...]

Altman displayed several text messages Ravi and Huang exchanged on Sept. 23, after he told her Clementi had killed himself.

In those texts, Ravi described Clementi as "quiet all the time and had no friends so I guess it makes sense," he said in trying to explain the death. Ravi also described the Sept. 21 viewing party as "a joke" in answer to one of her texts.

Altman has said Ravi aimed the webcam at Clementi’s side of the room to protect his iPad and computer equipment against M.B., whom Ravi described to a Rutgers police officer as "slightly overweight," older than a college student and with a "scrubby beard," according to the officer.

In his cross examination, Altman showed several more text messages between Ravi and Huang, revealing an hours-long banter centered mainly on Clementi. In the texts, Huang talked about Ravi’s "gay roomie" and Clementi’s "gay friend." After Ravi told her about Clementi’s first encounter, Huang wrote, "That’s so nasty ew watch out he might come for you when you’re sleeping! Hahah jk," she said.

Ravi, a computer whiz, said he developed a program he called Jarvis, which alerted him when someone else was near his bed. "I got so creeped out after Sunday," he texted Huang, referring to the Sept. 19 viewing. "Yeah keep the gays away." A few hours later, they texted again, with Ravi telling her to video chat him. Ravi set up a feature on his webcam that would allow an incoming call to be automatically accepted.

"I just tested it and it works lol," Ravi wrote to Huang.

Two Rutgers students have testified that Ravi checked the angle on his webcam from their laptop computers in the hours leading up to the planned Sept. 21 encounter.

"Do it forreal I have it pointed at his bed," Ravi told Huang. "And the monitor is off so he can’t see you."

But he added, "Be careful it could get nasty."

Huang said she did not try to click onto the webcam that night.

It was all just a joke, she told Altman.

"I was kind of amused."

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/201...d_in_ravi.html

[princessgrandma]

I have watched this trial on In Session from day one, and I have my beliefs and feelings on the situation. The jury started deliberations this morning shortly before lunch, and before an hour passed they had asked that the judge's charges on the bias intimidation be re-explained to them, and the word "purposely" defined as it applies to this case. It has been said that this pertains to the second charge, they have most already found him guilty on the invasion of privacy charge. It's the bias intimidation charges attached to the invasion of privacy charges that will bring the most serious consequence and the most prison time if he's convicted on them.

I have every belief that this was NOT a childish prank by an 18 year old "boy" who didn't expect to see what he saw on the camera that first night. He knew his roommate, Tyler Clementi, was gay in early August b/c he had done extensive research on Clementi after he had gotten his room and roommate assignment which included Clementi's email. He then used the email to research further and found a posting on a site for gay males. So, he was well aware when he arrived at Rutgers that his roommate was most likely gay. Instead of just going ahead and dealing with it as you might expect, he tweeted, im'd, emailed, texted and told everyone he came in contact with in the dorm and out about his suspicion that Tyler was gay. Rather than to protect his property that he said he was worried about, he had the webcam set up to autoaccept any request for video chat the first night that Tyler had asked for privacy and the room till midnight. The camera was on and Ravi even came back in the room while Tyler had his guest (under the guise of doing something else) and made sure that the camera was facing so that what happened between Tyler and his friend (known only as "M.B") could be dissiminated by web stream from the webcam, activated automatically from his friend Molly Wei's room accross the hall. This was on Sept 19, 2010, and if it wasn't bad enough, he set it up AGAIN for the 21st when Tyler asked for the room again. Tyler had seen Ravi's tweets, so he knew what had happened before. The defense claimed that Ravi had made sure his camera was off and that nothing could be viewed, but Ravi wasn't even in the dorm during the time that the Netflow reports say the computer was shut down at about 9:30 PM and restarted about 11:20 PM.. Actually, Tyler saw the green light and knew they were being watched again. He shut down and disconnected the computer and everything, then reconnected it at the time when his guest left.

After reporting what had happened and requested a room change, Tyler felt so upset and uncomfortable that the next day when Dharun came back to the room, he was not even there. He never saw him again. The cops came to his room to ask if he had seen Tyler. He was told the following morning that Tyler had most likely committed suicide by jumping off the George Washington Bridge. It was found that Ravi had sent an email and text, apologizing and saying that he didn't want Tyler's freshman year to be ruined, and that it was feeding his guilt (Dharun's). It has been said that Tyler was already on that bridge when the email and text came through and probably never saw it.

It's obvious that the privacy of both Tyler Clementi and "M.B" was invaded. Ravi's telling everyone and tweeting and saying things in text messages like "keep the gays out" are going to convict him on the bias intimidation counts as well. It's pretty much in evidence that he tampered with evidence by deleting tweets and so forth. He tampered with witnesses first by texting Molly Wei when she was in her police interview, telling her they had to agree to say that it wasn't done on purpose.

I think this kid is looking at some time in prison and if he's found guilty on the bias intimidation charges, which are the most serious, he will most likely face deportation back to India where he was born and is still a citizen. He is not a citizen of the US.

This case will forge new laws, set new precedents, as well as provide more of a guidance in how to handle this kind of thing in the future, including bullying cases that rise to the level of hate crimes.

I'm sure he's regretting what he's done for his own sake, but he did not testify, which will come back to bite him on the ass, and neither he nor his family has ever extended any kind of apology or expression of regret to Tyler Clementi's family. To me, this shows that he is an arrogant, rich little privileged boy who, from the nonchalance, yawning, and almost falling asleep in trial shows a clear disregard for the American legal system. Yes, it's all on him at this point, but I honestly believe that kids like this are raised to be the way they are, like they are untouchable, and maybe the same rules don't apply to them.

Dharun Ravi is going to be truly shocked when he sees what the jury comes back with. He refused a deal that would have given him no jail time. I think both he and his parents are going to regret that one in the next few days. He already has his decision not to testify that's going to haunt him. He could have had a chance to humanize himself, say it in his own words that he didn't hate gays, that he's so sorry for what has happened and he never meant to hurt anyone. As it is, all the jury has seen is an arrogant, uninterested and immature little man who seriously needs a wakeup call. I for one hope he gets it in the next day or so.

[Whisper]

A verdict has been reached in the trial of a former Rutgers University student accused of spying on and intimidating his gay roommate by use of a hidden webcam.



Tyler Clementi, the roommate, later killed himself by jumping off New York's George Washington Bridge.



If convicted, Dharun Ravi could face up to 10 years in prison and deportation back to his native India.
Watch live coverage now on

http://www.cnn.com/video/?/tab/live#...ive/cvpstream1

[Whisper]

Not guilty on some and guilty on others they havent posted yet

[Dakota Valkyrie]

COUNT 1
4th Degree Invasion of Privacy, related to Tyler Clementi: GUILTY
4th Degree Invasion of Privacy, related to Clementi's guest, M.B.: GUILTY
(Observed Clementi/M.B. in sexual contact without their consent on Sept. 19)

If Guilty, jury proceeds to count 2; if Not Guilty, jury skips count 2 and proceeds to count 3

COUNT 2
3rd Degree Bias Intimidation
(For 4th Degree Invasion of Privacy charge on Sept. 19)

• Invasion of Privacy with the purpose to intimidate Tyler Clementi because of sexual orientation: ACQUITTED

• Invasion of Privacy with the purpose to intimidate M.B. because of sexual orientation: ACQUITTED

• Invasion of Privacy, knowing that the conduct constituting invasion of privacy would cause Tyler Clementi to be intimidated because of sexual orientation: ACQUITTED

• Invasion of Privacy, knowing that the conduct constituting invasion of privacy would cause M.B. to be intimidated because of sexual orientation: ACQUITTED

• Invasion of Privacy, under circumstances that caused Tyler Clementi to be intimidated, and considering the manner in which the offense was committed, Clementi reasonably believed that he was selected to be the target of the offense because of sexual orientation: GUILTY

COUNT 3
3rd Degree Invasion of Privacy, related to Tyler Clementi: GUILTY
3rd Degree Invasion of Privacy, related to M.B.: GUILTY
(Activated webcam so other people could view Clementi/M.B. in sexual contact on Sept 19.)

If Guilty, jury proceeds to count 4; if Not Guilty, jury skips count 4 and proceeds to count 5

COUNT 4
2nd Degree Bias Intimidation
(For 3rd Degree Invasion of Privacy charge on Sept. 19)

• Invasion of Privacy, with the purpose to intimidate Tyler Clementi because of sexual orientation: ACQUITTED

• Invasion of Privacy, with the purpose to intimidate M.B. because of sexual orientation:ACQUITTED

• Invasion of Privacy, knowing that the conduct constituting invasion of privacy would cause Tyler Clementi to be intimidated because of sexual orientation: GUILTY

• Invasion of Privacy, knowing that the conduct constituting invasion of privacy would cause M.B. to be intimidated, because of sexual orientation: ACQUITTED

• Invasion of Privacy, under circumstances that caused Tyler Clementi to be intimidated, and considering the manner in which the offense was committed, Clementi reasonably believed that he was selected to be the target of the offense because of sexual orientation: GUILTY

COUNT 5
4th Degree Attempted Invasion of Privacy, related to Tyler Clementi: GUILTY
4th Degree Attempted Invasion of Privacy, related to M.B.: GUILTY
(Tried to observe Clementi/M.B. in sexual contact without their consent on Sept. 21)

If Guilty, jury proceeds to count 6; if Not Guilty, jury skips count 6 and proceeds to count 7

COUNT 6
3rd Degree Bias Intimidation
(For 4th Degree Invasion of Privacy charge on Sept. 21)

• Invasion of Privacy, with the purpose to intimidate Tyler Clementi because of sexual orientation: GUILTY

• Invasion of Privacy, with the purpose to intimidate M.B. because of sexual orientation: ACQUITTED

• Invasion of Privacy, knowing that the conduct constituting invasion of privacy would cause Tyler Clementi to be intimated because of sexual orientation: GUILTY

• Invasion of Privacy, knowing that the conduct constituting invasion of privacy would cause M.B. to be intimidated because of sexual orientation: ACQUITTED

• Invasion of Privacy, under circumstances that caused Tyler Clementi to be intimidated, and considering the manner in which the offense was committed, Clementi reasonably believed that he was selected to be the target of the offense because of sexual orientation: GUILTY

COUNT 7
3rd Degree Attempted Invasion of Privacy, related to Tyler Clementi: GUILTY
3rd Degree Attempted Invasion of Privacy, related to M.B.: GUILTY
(Tried to show Clementi/M.B. in sexual contact to other people on Sept. 21)

If Guilty, jury proceeds to count 8; if Not Guilty, jury skips count 8 and proceeds to count 9

COUNT 8
2nd Degree Bias Intimidation
(For 3rd Degree Attempted Invasion of Privacy charge on Sept. 21)

• Invasion of Privacy, with the purpose to intimidate Tyler Clementi because of sexual orientation: GUILTY

• Invasion of Privacy, with the purpose to intimidate M.B. because of sexual orientation: ACQUITTED

• Invasion of Privacy, knowing that the conduct constituting invasion of privacy would cause Tyler Clementi to be intimidated because of sexual orientation: GUILTY

• Invasion of Privacy, knowing that the conduct constituting invasion of privacy would cause M.B. to be intimidated because of sexual orientation: ACQUITTED

• Invasion of Privacy, under circumstances that caused Tyler Clementi to be intimidated, and considering the manner in which the offense was committed, Clementi reasonably believed that he was selected to be the target of the offense because of sexual orientation: GUILTY

COUNT 9
4th Degree Tampering with Physical Evidence: GUILTY
(Deleted tweets relevant to police investigation)

COUNT 10
4th Degree Tampering with Physical Evidence: GUILTY
(Wrote and posted a false tweet)

COUNT 11
3rd Degree Hindering Apprehension or Prosecution: GUILTY
(Destroyed evidence relevant to investigation)

COUNT 12
3rd Degree Hindering Apprehension or Prosecution: GUILTY
(Prevented a witness from providing testimony)

COUNT 13
3rd Degree Hindering Apprehension or Prosecution: GUILTY
(Lied to police)

COUNT 14
3rd Degree Witness Tampering: GUILTY
(Tried to influence what Molly Wei told police)

COUNT 15
4th Degree Tampering with Physical Evidence: GUILTY
(Deleted text messages sent to and received from witnesses)

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/201...l_verdict.html

[Whisper]

Mixed Verdict In Rutgers Webcam Spying Case

CNN) -- Dharun Ravi, a former Rutgers University student accused of spying on and intimidating his gay roommate, was found guilty Friday on charges of invasion of privacy, but jurors found him not guilty on several charges of bias intimidation.
Ravi, 20, had been on trial on a 15-count indictment that included charges of bias intimidation, invasion of privacy, tampering with physical evidence, witness tampering and hindering apprehension.
His roommate, Tyler Clementi, an 18-year-old freshman, killed himself in September 2010 by jumping off the George Washington Bridge, which spans the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey, after learning that Ravi had secretly spied on his sexual encounter with another man.
Clementi's death stirred discussion about bullying, with Obama releasing a videotaped message less than a month later condemning it. A few months later, New Jersey legislators enacted stricter laws to better protect against bullying in schools.
The most serious charges in the Rutgers case centered on whether Ravi's actions had constituted bias intimidation, meaning that he was motivated to inspire fear in the Ridgewood, New Jersey, native because of his sexual orientation. Those charges carry jail time of up to 10 years and possible deportation back to his native India.
Prosecutors have said that Ravi tried to embarrass Clementi because he was gay.
"These acts were purposeful, they were intentional, and they were planned," prosecutor Julia L. McClure told the jury on the first day of the trial. Ravi "was bothered by Tyler Clementi's sexual orientation," she later said more bluntly.
Ravi's attorneys have argued that their client acted thoughtlessly, portraying him as an immature college student who made a mistake, and that his actions were not based on homophobia.
"He hasn't lived long enough to have any experience with homosexuality or gays," said attorney Steven Altman in closing arguments earlier this week. "He doesn't know anything about it. He just graduated high school."
Ravi and fellow student Molly Wei -- who admitted joining Ravi to watch the surreptitious webcam encounter, which others were also alerted to via social media -- were charged in the wake of Clementi's suicide. They were not, however, charged directly with his death.
Facing two counts of invasion of privacy, Wei reached a plea deal in May 2011 that required her to testify against her friend and former high school classmate, as well as to complete a three-year program on cyberbullying and do 300 hours of community service.
Ravi turned down a plea deal offered by Middlesex County prosecutors that would have allowed him to avoid jail time in exchange for undergoing counseling, doing 600 hours of community service and disposing of any information that could identify the man who appeared in the web video with Clementi.
Prosecutors also offered to help Ravi avoid deportation, though they said they could not guarantee it. Ravi, who had been studying on a visa at the New Jersey university, did not testify on his own behalf.
During the prosecution's phase of the trial, the man whom Clementi was intimate with, identified only as "M.B.," told jurors that he had noticed a web camera aimed directly at Clementi's bed.
The 32-year-old man testified that he first met Clementi on an Internet social networking site for gay men and that they eventually met three times in the student's dorm room. The two conversed online, exchanged text messages and later had sex, he said.
Wei testified that she watched a sexual liaison involving M.B. and Clementi after Ravi had secretly set up the webcam in his and Clementi's dormitory room.
Ravi's lawyer, Altman, has argued that his client had initially switched on the webcam to monitor his personal items because he did not trust his roommate's visitor.
In Twitter messages from that day, Ravi wrote that he'd gone into a friend's room, "turned on my webcam" and saw his roommate "making out with a dude."
On September 22, 2010, Clementi took a train to New York and posted a mobile status update on his Facebook page that read, "Jumping off the gw bridge sorry," before killing himself.
Ravi had apparently tried to make amends with his estranged roommate that same night, according to text messages revealed in court.
"I've known you were gay and I have no problem with it," Ravi wrote said in messages sent after he apparently learned his roommate had requested a dormitory room change.
It is not clear if Clementi ever viewed the messages.
[...]

Read more: http://www.wtae.com/news/30692942/de...#ixzz1pIQvxASy


sentencing not until may 21 2012

[princessgrandma]

I'm sure Dharun Ravi and his family are not too happy with the verdicts, but overall, I think ALL the families and people involved are glad it's over. I have no doubt that right now, Dharun Ravi realizes the error of his ways. Whether or not he carries that forth into the rest of his life is entirely up to him.

After watching this trial day after day, I am tired. I'm sure those involved somehow are exhausted. I'm just glad that the court chose to acknowledge Tyler Clementi's feelings in all the mire of this trial.

Now Tyler's family can go on with their lives. There will always be that empty chair at the table, but they can be reassured that Tyler is resting in peace.

RIP, Tyler. The world lost your music, your mind, your soul and your smile. You deserved better than you were treated.
(Did anyone happen to notice that when "M.B." testified, he seemed to be wearing the same blue shirt with small white stripes that Tyler was wearing in one of his smiling pictures that kept flashing on the screen throughout the trial? Makes me wonder if Tyler's family gave it to him as a small token to remember Tyler by, and to acknowledge the relationship those two young men had, however short it might have been.)

[Dakota Valkyrie]

If Ravi would have spied to a female roommate with a man, would it have been a "hate crime"? If Ravi would have spied to a Tyler with a woman, would it have been a "hate crime"? I doubt it... but could totally see such a thing happening that way too. Young people are so stupid at times. And some of our our laws are just as stupid.

It's only special if you are attracted to the same sex... a protected group that wants to be treated the same as everyone else (but special when it suits them).

[princessgrandma]

Sentencing will be held on May 21, and Ravi was released to go home after the verdict. It remains to be seen if the sentence meets the verdict.

As I said before, this is a ground-breaking case all around, so I guess after this one is all over, there might be slightly less stumbling around in the dark in figuring out how to deal with these cases.

Each case is an individual case and should be dealt with as such. Even though Ravi was not held responsible for Tyler Clementi's death, as it was said in court, no one could see into the mind of Tyler. No one could know what one thing or combination of things sent him to the George Washington Bridge. Dharun Ravi's "prank" could very well have been the last in a long line of things that happened, but it will be the most remembered simply because it was the last and the results were the most tragic.

Who knows if we'd be where we are in this if Tyler had had a girl in his room? If she were an older woman? Maybe a little overweight, a little scruffy looking? Tyler had just come out to his family. He was in a very precarious place in his life emotionally, and here was a nice relationship with "M.B." that came along. They'd even agreed that they liked each other and wanted to see each other every day (that they could), according to "M.B.'s" testimony. This invasion of privacy most likely wrecked that budding relationship b/c privacy was important for "M.B," as he said. He might have liked Tyler but didn't want to come back b/c of what had happened. This might have been another in a line of upsetting things for Tyler and it sent him over the edge.

We'll never know. That's the tragedy of it all. We'll never really know.

As always, this is my opinion. Just expressing it, as is my right.

[Dakota Valkyrie]

The problem I have is that because the crime involved a homosexual person, there is a the "Hate Crime" enhancement. If the spying had been done on a non-homosexual, it would be a much lesser offense.

I'm sorry, but I don't think I would feel any less violated just because I'm not gay. I would want the perpetrator prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law... which is not possible because I am not a homosexual or other protected species.

[biteme]

If Ravi would have spied to a female roommate with a man, would it have been a "hate crime"? If Ravi would have spied to a Tyler with a woman, would it have been a "hate crime"? I doubt it... but could totally see such a thing happening that way too. Young people are so stupid at times. And some of our our laws are just as stupid.

It's only special if you are attracted to the same sex... a protected group that wants to be treated the same as everyone else (but special when it suits them).

women?

[biteme]

Just change war to hate crime

EDWIN STARR
"War"

War, huh, yeah
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Uh-huh
War, huh, yeah
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Say it again, y'all
War, huh, good God
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Listen to me
Ohhh, war, I despise
Because it means destruction
Of innocent lives

[Dakota Valkyrie]

women?

True... is I was living in one of 28 states that include gender. But I still don't see how a crime committed against me because I am a hot chick, an gay man, a hated neighbor, happened to be in the wrong place, or any other scenario is any different than any other reason.

It's like saying beating the baby because it cried is not as offensive as beating the baby because it's only 2 weeks old.

[Whisper]

Tyler Clementi And Dharun Ravi's Parents Prepare For Sentencing

ORADELL, N.J. -- One couple lost their teenage son to suicide in the days after his college roommate used a webcam to see him kiss another man in September 2010; the other fears their son will be sent to prison this week for doing the spying.

The parents of Tyler Clementi and Dharun Ravi, on opposite sides of a tragedy that would horrify any parents, have been in the public eye throughout the criminal case, but they've remained circumspect when choosing their public words about their predicaments and their sons.

[...]
A sentence of more than a year would also increase the likelihood that federal immigration authorities will try to deport Ravi to India, where he was born and remains a citizen, though he has lived most of his life in New Jersey.

The case has turned both Clementi and Ravi, who for just three weeks a dorm room shared they were randomly assigned, into widely known symbols. Clementi is seen as an example of what can happen to young gays who are too often bullied even as acceptance of gays has increased. Ravi has been portrayed as a young man victimized by overzealous prosecutors who reacted to a tragedy by piling on charges. In their choices of where to appear, each couple has supported the symbolic perception of its own son.

A judge is to decide Ravi's sentence Monday during what's sure to be an emotional court hearing, including statements from people close to Clementi. Ravi's lawyer said Friday that it was not yet decided whether Ravi will speak.Ravi's parents, who granted just a few interviews after their son was convicted last month, attended a rally last week at New Jersey's State House in Trenton. Several hundred supporters, nearly all of them Indian or Indian-American like them and their 20-year-old son, called for Ravi to be kept out of prison and for reforms to hate-crime laws that some of the same people rallied in favor of supporting two decades ago.

The protesters said Ravi, an Ultimate Frisbee player and computer whiz who was studying economics, should not have been convicted of hate crimes because he does not hate gay people and that prison is too harsh a punishment for someone who did not mean to hurt anyone.

Ravi's father did not speak at the rally. And his mother, Sabitha Ravi, thanked supporters but mostly chose to aim her words at the journalists who were there, saying those who covered the trial should speak up against her son getting being sent to prison. "You were quiet there. Why don't you wake up now and bring some justice for Dharun?" she asked.
When asked about how her family and her son were doing, she didn't have much to say: "You can all understand what he's going through," she said.

Clementi's parents have communicated with the public mostly through written statements or reading prepared statements after court proceedings. In one, they said that they wanted Ravi to be held accountable but that he need not be subject to a "harsh" punishment.

They did grant a handful of interviews, including one with The Associated Press, in December as they announced the launch of a foundation to honor their son. Then, they talked about how he had come out to gay to them days before he started at Rutgers.

In a handful other public appearances, they have spoken mostly about the work they intend to do through the foundation, which is focusing on promoting online civility, preventing bullying and encouraging the acceptance of gays and others perceived to be different.

On Thursday night, they attended a community theater preview production of "The Laramie Project," a play about fallout of the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student who was tied to a fence, savagely beaten and left for dead in a horrific case that led to hate-crime laws around the country.

The Clementis joined a panel discussion after the performance by the Bergen County Players. But they declined to say what sentence they believe Ravi should receive.

Instead, they spoke about the power of the play they had just seen. Joe Clementi said that people should take friends who are not accepting of those with differences to see productions of it.

"There are more of us people that think the way we think than there are people who are the haters," he said.
[...]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...html?ref=crime

[TheMorningStar]

The family of Tyler Clementi, the Rutgers freshman who committed suicide after his roommate broadcast a gay sexual tryst, bitterly asked the judge today to sentence Dharun Ravi to prison time.
Clementi's father, Joseph Clementi, told the judge, "One of Tyler's last actions was to check Ravi's Twitter page" and noted that his son checked his roommate's Twitter page 37 times before leaving the Rutgers campus and driving to the George Washington Bridge where he jumped to his death.
Ravi, 20, is convicted of a hate crime for using a webcame to spy on Clementi during a sexual liaison with a man identified only as "MB" and announcing what he saw on Twitter. Ravi put out another tweet when he heard Clementi was having a second date with MB.
Joseph Clementi said that Ravi decided his son "wasn't deserving the respect of basic human decency" and "was below him" because Tyler Clementi was gay.
"He did it in a cold calculating manner and then he tried to cover it up," the father, who had to pause to compose himself, said. Clementi's mother Jane Clementi cried in the front row has her husband spoke.
He accused Ravi of having any "lack of remorse."
Tyler Clementi's mother Jane Clementi recalled the day she helped her "excited" son move into his Rutgers dorm room and the coldness Ravi showed by not getting up from his computer to say hello.
"He never even paused to acknowledge that Tyler was in the room," she said. "He never stopped what he was doing, no greeting, no smile, no recognition, no nothing."



Jane Clementi said that though she initially thought Ravi may have been stressed or busy, she said she realized during trial that that was not the case.
She heard during the trial that Ravi had not reached out to her son on Facebook or via email, but, rather, had used his computer skills to plug Clementi's email address into various computer programs to discover what websites he frequented and to discover that Tyler was gay.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/rutgers-tri...ry?id=16394014

[Whisper]

Ex Rutgers Student Gets 30 DAYS

Dharun Ravi has been sentenced to 30 days in jail for spying on and intimidating his gay Rutgers
The September 2010 death of Tyler Clementi, and Ravi's trial this year, thrust the issue of cyberbullying and prejudices against homosexuals into the national spotlight.

Clementi, an 18-year-old freshman, plunged to his death in the Hudson River after learning that Ravi had secretly spied via a webcam as Clementi kissed another man.

In the months that followed, President Barack Obama released a videotaped message condemning bullying, while New Jersey legislators enacted stricter laws to protect against it in schools.

Ravi's sentencing hearing stretched to more than two hours Monday and was punctuated by emotional victim impact statements offered by Clementi's parents and brother.

"My son Tyler was a kind and gentle soul," Joe Clementi said of his son. "... Nobody other than Tyler understood how vulnerable he was, but the fact is that he was very vulnerable -- and he was shaken by the cold, criminal actions of his roommate."

James Clementi recalled his brother was excited about attending college. "He could never have known the viper's nest he was walking into," he said.

Family members blasted Ravi for showing no remorse. "I have often found myself wondering if Dharun Ravi is even capable of empathizing with another person," James Clementi said.

A victim impact statement was also read on behalf of the man involved in the videotaped encounter, identified only as "M.B."

"I do not mind that Mr. Ravi has never apologized to me for what he did and said, but I do wonder if it ever has entered his mind that he has caused me a great deal of pain and yet he knows nothing about me," the statement said.
[...]

http://www.wtae.com/news/national/Ex...105212012&ts=H

[ineedanap]

In all of this, I fail to see why Tyler would think this has ruined his life so much, that he should no longer be alive. It's a sex tape, released on the internet for a bit. Ok. Plenty of A list celebs have had sex tapes released. Don't get me wrong, I think that the roommate is culpible. But, to kill yourself because of a sex tape? I can't see it. I can't relate. I am sorry this guy chose the path he did.

[VXIII]

They should be sentenced to have the same thing happen to them, secret webcam taping them having sex then live streamed for their classmates to watch and laugh, would be poetic justice...

[biteme]

Feel Ravi should've been slapped on both wrist not just one

[Starbuck]

It's just frakked up that he only got 30 lousy days, 300 hours of community service and some empathy training classes. Dude deserves to spend many years behind bars and then be deported back to his own frakkin country where he shovel chicken shit for a living.

[Dakota Valkyrie]

The former Rutgers University student convicted in March of bias crimes for using a webcam to spy on his gay roommate's encounter with another man left a New Jersey jail on Tuesday after serving 20 days of a 30-day sentence.

Dharun Ravi, 20, left the Middlesex County jail shortly after 8:30 a.m. EDT (1230 GMT) accompanied by his attorney, according to a Reuters photographer at the scene.

Ravi served 20 days of a 30-day sentence imposed by Judge Glenn Berman, receiving a 10-day credit for good behavior.

Ravi began his jail term on May 31 after being convicted in March of bias crimes for using a computer-mounted webcam to spy on his roommate, Tyler Clementi, 18, and an older man he met online in their dorm room.
[...]

On Monday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said they would not seek to deport Ravi, an Indian citizen who has lived most of his life in the United States.

http://news.yahoo.com/ex-rutgers-stu...130253330.html

[Dakota Valkyrie]

The parents of a Rutgers University student who committed suicide after learning his roommate spied on his gay tryst said his death has caused them to rethink their views on homosexuality, which they no longer believe is a sin.

Tyler Clementi's parents, in an interview to be aired on NBC on Thursday, spoke publicly for the first time since the roommate, Dharun Ravi, was sentenced for using a webcam to observe Clementi kiss another man and for encouraging others to watch too.

Clementi's parents are Christians and suggested in the interview that there was a time when they thought homosexuality was a sin.

Joseph Clementi, Tyler Clementi's father, said he had revised his views.

"Sin needs to be taken out of homosexuality," he said. "Our children need to understand and adults need to understand that they're not broken. And once they understand that I think the church can move forward."

Jane Clementi, the dead student's mother, told NBC she was "shocked" by her son's coming out, but that she now has "very different thoughts" on sexuality. Her son James Clementi is also gay.
[...]

"Whatever underlying depressions or pains that were going on with, that was the straw that broke the camel's back and that was the thing that pushed him to the breaking point," James Clementi, one of Tyler Clementi's two brothers, said in the interview.

Also among Tyler Clementi's troubles was his mother's reaction to him coming out as a gay man shortly before he left home to begin his freshman year at Rutgers, where he would meet his new roommate, Ravi.

At the time he told a friend he felt like he had been "completely rejected" by his mother.
[...]

http://news.yahoo.com/parents-rutger...222055005.html

[Dakota Valkyrie]

In a decision that could signal a quiet end to the legal drama surrounding a landmark online bullying case, Tyler Clementi's family has decided not to sue anyone associated with the Rutgers University freshman's suicide, the family's attorney said today.

Joseph and Jane Clementi, of Ridgewood, filed court papers shortly after their son’s 2010 death preserving their right to sue Rutgers for damages. But the deadline to file the lawsuit has come and gone.

The family chose not to sue the university, Dharun Ravi or anyone else associated with the webcam spying that preceded Clementi’s suicide, said Paul Mainardi, the family’s attorney.

"The Clementi family made a considered decision to not pursue civil suits," Mainardi said. "They are devoting their energies to the positive work of the Tyler Clementi Foundation."
[...]

In their original court papers filed in 2010, the Clementis said it appeared Rutgers "failed to act timely and appropriately" to prevent their son’s death. The legal filing put the university on notice the family was considering suing.

But since then, the relationship between Rutgers officials and the Clementi family appeared to improve. Last year, the university and the Clementis’ newly formed foundation co-sponsored a symposium on bullying and social media on the Piscataway campus. Nearly 200 academics and school officials attended.
[...]

The Tyler Clementi Foundation, which recently got a new web address at tylerclementi.org, was established last year to promote anti-bullying causes, suicide prevention and resources for gay youth.

Next month, the foundation will help present and host discussions about "Bare," a musical about a group of teens, staged at New World Stages in New York City, according to the website. The foundation is also pushing for the passage of the "Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act," federal legislation that would require colleges to strengthen policies and programs forbidding harassment on campus.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/201...g_suicide.html