A South Lake Tahoe, California man who was captured on home security video footage yelling racist and homophobic slurs at his neighbors has not been charged with a hate crime.
Mark Douglas — neighbor to Norman Randy Pratt and his wife Kimyoeuth, who is Cambodian American — has been out on bond for more than 7 months after the incident occurred. He has been charged with criminal threat and battery, both misdemeanor offenses.
Douglas’ first court appearance was Jan. 24, at which he did not enter a plea. Pratt and Douglas were supposed to meet with the El Dorado County District Attorney’s office Feb. 28 for a pre-trial conference, but that meeting has been delayed to a date not yet determined.
Direct Threats
In the 43-minute video, Douglas began his tirade after 15 minutes of watching Pratt using an excavator to move soil in his front yard. “You’re a f*****g pussy,” he yelled. “F*****g g***s,” he screamed, from across the street, also repeatedly shouting “little f****t.”
The suspect continued to repeat the slurs, then escalated into threats. “I wouldn’t go to sleep. I’ll be coming to see you.”
“I am going to take care of you just like I did with the rest of the f*****g g***s,” yelled Douglas, as shown on video footage.
Misdemeanors
Douglas later yelled to Pratt: “You’re going to leave this city. Your wife and kids are going to leave this city.” He threatened that he would ensure that the Pratts left South Lake Tahoe. Douglas kicked Randy Pratt twice. Pratt alleged Douglas also threatened him with a chainsaw.
A deputy with the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department showed up and spoke to Douglas, who alleged that Pratt had threatened his wife Michelle. Douglas was not arrested at the scene. Charges against him were filed on Oct. 10, more than two months after the incident.
“We were terrified,” Kimyoeuth Pratt told Ethnic Media Services. “My kids, who are 9 and 7, heard everything. They did not want to leave the house.”
Restraining Order
The Pratts left their home for two weeks. Kim Pratt said she and Randy spoke to the Sheriff’s Department and the District Attorney’s office on a daily basis to try and get a restraining order against Douglas. They finally received one, which is good for three years, and requires Douglas to stay 25 yards away from the Pratts’ home, workplace, and schools.
Kimyoeuth said her family escaped Cambodia when she was very young. She was born in a refugee camp, but then moved to the US and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Pratts moved to South Lake Tahoe 5 years ago. “It is surreal living here. There are no other Asians,” said Kimyoeuth. “My children express their anxieties every day. They ask: ‘why do we look different?’ They have experienced bullying at school.”
“I would like to show my kids that when people express hate against us, they are punished. I would like to see Mark go to jail,” she said.
Randy Pratt expressed similar sentiments. “I would like to see Mark punished for committing a hate crime.”
Children Are Afraid
“This has consumed our lives. What makes us fight is seeing our kids hurt,” he said. “My wife and children no longer feel safe in their home. My children are afraid to go outside. Prior to this assault, my children spent much time playing in the front of our house where we have a full court for basketball and pickle-ball. They regularly spent time on their scooters.”
“But now, my wife will not stay at home unless I am there. Our children are afraid to sleep in their rooms and now sleep with us,” said Randy Pratt.
More Evidence Needed
El Dorado County Assistant District Attorney Lisette Suder told EMS that hate crime charges had not been filed as her office is still gathering evidence. “It’s kind of hard to say what we will do. We don’t have all the facts yet.”
“It’s obviously horrible when someone uses disparaging language,” she said, adding however that the DA’s office does not yet have the videotape of the incident to determine whether the incident rises to the level of a hate crime. EMS has forwarded to Suder the video sent to this publication by Randy Pratt.
The District Attorney’s office has asked investigators for more evidence, according to Suder. The office is scheduled to meet with the Pratts next month.
Surge in Hate Crimes
Marita Etcubañez, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Asian Americans Advancing Justice/AAJC told EMS that though the incident may rise to the level of a hate crime, prosecutors usually choose to go after what’s easiest to prove. “Verbal harassment, based on the identity of an individual, is the majority of what we hear about. And the harm is to the entire community who shares that identity,” she said.
“We saw a surge in hate after President Donald Trump was elected to his first term,” said Etcubañez. “People felt emboldened to act on their biases.”
In his 2nd term, Trump has villainized immigrants. “We know we are an immigrant community, and bear some of the brunt of anti-immigrant animosity,” she said. “The fear and anxiety has really heightened in our community.”
Resources
AAAJ/AAJC has developed a training module for bystanders witnessing a hate crime or incident, which can be accessed via this link.
It has also developed a module for people who have experienced a hate crime. The organization encourages people to report hate crimes to standagainsthatred.org.
