Comments

1

How very disturbingly awful.

3

I have children his age. This story is sad beyond words. But, I'm not surprised. Truckee is represented by Tom McClintock, a total and utter loon.

4

Horrible.

Truckee is in Nevada County, California, which voted for Clinton over Trump 47%-42%.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truckee_station

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truckee,_California

https://www.nytimes.com/elections/results/president

5

Donation is done. For stuff like this there should be a way that you can't comment until you've made a donation to the family

6

@5: I don't know. Too gimmicky. That might turn people off and result in fewer donations.

8

"So do the doctors who treated Salazar after he was airlifted to a hospital in Reno: they say his injuries are consistent with a beating, not a suicide attempt."

Can't slip anything by those Reno doctors.

9

So terrible.
The family thinks it was the friend he met on the train.
Who could be from anywhere.
Is it really helpful to go into full 'Blame the Right' mode when virtually nothing is known yet?
Surely there will be time to hate on whoever when the facts are known?

12

@9: Good points. But it's indisputable that the tone has been set from the top who gives a nod to horrible things like this: Donald J. Trump.

This could have happened with Hillary as president, but we're a different country now.

13

Every class 1 railroad (BNSF, Union Pacific, Amtrak, etc.) has its own police, but they're small in size and typically only investigate things like vandalism to rolling stock, people jumping trains, damaging track and the like. A hate crime murder is almost certainly far outside Amtrak PD's area of expertise and experience. I mean, they technically know how to do it from book reading and some occasional in-service lectures probably, but they really should request Reno PD, Nevada State Police or even FBI (interstate angle?) help with this.

14

My parents used to tell me be very aware of who you talk to when traveling and definitely never go it alone unless you’re sure you can defend yourself against in any possible circumstance. I feel so bad for him but he made a stupid choice. Real “friends” come to visit you in the hospital, they don’t put you there. Race is a non-issue because all races reside in Truckee and no one has seen the assault, nor the assailant and political affiliation is irrelevant because there is no proof it is a resident nor is their affiliation as I’m sure democrats live there too- and it IS California after all. The presumption that they met on the train is remedial at best in the logic. I, too only travel by train and have met many people at the station lounges going in other directions to multiple destinations. For all anyone knows the perpetrator is just some democrat-loving psychopath stopping off on his way to Portland or Seattle.

15

@14 Yeah, for all we know, Mt. Rainier could blow this afternoon or an asteroid could wipe us all out at breakfast tomorrow...but neither is very likely.

17

Oh Dan, evil has been unleashed by trump and his arrogant sadism. What to do though. Trump has so much power, and so many others colluding with him. I saw them calling gang members 'animals' on the White House fb page.
That Stephen Miller creep is feeding a lot of this. He's a true nazi.
So sad and the poor young man. and yes Dan, surely there's train or station ctv they can check as well. tragic.

18

The Bishop at Meagan and Harry's wedding, said love many times. And it is the antidote, as well as catch the perpetrators of course and rail against these people in charge.
If we hate like these sick and now evil people hate, then what is different between any of us, if hate is in our hearts. Love is an active heartfelt emotion, the love the Bishop was talking of.
Recognise these thugs and killers are to be confronted and held to account, without hate.
It's everywhere, like bush fires or raging volcanoes, people setting each other off to hate and act out.
Love to you dear Aaron.

19

A 10-hour layover in Truckee? On Amtrak? I don't understand - was his plan to get off and catch the next Zephyr coming through?

20

@16: My voting history:
1932 - Hoover
1936 - Landon
1940 - Wallace
1944 - Dewey
1948 - Dewey
1952 - Eisenhower
1956 - EisenHower
1960 - Nixon
1964 - Goldwater
1968 - Nixon
1972 - Nixon
1976 - Ford
1980 - Reagan
1984 - Reagan
1988 - Bush
1992 - Bush
1996 - Dole
2000 - Bush
2004 - Bush
2008 - McCain
2012 - Romney
2018 - Clinton

I really did vote for Hillary. You have to believe me.

21

A suicide attempt? Who the fuck is leading Amtrak Police? And they're investigating this crime? Fucking UNACCEPTABLE!!

22

@20,
You voted in 1932? So you're over 100 years old right now?

23

I am wondering, if Mr. Salazar had been a white straight male would Dan Savage, or anyone else at the Stranger for that matter even have cared?

24

@23:

If Mr. Salazar had been a cis straight white male this most likely would never have happened in the first place.

25

@24, Yeah I guess you're right, cis straight white are never harassed, beaten or even treated badly in this fine world of ours. If the description fits you you must indeed live a life of total bliss what with all that privilege you have; where ever there's a group waiting I bet they move you right to the head of the line. If you're employed you no doubt get first choice of the dick jobs.

26

Amtrak for its part probably has no way to follow up on this at all because its trains were already decaying back when multicellular life was a hot new development. Suicide? Really? Mmhm. When you can be out-sleuthed by a fucking dinner theater troupe, it's time to stop. As always, my first instinct is to blame closet cases.

27

I agree with the other person who said that Mr. Salazar was kind of dumb. He's young, Gay, and foolish. He was probably thinking more with his dick than his brain. I was once a very naive young lesbian and also did some stupid things with "new friends". Thankfully, I never got my face smashed in or beaten so badly that my own sisters wouldn't recognize me. Poor, sweet, idiot boy...

Having said that however, Amtrak, Amtrak, what has happened to you? Your trains are aging and falling apart, your tracks need to be replaced (especially in the Midwest), your prices are outrageous and apparently, your "police" are morons. Why hasn't Bill Gates or Paul Allen or some rich bastard bought Amtrak and privatized it yet?

Republicans are always trying to dismantle Amtrak and I don't remember any Democrats really stepping up to put money into the aging infrastructure. I think I'll take Greyhound...

28

@DrummerGrrl - Yes, please take Greyhound. It's now taken by folks who can't afford low cost airlines. You will have a real joy. Been there. Done that. Abandoned Greyhound in Salt Lake City. Rented a car. Drove myself to Minneapolis.

29

@22 That actually explains a lot.

30

This is the guy people in Truckee elected to represent them in Congress. In a decade of awesome hair, I'll bet his 80s hairdo sucked. https://youtu.be/WPAZTt6efs8

31

Atrocious that you would use this young man's horrific ordeal to push your political views on the public. Not even his parents know what happened yet, but you're so quick to assume it's racially and sexually driven, and it's got to be some "hateful conservative" behind it. You have zero clue how law enforcement works (OR journalism) - you don't simply get to make up your own facts!

I've got news for you, sir - the hate is in people such as YOURSELF, not us.

You should be ashamed!

Praying for this young man's healing and for his family to find love and support through this. May they get some answers soon as to what REALLY happened.

32

@31 oh, Dan has a very nuanced view on how the media works. The Stranger has been a leading "narrative over facts" innovator over the past 20 years. When zero evidence is found of anything, you'll see "the important thing to remember is that it could have happened", straight Animal Farm style.

33

@31: Sometimes you can make a very accurate assessment of what has transpired without all of the information. If you're standing outside and getting wet, it's PROBABLY raining. Gay minority found with injuries consistent with being beaten and crotch that has been set on fire? Not a suicide attempt.

34

@33: "Not a suicide attempt" is a reasonable assumption. "Foul play" is a reasonable assumption. "Hate crime" is jumping to conclusions. The crotch burning suggests something extremely personal, but it could be intimate partner violence or sexual violence just as easily as it could be "lynch the gay".


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