Metro-east man says he was threatened by gun, anti-gay sign. Is it a hate crime?
When a white, wooden cross with the message “Fag No queers” was left in the backyard of a Marissa home he is renovating, Riley Goodwin had no intention of calling the police.
But when a next-door neighbor stormed out of his mobile home, pulled out a handgun and pointed it at Goodwin as he stood with three of his friends Tuesday morning, he knew a report a hate crime had to be reported.
Goodwin also called the principal of nearby Marissa Elementary School to let her know that there was a man running around with a gun. Superintendent Jeff Strieker said the school was on a “soft lockdown” for an hour until school officials received clearance from law-enforcement that they could reopen the campus at 206 E. Fulton St.
Goodwin and his friends were not injured by the man, who also allegedly threatened to burn down the house on North Main Street. Once it’s renovated, Goodwin says he plans to offer it as a short-term rental on airbnb.com and similar websites.
Goodwin and his male partner of 14 years live in another home in Marissa.
The man accused of brandishing the gun has not been arrested so the Belleville News-Democrat is not publishing his name since formal charges have not been confirmed.
“He pointed it right at me,” Goodwin said. “I was more concerned for my friends that were with me. I really truly didn’t think he was going to come out of the house with a gun.”
Multiple police agencies responded to the scene about 9:45 a.m. Tuesday, including deputies from the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department. Master Sgt. Gary Brewer, the chief investigator for the sheriff’s department, said since a Marissa officer was not on duty at the time, deputies took witness statements and forwarded the case to the Marissa Police Department.
Goodwin said he told the deputies about the anti-gay sign and the alleged threat with a gun. Marissa Patrol Officer Robert Jackowski confirmed only that the case remains under investigation and he is “following leads” in the “aggravated assault” complaint.
The fact that no Marissa officers were on duty at that time of the incident is emblematic of a staffing shortage issue facing law-enforcement officers in small towns like Marissa throughout St. Clair County. The BND reported last week that St. Clair County Board members on Monday night are expected to consider a plan to give $300,000 to small towns to help them hire a police officer.
Brewer said sheriff’s deputies will respond to active crime scenes in some small St. Clair County towns when a local officer is not on duty.
Hate crime
Goodwin, who moved to Marissa three decades ago, owns Riley’s Florist shop in the Soulard neighborhood of South St. Louis. He described himself as a member of the LGBTQ community.
He believes a hate crime was committed by the person who painted the anti-gay slur on the white cross found in his backyard.
Whether a hate crime charge is filed remains to be seen. Goodwin’s main concern is that the person who pointed the gun at him is arrested and prosecuted.
“I think by definition it is a hate crime,” he said. “In my opinion, though, it’s just a hateful person.”
The neighbor’s girlfriend apologized for the white cross, which was found tied to a fence diving the properties, Goodwin said. He added that the neighbor with the gun came out of his mobile home when Goodwin was talking to the girlfriend and that the neighbor remained on his side of the fence. Goodwin was in the backyard of his property.
Goodwin, 56, said an unhinged door that was found in the backyard of the home he is renovating was painted with a citation to Leviticus 18:22, which in the King James Bible says “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.”
Goodwin notes that if a Black family had a burning, white cross with a racial slur on it in their yard, he would consider that to be a hate crime.
A hate crime occurs when a person “is targeted because of their actual or perceived identity,” according to a report on Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s website.
“Illinois hate crimes laws protect people who are targeted based on characteristics like race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, immigration or citizenship status, or physical or mental disability,” the report states.
Pride flag flies
On Wednesday afternoon, a pride flag was flapping in the wind outside the Marissa Public Library.
That caught Goodwin’s attention.
“I’ve never seen a pride flag in this town,” Goodwin said. “That means so much.”
An employee at the library said they put the flag up to support Goodwin after hearing of the alleged assault.
Goodwin said he raised his two daughters, who are now adults, in Marissa with their mother, who he has since divorced. And he’s always enjoyed life in Marissa, which has a population of 1,833.
“I’ve never really experienced anything like that in the 30 years I’ve been here,” Goodwin said. “People here just aren’t like that.”
Goodwin shared on Facebook a description of what happened along with a photo of the cross. He said he’s received multiple comments on Facebook in support of him.
“The vast majority of people are super nice,” he said.
Goodwin is excited about the renovation project that’s converting a 1950s home “into something special” that visitors could book on websites such as Airbnb and Vrbo beginning in March.
“We want people to be able to come to town, to feel safe,” he said.
“And we want people to feel welcomed here. There’s no place for hate. There just isn’t.”
This story was originally published November 22, 2024 at 12:55 PM.
