Violence against the homeless still remains a problem. Over the last decade, the homeless have faced increased brutalities. A video showing the beating of homeless man was posted to Facebook in November and prompted an investigation.
The victim, 22 year old handicapped African American man was attacked at the Bradenton skate park. His attacker, 19 year old Devin Wilson plus two other accomplices Christopher Lovell, 20, who recorded the attack and a third man, Rubier Zaldivar, 20, are being charged for hate crimes.
Relatives of the victim say he is a schizophrenic who also suffers from bi-polar disorder. According to investigators, there is strong proof the victim was unaware of the intensity of the beatings.
Police say the 5 minute video evidence shows the victim was hit 53 times, kicked 15 times, threatened and spat on.
When the video was shown to Martha Childress, who was providing services to the victim at the One Stop Centre in Bradenton, she said she was convinced people could do something like that.
If pronounced guilty, all 3 suspects could face up to life in prison.