Friday, November 16, 2007

Mercury News: One of Tepper's Assailants Causes Amtrak Delays

Berkeley man killed by train while talking on cell phone

BERKELEY, Calif.—Being distracted while talking on his cell phone is being blamed for the death of a Berkeley man who was hit by an Amtrak train.  Authorities say 31-year-old Scott Slaughter was hit and killed by the train while taking a shortcut across two sets of tracks to get to work Thursday morning.  Witnesses say Slaughter waited for one train to pass on a first set of tracks, then crossed onto the second set of tracks and was hit by a second train.  A spokeswoman for the Alameda County Coroner's Bureau says Slaughter didn't see or hear the second train because he was on his cell phone.  The accident halted Amtrak service through Berkeley for about three hours.

 

Note from Blog Editor: As you may recall, in 2005 Tepper’s ankle was run over twice by a car on Telegraph Avenue.  Doctors inserted nine screws and a metal plate into his ankle Tuesday. The 19-year-old offensive lineman had gotten into a confrontation with a carload of men who were harassing a coed and then backed over his leg, then put the car into drive and crushed it again.  Scott Slaughter was one of the men in the car.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

You really gotta love sweet justice like that! Awesome! Way to DIE Slaughter! Teach you to mess with Cal FB players, you dead jerk!

LMAO!

I know we're not supposed to speak ill of the dead, but he wasn't supposed to run peoples legs over either! Sound logic in my book.

Anonymous said...

i really dont think we should be celebrating a person's death, it's really tasteless.

with that in mind however

to Scott Slaughter, wherever you are, GO BEARS BITCH.

Anonymous said...

Apparently the Amtrak conductor was yelling "go bears!" as he rode over the guy.

Anonymous said...

I have no idea why I find the comments above hilarious, but I do. Good thing I can post anonymously!

That part about the Amtrak conductor yelling, "Go Bears!" TOO F-ING FUNNY!

GO BEARS!

RIH Slaughter!

Anonymous said...

I don't know why people think this is funny. There are still three other assailants that are still alive.

Anonymous said...

dont worry, BART and CalTrans are on it

Anonymous said...

Come on, this isn't a funny story. There were 4 commuters on that Amtrak train that missed dinner with their families over this.

Anonymous said...

I guess it's pretty sad when the most exciting news surrounding our Bears concerns a guy getting run over by a train.

The irony is not lost on me though. Lets see, group of thugs run over Cal player trying to save girl, who probably would have been raped. One of thugs later gets run over by train! Damn, you couldn't write a Hollywood script like that!

Is it just me or does anyone else find that pretty cool? (-:

GO BEARS!

Anonymous said...

CHOO-CHOO!!!

What a waste of a good cell phone, hopefully he wasnt using an iphone or a nokia smart phone...

Lawrence said...

Wow, would have been raped? I followed this story since it happened. Where do you get that assumption? Because the assailants were black? If not, point to one story where rape was listed as a motivation.

We can root for the Bears and retain our humanity. As far as we know, this kid made one mistake and paid for it. And now he's dead. And that makes people giggle? I wonder who'll laugh when you die? And by the way, I have guts enough to sign my name.

Anonymous said...

Ah, poor little baby! Look I don't care what you think, and I welcome your laughs when I die. If I want to laugh when this stupid jerk dies I will, and I did. As far as the rape comment goes, lay off. How do you know for certain that they weren't going to rape her. And news flash, where did it even say the assailants were black? Why are you race batting? You're sad.

Lawrence said...

Well, then you're inhumane. Wishing someone's death, and more importantly, being cavalier about it, is as callous as those guys initial acts. What difference can you find between their attitudes toward life and your own? Is yours just hidden behind an anonymous comment? And you ask, how do you know they weren't going to rape her? You ask that question as though someone can answer a negative. When you get a brain, and a soul, use it and then email me back.

Anonymous said...

The difference is that while I may think violent thoughts, I don't go around running people over. If you are unable to comprehend the difference, I am extremely concerned for you. This is what's wrong with our focked up society. We put more emphasis on criminals rights rather than the victims. We worry more about how prisoners are being treated than how the victims are being taken care of. Come talk to me when some guys accost your wife and run over your legs, twice. Yeah, tell me how you feel then!

Still laughing my ass of that Slaughter got slaughtered by a train! RIH Slaughter!!!

Lawrence said...

How do we KNOW you won't act out your violent thoughts? Isn't that the presumption you made about Slaughter when it came to the possibility of raping the Cal student?

And please, inform me how Slaughter being killed on a train track is in anyway support for criminals rights? Did you go to Cal or any college? Did you take any critical thinking class? Do you even know what you're talking about? Was Slaughter a prisoner on that train track?

Yeah, you'll laugh because you're ignorant. That's okay, a lot of people who are ignorant do things out of a visceral reaction versus actually thinking about their reactions. But I'm pretty sure that some time in your life, you'll wish for compassion and someone will laugh at you.

Anonymous said...

Well when all reason breaks down I can still kick your ass, you self righteous piece of shiat. Just shut up and stay away from me. You're no fun Mr. I am better than everyone who thinks this if funny. If you want to biatch and whine tell it to someone who gives a fock. Idiot.

Lawrence said...

And there you have it. A need to disprove ones impotence in life by proclaiming to the doubting world this he is, despite all evidence to the contrary, powerful. He can still kick my ass, a person he's never met, doesn't know, and obviously has no basis to make that judgment. But I'll give you an early Christmas present and let you go ahead and think that. I know you need that thought more than I do.

gerald1 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Lawrence said...

Thanks for the comment, Gerald. Too often, these Internet idiots make comments about others because they know they'll never have to deal with the ramifications. Thanks for giving a more well rounded perspective on Scott.

gerald1 said...

The present writer talked with Scott immediately after the gentleman was run over with the car. Scott, and one of the other occupants, was furious at the driver’s stupidity. While it is true that a senseless argument preceded the incident, one that the Cal center also participated in, the only person to blame for the incident was the driver.

Scott saw "Mike" (I believe that football player's name is) in court (Scott was merely a spectator since he was both, not charged and not determined to have had anything to do with the situation) and apparently Mike and Scott were able to gain some clarity about the way in which the incident played out for the car occupant’s perspective. Too make a long story short; the "tipsy" asshole behind the wheel hit the gas, too hard, when he tried to back up. Anyone who knew Scott would know that Scott would not tolerate blatant acts like running someone over. Scott's fault was in not judging his mere acquaintance’s physical gait at the time, and in supporting another acquaintance in possible confronting Mike, a big guy. For some reason, rightly or wrongly, male friends tend to back their friend up. Rather than assaulting Mike with a car, the occupants were likely going continue the confrontation outside of the car. The driver smashed on the fucking gas and at once, almost ruined Mike's career and basic mobility while almost sending my brother to jail as well (Scott and the other backseat occupant were walking down telegraph moments earlier and were offered a ride by the driver –the incident is not an accurate reflection of Scott Slaughter or of his parent’s vision of Scott).

According to Scott that argument that preceded the car incident could have been avoided had one of the occupants not exchanged disrespectful words with Mike’s female companion? Both she and an occupant were engaged in a disrespectful exchange of words. That the basis of it … the rape bullshit is not valid and or relevant to the incident so that that particular blogger please let that one goes. Scott was not an attempted killer nor is he an unfair individual who sought to place people in wheel chairs. He should have and consequentially has chosen his acquaintances better. I am glad that Mike was able to return in top form and so was Scott –I know this for a fact. The Cal Bears, Mike’s his family, and the Pac 10 are better for it.


As it turns out, I am Scott Slaughter's twin brother. I also happen to be a Cal Bear, a recent honor student and graduate of the Sociology Department, and a Public Policy minor. Suffice it to say I was critical of the car incident and was highly opinionated and critical of Scott’s loose affiliations with the driver. In this way I am more qualified to comment of this incident and of Scott’s death than all you other bloggers.

I also am the person who identified Scott’s body the morning, Nov 15, 2008. I was up all night, writing a 20-page paper for policy paper for PP101 and something in my soul told me not to go to bed just yet. Then, after several calls, I had two friends knocking on my door who are patrons of Scott’s employer, Truitt and White (Berkeley). They heard that Scott’s body was laying on or near the tracks at 3rd and University. I went to the site and waited more than an hour to positively identify my twin bother’s body even thought I already knew it was Scott -his back pack was torn and ripped and his shoes were poking out from the tarp. I also saw Scott’s co-workers faces watching nervously behind the fence as if the were hoping that I was going to say, “Nope, that’s not Scott.” They new better since Scott was rarely late in the three years he had worked there. For those of you who believe in “justice” the hard way, Scott’s scull was cracked but his head was in tact. This is consistent with his strong will and stubbornness in the face of difficult times. An Amtrak train should have done more to his body. However, Scott (or perhaps some divine entity, was able to avoid total decapitation so that my grieving 66-year-old father can see his son for one last time rather than having to cremate him. The entire week, between the incident and Scott’s funeral, I had to reassure my dad that Scott’s body held up well all thing considering even though I was not sure who the mortician would compensate for the huge gash and scull fracture I had seen when I identified Scott. I also wondered how the swelling was going to play out. My father was strong but he had just buried his wife, our mother 16 months prior.

The Amtrak train that struck my brother was said to have been going 70mph through busy 4th street corridor during commute hour. The timing of the train was unusual. It had never come at that time am because there is another train that arrives on the adjacent track at the same time. I’m told the horn of one train masks another so even if he had not been on the phone Scott could have suffered the same fate. In addition other pedestrian deaths had occurred in the general vicinity (Gilman Street and Emeryville) within months of Scott’s death.

Apparently Scott was on the phone. He was chatting with his girlfriend his companion about the house the he and my father had purchased. Scott was going to receive the keys that afternoon from the realtor. Scott wanted a change to own a home, something my parents we unable to do when our mother was alive. Somehow he was able to convince my father, a man near retirement, to purchase a modest condo in Oakland’s Rockridge with him (Scott).

Maybe some of you find poetic justice in Scott’s death. If so, than perhaps you also find it in my father’s pain and financial challenges (hence the mortgage). I still have that phone in my top dresser drawer, as well as Scott’s ripped, bloodied shoes. They are in the box the transit authorities gave me after a brief impersonal Q & A that took place along side Scott’s body and in the view of a few reporters who looked intently into my face for signs of pain and emotion (pictures sell and they could not take one of Scott I was a viable option). For the individual who stated that “It was a waste of a cell phone you can have that phone and those Nikes too.” No need to waste them. Since I will live with the image of my brother’s body lying there for the rest of my life I don’t need the mementos you can have them buddy (he died 6 days after our birthday you bastard). Additionally, to the guy or gal who stated the conductor was yelling “Go Bears,” he was also yelling that to me since I am a Cal Bear who has rightfully earned the title!

I believe in God and karma and both offer right-sized repercussion for behaviors. Scott’s death was not comparable or consistent with Scott’s role in the car incident. Karma as proportionate and since we had just lost our mother that would be even. Neither karma nor God punished Scott for being an occupant in that car. Scott was dead before he hit the ground so he did not suffer and consequences. I suffered… watching the faces of my father, older brother, Scott’s sister in-law who came to the tracks carrying Scott’s unborn nephew –she almost list him. I suffered trying to hold my shit together while going to class that same day and the following Monday when I had to plan my brother’s funeral prior to class (go to class or take an incomplete). When our mother died the year prior, I withdrew and Scott made sure I returned. “A thug” would have given me drug money –Scott took earnings from his Truitt and White paycheck rather than to seem me compromise my education and GPA with employment. Scott’s spirit and his integrity help me to deal with the bullshit I see on this blog. Scott would have explained to me that everyone is entitled to their opinions and you’re your perspectives are relatively to your affiliation to Cal and they are reflective of your inherent mis-judgments of who he was/is based on his name being mentioned in a news paper article in spite of not his being blamed for the incident or charged by authorities. Scott was objective in that way. Me …I can only try to be.

I share with you all my intimate experience with Scott’s death and the pain of his family members so that you know exactly what it is you are doing when you dance for joy over a “thug’s” death. Scott was not thug. He made mistakes …running someone over was not one of them. If behind the wheel, Scott would have never done that, ever (!) and the Cal Bears would have been better sooner (assuming they address their quarterback issues –as a fan the QB pisses me off).

My older brother ran across this blog while looking for articles at work. He was trying to help my father who wants to push for legislation to prevent trains from traveling at high speeds in urban pedestrian areas. Two other people died within 2 miles of Scott’s site of death around the same time. My older brother was is deeply hurt at the comments you all have posted. I, on the other hand, while being deeply bothered at the depravity of some of you bloggers, understand some of the dynamics (and assumptions) that go into creating the misguided, insensitive, hidden-identity Internet bravado you have displayed.

However, PLEASE consider that Scott, a lifetime resident of Berkeley, has left behind a grieving family and friends. You do not offend Scott. Instead you offend hundreds of people from all walks of life, creeds and races. You all should not assault Scott’s godchildren and their parents, his coworkers, past classmates, and especially his surviving father and his older brother. You also offend me, his twin brother.

I buried Scott my fucking self. This shit hurts …you Internet warriors.

Oddly enough, I have not seen a blog posting from the Cal football star. Just maybe he understands a little more about humanity and of mortality than those of you who would post crap on this site as though you were spokesmen and women for the Cal Bears and the talented Cal center? Even if you think Scott did not possess those qualities consider that those who he left behind do!

I’m Gerald …on campus all summer and if you’d like to express your feelings regarding Scott’s death in person, find me. THIS IS NOT A THREAT! I simply want you to see that your opinions (not based on facts) have unintended consequences for Scott’s twin brother who must now has to walk around campus wondering if this person or that person is the one who posted that crap. Again, I still have that cell phone and you can have it if you want although it no longer works. I’d hate to waste a Motarola.

Sincerely, A Cal Bear,

G. Slaughter