Tattoo shop raises money for woman who reported hate crime

Tattoo shop raises money for woman who reported hate crime
Article by: SlingerVille Staff
August 07, 2012

50 people lined up to get tattooed at Hartland Tattoo shop to show support for woman who was a victim of a hate crime.

Charlie Rogers, 33, reported that three men had broken into her home, bound her with zip-ties, and carved anti-gay slurs into her body before setting her home on fire.

Adam Hart, owner of Hartland Tattoo shop, opened his doors for $40 “NOH8” tattoos and donated $10 from each tattoo to Rogers for her suffering. Hart says the “NOH8” design would typically run at about $75.

50 people permanently marked their skin over the week and a half since Rogers was victimized.

Rogers, a former Nebraska basketball star, reported that she managed to escape her home and got help from a neighbor.

“When something that sad happens, you just want to squish all that hate with that much more love,” said Hart.

Hartland has raised $500 for Rogers and will add the NOH8 design to its collection as well. He stated that the shop would continue to donate $10 from each for another week or two.

Hart said they’d donated $480 through a bank account set up for Rogers and had another $20 in the pile. Rogers' attorney, Megan Mikolajczyk, stated that her client would not have access to funds from the account until police finish investigating the incident.

His idea for a fundraiser came from a buddy who had gotten the tattoo to show support for Rogers.

“The NOH8 is a message of equality and acceptance, not just a gay message,” the tattoo shop owner said. “It was just a friend coming to ask us for a favor, and it just kinda blew up.”

The fundraiser news reached Chuck Fleming, 23, this week when he got NOH8 inked into the knuckles of his right hand. Seven years ago, Fleming’s brother came out while in high school and struggled to deal with what his parents, friends and society thought about gay men and women.

Although Fleming doesn’t know Rogers, he doesn’t think hate crimes should happen anywhere.

“It’s just sick and disgusting and wrong. No one should ever have to deal with that ever,” he said.

“We’re all equal, all the same. You love everyone no matter what.”

Source: http://journalstar.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/tattoo-shop-raises-money-for-woman-who-reported-hate-crime/article_a3dd24c4-2948-5154-84bd-85466103b5c7.html

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