Hope not hate: St. George man speaks out after he says he was a victim of a hate crime
St. George resident Josh Pedersen said he was walking to his car on Halloween night when he was attacked by three people he did not know as they shouted obscenities and slurs.
Pedersen, a gay man who teaches art design at Dixie State University, said the men beat him until they were chased off by a helpful stranger. The three perpetrators sped away in a black Dodge truck.
A public figure with a robust presence both online and in his community over the past weeks, Pedersen was the focus of a story by The Spectrum and other news outlets just a week before Halloween. He had spent weeks decorating his house to create a replica of the Nightmare Before Christmas home.
A lot of people would have been shaken by an assault like that. Pedersen decided to file a police report with the St. George Police Department and then speak up about it.
Read more: https://www.thespectrum.com/story/news/2019/11/09/dsu-professor-speaks-what-he-says-hate-crime-halloween/2519288001/
(St. George The Spectrum)