The president of the Fond du Lac United for Diversity Board says it’s too early to know all of the factors behind a deadly crash in Fond du Lac that has been charged as a hate crime. Law enforcement and prosecutors say Daniel Navarro was charged with a hate crime enhancer because he said he targeted the motorcyclist because he was white. Navarro is accused of intentionally veering into the oncoming lane of traffic colliding head on with a motorcyclist on Winnebago Drive, killing the operator Phillip Theisen of Fond du Lac. Authorities say Navarro told investigators he has been harassed by co-workers and neighbors, and poisoned, drugged and verbally attacked by white people because of his race. United for Diversity Board president Tracy Abler says Navarro could be mentally ill, but she says the things Navarro has told detectives could also have truth to them. “I feel too often people who are being discriminated against and trying to tell their story just simply aren’t believed,” Abler told WFDL news. “I in no way condone what he did and my heart breaks for Mr. Theisen’s family. This is a horrible situation all the way around.” Abler says she hopes people don’t speculate and instead wait until the facts come out. Abler says there is so much hate and divide in this world that we have to just stop and think about why it’s happening.
