Whether assault was sparked by race remains unresolved February 3, 2021 GMT PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A retired Rhode Island doctor charged with assaulting his neighbor while shouting racial epithets was convicted Wednesday, but whether the state’s hate crime law applies, as prosecutors allege, remained unresolved. Richard Gordon, 71, of Barrington, was convicted of simple assault and disorderly conduct, both misdemeanors, in connection with the Aug. 3 altercation with Bahram Pahlavi over a property boundary dispute. Gordon exited his house and assaulted Pahlavi after Pahlavi replaced a surveyor’s stake in Gordon’s front yard, prosecutors said. The victim was standing in the street, which divides the two properties, according to prosecutors.