For Immediate Release March 30, 2004 Exemplifies Continued Spike in Anti-Gay Hate
New York –
In a follow-up to statistics released less than a month ago, representatives from the New York City Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project (AVP) said that a racist and anti-gay attack in the early morning hours exemplified the rise in both the number of hate incidents and level of brutality targeting the city's lesbian, gay, transgender, and bisexual communities.
According to police sources, Port Authority police responded to a call for assistance at the Ninth Street PATH subway station in Manhattan's West Village. Officers encountered the assault of two African-American men, both in their 30s in progress. Apparently, the victims had been confronted by two white men in their late teens or early twenties in the Ninth Street PATH subway station.
After first making comments about the victims' clothing, the assailants then began using anti-gay and racist epithets. The incident escalated into an assault on the two men, both of whom sustained some injuries, and one possibly suffering broken ribs.
"This case is only the most recent example of the unprecedented and sustained rise in violence being experienced by our community," said Richard Haymes, AVP's Executive Director. "Since last July, our direct service staff has been working overtime managing a 43% increase in caseload. It is essential that the City's leaders take note of this and immediately work with us to alert and educate the community and begin to counter and perhaps prevent this violence," said Haymes. "This case is so indicative of anti-gay hate incidents in general and the simple truth hate specifically," continued Haymes. "Those who hate hate anyone they view as different and use every available means to terrorize their victims. In this case, the fact that the victims were black may have been just as repugnant to their perpetrators as the possibility that they were gay," concluded Haymes.
The alleged perpetrators have been charged and are awaiting arraignment on charges of second degree assault and aggravated harassment. The NYPD's Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating the case as a hate incident and the charges may be amended to reflect prosecution under the State's Hate Crimes Law.
AVP's Hate Violence Reports from 1998 through 2002 are available at www.avp.org, or by calling 212-714-1184. The 2003 Hate Violence Report will be released in late April 2004.
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