Tag: hate crime

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Florida: 73 year-old sex offender accused of setting fire to lesbian couple’s home

Braulio Valenzuela-Villanueva, of Miami, Florida, has been arrested and charged in what appears to be a hate crime against a lesbian couple and their family.

Via NBCMiami.com:

According to the arrest report, Valenzuela-Villanueva had been involved in an ongoing feud with his neighbors that had resulted in several heated arguments.

Tensions allegedly boiled over around 4:25 a.m. Saturday, when Valenzuela-Villanueva set fire to a mattress that was leaning against his neighbor’s trailer, the report said.

The fire consumed the mattress and began to burn the trailer, going undetected for several minutes. The trailer had no smoke detector or fire warning system.

A neighbor’s security system recorded Valenzuela-Villanueva set the fire, but when he was questioned, he didn’t admit to setting it, the report said.

“He stated that he despised the two adult victims for the simple fact that they were lesbians,” the report said. “According to the defendant, every time he saw them kissing he felt a deep repugnance, and in his opinion they did not deserve to have children.”

Valenzuela-Villanueva faces 10 counts of attempted second-degree murder and one count of first-degree arson.

Valenzuela-Villanueva is also, reportedly, a registered sex-offender.

Watch the NBC Miami report below:

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Seattle: $1 million set as bail for alleged gay bar arson suspect

Bail has been set at $1M for Musab Masmari, the man suspected of setting a New Year’s Eve fire at Neighbours,  a Seattle gay nightclub.

The FBI is now investigating the crime as a possible hate crime.

From Capitol Hill Seattle:

Citing the risk of flight and pending outcomes in recent brushes with the law, a King County judge Tuesday set bail for the suspect arrested in the Neighbours arson investigation at $1 million.

Police say Musmari was arrested leaving his home with his U.S. and Libyan passports and was in possession of a one-way airline ticket to Turkey.

Tuesday, Musmari waived his right to appear at the hearing as his lawyer argued against the high bail.

Prosecutors have yet to charge the 30-year-old former Capitol Hill resident who, according to a lawyer representing Musmari, last called Bellevue home.

Tuesday, the FBI, working on the case as part of the Joint Terrorism Task Force, thanked the public for tips leading to Saturday’s arrest. The FBI said it is investigating the incident as a possible hate crime.

Meanwhile, friends and victims of Musmari have described his increasingly volatile and unstable behavior over the past year.

(via JMG)

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Seattle hate crime ends in broken bones and fractured eye socket

Jason Jacobs was chased in his home neighborhood of Capitol Hill and mercilessly beaten unconscious by a homophobic mob of three men and two women. The 37-year-old told KIRO News that they began taunting him because he was wearing a pink shirt and shoes.

The attack left Jacobs with a broken nose, two busted ribs, a fractured eye socket, and several upcoming surgeries to repair the damage. “I feel unsafe in my own neighborhood,” he said.

What’s more troubling is Jacobs’ claim that the attack happened within eyeshot of a nearby Starbucks, which at the time was still open and serving customers. Of several that allegedly witnessed the attack, only one man notified the police.

Neither men could give a description of the assailants, but Jacobs is hopeful. “Hopefully somebody saw something,” he said. “Hopefully we can get some justice.”

(via Queerty)

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NYC: Two men harass young Pride goers on Queens-bound F train

On Sunday night, two men harassed and then assaulted a group of young New York City pride goers on the subway. If anyone knows them, please contact the authorities.

From the clip’s description:

On Sunday, June 30th at around 11:45 PM, I was riding home on the Queens-bound F train following a day of LGBT Pride festivities. Two men were loudly making homophobic comments, such as “Today was a scary day for me. There were fags everywhere.” When a group of queer youth got on the train, the men proceeded to harass them, stating that the teens made them want to puke and that they would be killed if they were in Iran. The first assailant then threatened to rape them, at which point I took out my phone to document the incident.

Seeing that he was being recorded, the first assailant lunged at me, violently grabbing my arms while trying to steal away my phone. One of the youth took the phone from me temporarily to protect it and told the assailant he shouldn’t attack a woman. When the assailant threatened to punch me, I took the phone back and ran to the other side of the train to push the emergency button and alert the authorities. At this point the second assailant got up and came towards me, grabbing my body and hands to try and get the phone to destroy the evidence. I yelled and told him I was an attorney. An onlooker then got up and stood between the assailants and myself, and another person left to get the train conductor.

A group of people had gathered to stand up to the gay bashers. During this, the second assailant put his hand around the neck of a young queer woman. When the doors opened up at the Roosevelt Ave stop, both assailants fled. I followed them to the station exit while calling 911. One witness had overheard them saying they were on route to Jamaica; they’re likely commuters who regularly take this route.

I uploaded the video to YouTube to see if anyone can identify these men. I was left with bruises and scratches from both assailants which I also documented. If anyone sees them or knows them personally, please contact the authorities. This was a hate crime.

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Oregon couple attacked in hate crime over their dog’s coat color

Hillsboro police arrested George Mason, Jr. for a suspected hate crime that involved a man with a wrench attacking another man walking a pink poodle with his boyfriend.

The victim said he was walking with his boyfriend in the crosswalk when someone pulled up next to them and started yelling homophobic slurs, while also making fun of their dog named Beauty.

David Beltier said the man then got out of his SUV and started punching him in the face. The suspect then went back to his car and emerged with a foot-long metal wrench.

The man hit Beltier in the back of the head with the wrench.

“He was saying your poodle is a weird color and that’s just un-American and F-you, you f— and shouting,” said Jeremy Mark, the victim’s boyfriend.

His wife, Saraya Gardner, was charged with obstructing justice. Federal officials said she lied about Mason’s whereabouts to Hillsboro officers, and then further misled them when she repeatedly changed her story about the weapon used to strike the victim. She now faces prison time.

In addition to the hate crime charge, Mason was also charged with second-degree intimidation, second-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon and reckless driving. 

KPTV – FOX 12

(via KPTV)

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NYC to offer self-defense training in reponse to rise in anti-gay hate crimes

JoeMyGod reports that the disturbing image above was seen scrawled on a poster in a subway station at West 72nd and Central Park West.  It reads “Queers beware – it’s faggot season.”

In light of the recent increase in anti-gay hate crimes, NYC will begin offering self-defense training to LGBT citizens. Note that you do have to call ahead to reserve space in a class.  The lessons will focus on street smarts more than actual fighting, Quinn said.

Via press release from the office of New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn:

Following a string of hate crimes against LGBT New Yorkers, Speaker Christine C. Quinn and the City Council LGBT Caucus today announced they will host a series of free self-defense trainings across the City. The trainings will empower New Yorkers by teaching violence prevention strategies and safety tips to the LGBT community. The kick-off class, led by the Center for Anti-Violence Prevention, will be held on Saturday, June 8th in Room 101 of the LGBT Center at 4:00 PM. An additional evening class has been scheduled for Wednesday, June 12th at the Hudson Guild Elliot Center at 7:00 PM.

Participants should reserve their space by calling (212) 788-5613 or by e-mailing events@council.nyc.gov. “No one should be made to feel unsafe because who they are or who they love,” said Speaker Christine C. Quinn. “The spate of bias attacks against LGBT New Yorkers in recent weeks is unacceptable and must end now. Our free self-defense classes will teach violence prevention strategies to New Yorkers and will provide the community with the tools they need to stay safe.”

Anti-gay hate crimes have doubled in New York City this year.

In addition to the self-defense training, the NYPD has increased foot patrols in the gay neighborhoods of the West Village, Hell’s Kitchen, and Chelsea. Mounted units have been assigned to Christopher Street on the weekends.

(via JMG)

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Another gay-related hate crime last night in NYC

Image by Memeographs

Another anti-gay attack in NYC last night. Ugh.

This time the victim was Eugene Lovendusky, 28, a Queens resident and co-founder of the activist group Queer Rising.

From NY1:

Manuel Riquelme, 19, is charged with hate crime and aggravated harassment after allegedly hitting Eugene Lovendusky, 28, a Queens resident and co-founder of the activist group Queer Rising.

Police say the alleged assault took place at 3 a.m. Saturday on West 42nd Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues.

At the time, authorities say Lovendusky and his boyfriend and another friend were leaving the XL nightclub and walking towards the nearby subway stop.

Police say a group of nine teenagers passed the group of three men and started calling them anti-gay slurs.

Riquelme allegedly slapped Lovendusky in the face and knocked off the victim’s glasses, according to police.

After the alleged incident, Lovendusky called police and officers found the teens in a pizzeria at West 40th Street and Ninth Avenue.

The incident is being investigated as a bias assault, according to police.

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NYC: Mark Carson’s accused killer indicted by grand jury for murder today

Mark Carson’s accused killer was formally indicted by a grand jury of murder as a hate crime today.  His lawyer entered a plea of “not guilty” even though Morales boasted of shooting Carson after being arrested.

From the New York Daily News:

An attorney for accused killer Elliot Morales briefly appeared in Manhattan Criminal Court to get notification of the grand jury vote Thursday morning.

Morales, 33, did not appear.

The lawyer, Kevin Michael Canfield, later said Morales is not guilty of the slaying and is “devastated by the charges.”

“He didn’t murder anybody,” Canfield said, suggesting there were other factors at play.

“He was sexually abused as a child by a male authority figure which led to a lifetime of alcoholism and drug abuse,” Canfield told the Daily News, adding, “It’s a terrible tragedy.”

Morales was arrested for murder in the second degree as a hate crime and other related charges after the shocking incident on Sixth Ave. near W. Eighth St. around midnight Saturday.

“Look at you faggots, you look like gay wrestlers,” Morales allegedly told victim Mark Carson and his friend minutes before policed say he shot Mark Carson, 32, in the head.

Authorities said he callously laughed as he confessed to the random killing. His gleeful expression came as he allegedly told investigators, “I shot him in the face.”

(source)

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Two more violent anti-gay attacks in NYC

Two more violent anti-gay attacks happened in New York City last night.

In Soho, a couple was assaulted in the early morning hours, according to NBC News:

A gay couple was attacked early Tuesday in SoHo, hours after thousands marched to protest the killing of a gay man and several other bias attacks that have shaken the community, NBC 4 New York has learned.

Law enforcement sources said the two men, 41 and 42, were walking on Broadway between Prince and Houston streets at about 5 a.m. when two men started yelling anti-gay remarks in English and Spanish. The victims are Hispanic. The men were both punched, and one suffered an eye injury, sources said.

Fabian Ortiz and Pedro Jiminez were arrested and are being charged with third degree assault as a hate crime, police said.

In addition, Nightlife Gay reports another anti-gay attack:

“Shock, outrage, anger sums up how I am feeling today as one of my very good friends was gay bashed last night in New York City. Dan Contarino, former promoter of Shampoo Nightclub’s “Shaft” Fridays, was jumped last night at Avenue D & 4th Street.

“Allegedly, witnesses are reporting the assailant was yelling “faggot” as he was kicking and beating Dan. Neighbors rushed to Dan’s aid and chased after the attacker but unfortunately he got away. The police are investigating the assault now and have not determine it a hate crime.”

(source)