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Loading ...Brothers beaten after attackers thought they were gay
12.09.2008 12:48pm EST
(New York City) Four attackers may have mistaken two brothers walking arm in arm as gay before using an aluminum baseball bat, a bottle and their feet to beat one of them into critical condition. He died Monday in a hospital in New York City, police said.
One of the attackers used an anti-gay slur when first confronting the brothers, Ecuadorean immigrants who were walking down a Brooklyn street early Sunday after a night of drinking. The assailants also used anti-Hispanic insults, city officials said at a news conference.“We believe all of this happened simply because of who these individuals are and who these perpetrators perceived them to be,” said City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. “For some reason (they) didn’t like the two men they believed were gay … and felt so emboldened in their hatred that they acted it out in violence.”
The four attackers were described as riding in a burgundy sport utility vehicle. No one has been arrested.
Police said the attack occurred around 3:30 a.m. Sunday as the brothers neared their home on foot. One attacker jumped out of the SUV, used the anti-gay slur and smashed one of the brothers over the head with a bottle.
As the other brother ran away, three men exited the vehicle and joined the assault, police said. One hit the victim in the head with the bat while the others kicked him.
At some point, the other brother returned holding a cell phone and told the men he had called police. They then drove off together.
The 31-year-old victim was rushed to hospital but died Monday, said police, who did not release his name or that of his brother.
The office of Brooklyn prosecutor Charles Hynes and the New York Police Department’s Hate Crime Task Force were investigating. They urged the public to help identify the attackers.
Hynes “is shocked and appalled at this senseless, bigoted, brutal act,” said Assistant District Attorney Charles Guria. “We need people out there who have any piece of information to please come forward.”
How many more innocent people (gay and straight) have to die before people realize that ALL hatred is SELF-HATRED. With any luck, the people who committed this crime will be caught and given the death penalty (no NOT a life sentence – the DEATH PENALTY!)
This is so sad. This country really needs to work on its homophobia.
Tolerance really does need to be taught to kids at a young age. Sadly so many supposed people of faith are the main obstacle. When Prop 8 passed I could not help thinking people are going to die because of this. (and the irrational thinking behind it).
Tom in Long Beach
Enough of giving them any standing. It is not people of faith, true faith, who taught these men to do this is is people of corrupted for their own ends, immoral ‘faith’…using their supposed ‘Chrisitanity’, which is as far from the true love of all your fellow men that Jesus taught, to be beoming, seriously, full blown theofascist Anit-Christianity… You know who downstairs is loving it! He’s got all these new recruits to work for him.
People have been gay bashed and killed every year, because of who they are or perceived to be long before there was ever a Prop 8.
Attacks based not just on perceived sexual orientation but also on race and ethnicity are likely on the rise.
And frankly any one walking home in the wee hours of the morning are extra easy targets for thugs looking for gays, immigrants or even any lone person to rob and assault.
I almost never walk the streets of any place in the world alone at 2, 3 or 4 am in the morning when most people are usually off the street and noone to come to one’s aid if needed. Z want to stay up until the wee hours of the morning and have something to drink or to amuse myself, I will do it at home in front of my own TV with my doors locked. Where I will be safe and sound.
A person can be killed or rendered severely damaged and helpless for life in a fairly short period of time, depending on weapon and type of attack.
Just not worth it. Life is short enough already without all that happening.
I think life still can be enjoyed to the fullest even with a little bit of care and caustion used.
Now they kill their own just because they are perceived to be gay. You have to marvel at the irony. I’m with Chris, execute these POS.
Don’t be foolish enough to think you’re safe,even in your own home!
My friend,Jimmy,was murdered,in his own home 4 years ago. Why? Because he was gay!
I wouldn’t want the death penalty for whoever did this. Let them live the rest of their lives in prison misery!
This is terrible.And I think,it does start in the home. If people educated their children,then there would be a lot more tolerance to let people live and let live!
After reading this story, I am now very disappointed to say I am from New York City. I am a homosexual male from NYC, while I lived there I thought it was a city of tolerance and acceptance, but this story proves otherwise.
We have the konstipated konservative kristianist kultist krazies to thank for this.
They want us “un-gayed,” or dead. Preferably the latter. It’s time to STOP letting them define the discussion and take the WAR to THEM.
The Magic Underpants Mob was “shocked” when we pushed back after the endless hours of Mormon-financed HATE COMMERCIALS in favour of Prop Hate.
Gee.
So sorry.
Maybe NEXT time you’ll mind your OWN business, like Utah have the highest rates of suicides, depression, and prescription psychotropic drug use in the nation.
Oh, and you might also look into that “study” at Brigham Young U. where they attach electrodes to people’s genitals and SHOCK them to “convince” them they’re not gay (!).
The KKKKK (see above) make me want to HURL.
Bud Burgoon-Clark
San Diego CA USA
That’s terrible! I like the way these MoFos always attack in groups and with weapons. They’d get their asses kicked if they didn’t. And I agree with Chris Sullivan, once these fools are caught they should be executed. There’s no redeeming qualities in these idiots who attacked the brothers.
It’s not people of “true” faith? Oh, the faith you happen to have and your cherished religious beliefs? These animals are a product of their homophobic/religious environment–a true religion, too–as there’s no such thing. But you’re right, as many religious homophobes are not relying on scripture and religion anymore, but are justifying their displeasure with raw seething hatred and an understanding of nature that excludes nature.
These degenerates probably won’t get caught.
LOrion, sorry, but there is only one type of faith, and none of it “true”.
You might think the way you “believe” is better than others, but you are simply brainwashed.
“you know who downstairs” do you realize how infantile that sounds? do you mean “the devil”? Who is that? Do you really believe that crap.
Sorry again but it is people like you that are just as bad as the ones that actually act out on religious violence. You say not my jesus, not my belief, but it is just a matter of time before your church needs you, one of its soldiers, to do its dirty work.
Religion is a lie, don’t apologize for it, get cured!
The ironic thing about this is that the two men weren’t even gay. Has this world become so intolerant that we’re killing people because we think they might be gay? This means that even any straight man could be subject to be beaten or killed in the name of religion if they hug their brother or a friend (who is another man). It disgusts me to think of a world where we feel like we have to protect ourselves so much that we kill people who we think could possibly make us a little bit uncomfortable.
Dave, anything anyone believes concerning the religious or spiritual aspects of existence is believed by faith. It takes just as much faith to believe that god is nonexistent as it does to believe that there is a god. Neither side can scientifically prove their belief or disprove the opposite belief. Believing anything without proof is done by faith.
Indeed, regardless of what these murderers believed, they acted out of the hatred of their faith that said it was OK to kill gay people or immigrants or Hispanics.
Frankly, should we kill them because they killed? No. But we should kill them because they, by their actions, agreed to the consequence of those actions. The consequence? The forfeiture of their own right to life.
At first thought, I said to myself that homophobia has reached such a climax in our society that even straight men get beaten just because a gang of homophobes are immediately set off by the possibility of a gay couple in their presence. Then I realized that this hatred has existed for centuries and not only against us. I wish there was some remedy to get rid of it.
This is more evidence of the homophobia of SOME African-Americans. And don’t blame their churches. It’s the gangsta rap culture that promotes killing gays.