Comments on Gay Men Attacked This Weekend on Capitol Hill

Stop the hip hop nights and other low brow events at clubs that draw the bridge and tunnel / "gangsta" crowd into our neighborhood, and you'll see a reduction in these hate crimes.

This might be standard procedure, but I also wonder why KIRO (or maybe the SPD) did not release the make and model of the car.

Everyone should call the SPD and make sure they are following up on this. I recall reading a post few weeks back where the police did nothing even though they had the person's license plate number. This will be a test to see if the SPD really can be relied on. I am going to call them right now. If you would like to as well, the number is (206) 684-4300. I think we should flood the switchboards to ensure they take some action here. I WANT MY NEIGHBORHOOD BACK!!!

I get the impression that the SPD has about 8 to 10 cops left on the payroll.

Wow, this is getting serious. Public brutality against Gay citizens... not a good sign.

Well, that's what you get for being gay and carrying a stick. Clearly injured queers should facilitate personal mobility with, like, an armored personnel carrier.

Or one of those sword canes, like Rutger Hauer had in Blind Fury.

Just called the SPD and the woman I spoke to said that despite being understaffed they will follow up on this if they have some good leads. According to the Kiro article: "The attackers then fled. Witnesses were able to give police the car’s license plate number." Let's hope the license plate number is accurate and that they can catch these scumbags

Why don't they release the plate number?

@1: Yep, that's a fucking plan. Let's impose censorship and drive the black people out of the neighborhood. That will solve all of our problems.

And what would make you think the perpetrators came from a hip hop night? That neighborhood is blocks from the nearest club and there was absolutely no information regarding the identities of the peope who did this. It could have easily (and probably more likely) have been a bunch of those rich fucking frat boys who have migrated en masse from Pioneer Square in the last several months.

greg, that would encourage vigilante action. oh wait, you want that.

Great. Feels really comforting to know that while I was moving into my new place, violent homophobia was occurring less than a block away.

But maybe Capital Hill needs a huge influx of Gays and Lesbians to move back to the Gay Ghetto and make Capital Hill Gay again? Intergration with the breeders does not work!!

Maybe they thought it was Ecce Homo.

"What are you, Ecce Homo?" might sound homophobic to non-Sloggers.

@9: I was actually thinking that it would make it easier for the car owner's neighbors to report it, since apparently running the plate is too resource-intensive for the police department.

@10,
So, what you're saying is, you have an alibi?

@8
I reread my post, and can't seem to locate where I mention a specific race. Hip hop fans represent a broad spectrum of races, but the common thread among those variously colored peoples seems to be a penchant for violance.

@8: so if it's black hip-hoppers, it's OK, but white frat kids, it's not? You're the one who should shut the fuck up and Capitol Hill will be better off without both groups and YOU!

violance = violence. Sorry.

I see a lot of bickering back and forth here. Rather than spending time doing that, please call SPD and let them know your concerns and demand they take action.

that's FUBAR.

but, #1, you are jumping to conclusions...i haven't been harassed but know people in three seperate instances who have been, and the attackers in all three cases were WHITE. Oh, and as for dumb assumptions, in two of those cases the parties involved that were attacked weren't Queer; the hillbillies just assumed that any group of guys walking around the Hill at 2am MUST be gay...

and as for hip-hop nights, has anyone on here BEEN to one? I haven't, but I've walked by the clubs on those nights; every single time I've walked past on such a night, the crowd was always a very healthy mix of people; black, white and lots and lots of Asian and Latino. It's dumb to assume that if it's hip-hop related, it MUST be black related. And since the demise of Club Lagoon and Sugar, the amount of hip-hop on the Hill has drastically decreased, but the bashings seem to be continuing.

Brian Kinney, yes, have the gays move back to the ghettos only to be marginalized politically.

what's increasing is the amount of assholes. they drive to the neighborhood specifically to bash gay men, and you don't even need to be gay to be gay-bashed on capitol hill.

dear SPD, give me access to your computer database, and i'll figure out who it is with even a partial license plate #. you know i can - i caught the fuckers that robbed my apt. for you.

#1 that may not be your intent, but the use of the word "gangsta" does imply a non-Caucasian person and for most people is a code word for African-Americans.

Hmm, no, not really. Ganstas are dipshits in hats. In Seattle they're as likely to be Asian or white as black. From a distance you can't tell WHAT race they are, but you can spot the criminal intent, or at least the desire to appear to have criminal intent.

I was just talking to a guy yesterday who went to school at Champaign-Urbana. He told me that he knew several guys from out in the rural areas around there. When he asked one guy why he had an axe handle on the back of his truck, he was told it was "for gays and n***ers."

I'm glad you posted this on Slog. Tom and Brad are close friends of mine, and while I've been reading about anti-gay violence escalating, it had to happen to people I love before I understood how serious the problem is. Thanks to everyone who is keeping pressure on the police to make something happen - that's the most proactive thing we can do short of patrolling the streets ourselves.

TCO wrote:

Rather than spending time [bickering on Slog], please call SPD and let them know your concerns and demand they take action.

And please, start attending the East Precinct Crime Prevention Coalition meetings and voicing your concerns there -- Capitol Hill is almost always under-represented. EPCPC meets on the fourth Thursday of each month from 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm at the Seattle Vocational Institute, 2120 South Jackson, Room 401. The next meeting will be February 28.

Also, the Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce's monthly membership event will focus on public safety this month. It will be this Wednesday from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. at CHAC:

Improving Safety on Capitol Hill

Wednesday, February 6, 2008, at 5:30 PM

PLEASE RSVP FOR THIS EVENT

Join us this month to hear what steps Capitol Hill is taking towards creating a safer environment for its business owners, residents and community members.

Kelly McKinney, Seattle Neighborhood Group's Crime Prevention Coordinator, will be at the meeting to give a presentation on strategies for improving safety. Kelly has been working with crime prevention for over 16 years and is an expert on the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) strategy. Her presentation will include information about CPTED and how we we will be using CPTED principles on The Hill to improve safety.

Captain Paul McDonagh or Lieutenant John Hayes from the East Precinct Police Department will also give a short presentation on upcoming staffing changes within the department and how it will impact safety on Capitol Hill.

In addition, attendees will have an opportunity hear a little about the Capitol Hill Improvement District aka CHID, meet other members, and enjoy treats provided by new Chamber member, Madison Market.

DATE: Wednesday, February 6th
TIME: 5:30-7:00 PM
LOCATION: Capitol Hill Arts Center (1621 12th Ave)
Cost: Free for CHCC Members, $5 Non-members
Food & Beverages: Treats provided by Madison Market Drinks and cocktails available at cash bar
RSVP: email jessica@caphillchamber.org or call 206-328-6646

I was beaten up near Broadway about 20 years ago as a gay teen. A gun toting lesbian shot off her gun in the air and scared them off. Where have all the gun toting lesbians gone?

First of all, I never said it was okay if you're black and not ok if you're white. What I said was its NOT fucking okay to ASSUME that they were black and/or affiliated with the hip hop scene.

Secondly, I shouldn't have assumed that you meant black people. However, perhaps because of the vast number of work hours I've spent perusing Slog, my interpretation of posts is biased... In my experiences on this site the terms "hip hop" and "gangsta" = black people. This is VERY often openly expressed.

And just for the record, most frat boys I've seen around wear hats too... I'm pretty sure that doesn't make you gangsta.

@1, shut the fuck up about music, since the story doesn't even mention ANYTHING about hiphop or clubs, and get talking about the real problems: bigotry and hate crime, no matter where in the city it happens.

@19: I've been to plenty of hiphop nights at various clubs around, and they can be violent/scary -- but so can any club night.

I was once almost bashed by some thugs on Capitol Hill, and luckily had a lesbian intervene on my behalf.

And that was long before any hip-hop nights.

"Where have all the gun toting lesbians gone?

@27: Best comment/fundamental-philosophical-question on the Slog in a long time!

"Where have all the gun toting lesbians gone?

@27: I meant to say, "Best new idea for an SPD recruiting slogan I've heard in a long time..."

This is so awful. I hope they catch the bastards.

The pigs won't do shit. We need a Q-Patrol again, AND more gun toting people of our kind. Smoke a couple of bashers and the # incidents of this shit will go WAY down.

arent progressives against guns used for self protection?

David, et al:

Brad Crelia was one of the boys propositioned for sex by the late Jim West! And he was only 15!

What a life.

Brad Crelia; the most known unknown gay man.

@35: No. We're against "self protection" being extended to mean "protection from having to see, deal with, or live near gays and coloreds."

let me get this straight;

you dont support carrying permits for weapons even though gays would benefit from them, because of the fear that some homophobic asshats would use said permits to carry weapons to attack gays?

you only support guns for progressives then? do you think the gay community doesnt have the right to protect itself?

Not even close, but keep trying. It might help if you didn't put words in my mouth.

Okay STOP with the, "It was Black/Frat/White young men that did this". I saw it happen and it was a Gang(sta) of Old Chinese Ladies. There was one of them with that cane that put Bruce Lee to shame. HAPPY NOW THAT YOU KNOW? Now get off your BUTT and call the SPD.

We're against guns for self-protection because they create a massive market for guns, a huge percentage of which fall into the wrong hands. All of the guns used by criminals were procured from legal sources at some point in the chain, including the common scenario of stealing them from law-abiding gun owners' houses during burglaries. If we stopped injecting millions of guns into the marketplace every year, eventually gun ownership even by thugs would go down.

The suggestion that we should stop gay-bashing on the Hill by "smoking" a couple of them would just result in these drive-in yahoos bringing their own weapons next time. A culture that depends on firearms for protection ends up DEMANDING firearms for protection, and inevitably just sort of gets used to having a lot of the population taken from them all the time. Like we have.

so the gays

a. shouldnt move back into ghettos
b. shouldnt own weapons
c. cant depend on police to help them

in short the gays are fucked.

@43

Yes, we are. And have been for quite some time now. But we're working on that...

PI article.

I was one of the group of friends that helped to break up the beating of these two men who did not deserve it. The car was being ridiculous driving over 50mph down Olive which by itself is wreckless. Also, to put it to rest, the individuals were African American, although anyone who beats people like that are scum that doesn't discriminate between creeds and DNA. An asshole is an asshole. They also shouted 'faggot'. Must be great to feel manly when you can rip a cane from someone to beat them with it. Factis violence is worse now than ever on the hill and much of its coincided with the hip hop nights. Sugar didn't have a shooting before that and neither did Baltic room. Say what you want that this isn't the cause, but it BRINGs the element to the neighboorhood. And when was the last time you saw a bunch of gay men leaving the Cuff and beating up straight people from the Comet Tavern? C'mon...be real.

My friends and I were leaving the Elite when we saw a white BMW M3 flying past us going at least 50 mph on Olive at bar closing time. We commented, "They're going to kill someone driving like that." At E. Howell and Olive two men were crossing the street and the car veered towards them before stopping. Then three men jumped out of the car and started attacking the pedestrians. Several of my friends ran towards the beating. I hung back, recalling the recent shooting in front of the Baltic Room, and yelled to my friends that the guys could have guns. As a woman that weighs around 115 lbs I wouldn’t have been much help in a fight anyway. One man was beating one of the victims with his own cane, saw my friends running towards them, and threw the cane at them before they all jumped back into the car and drove off. My friends got the plate number and the police said the registration matched the description of the car, so we know it is a good plate number. The police responded within a couple minutes of being called, took our statements, and advised that they had a unit waiting at the address to which the vehicle was registered.

Correction - A friend of mine told the police it was an M3, but I am not an expert on car models and cannot independently confirm this. Those who saw the car and are familiar with BMW’s all agree it was a 3 series.

Problem is, there's a good chance that car was stolen, so some yuppie in Bellevue just had his day get just a little bit worse - first his car disappears, then the police are waiting for him when he gets off the bus.

The fuckers who did this are scum, no matter whether their epidermises are polka-dotted or striped or whatever. Stupid bastards, I hope it makes you feel really manly to take a cane from someone and hit them with it.

I truly hope they catch these slimebags, but in the meantime, unfortunately, it really sounds like we need the Q-Patrol back. Don't walk around Capitol Hill late at night in just pairs, especially not on Fridays or Saturdays.

What a thoroughly awful thing. Makes me sick.

The car was an M3 prob a 2005, that model was made from 2001 through 2005, White in Color. Its in the police report, plate number 222 WXY.

And the police response was rather impressive, about 8 to 10 police cars, marked and unmarked.
All there within minutes. The SPD was there for us that night, so hopefully it is sign of things to come.

@47

My friends got the plate number and the police said the registration matched the description of the car, so we know it is a good plate number. The police responded within a couple minutes of being called, took our statements, and advised that they had a unit waiting at the address to which the vehicle was registered.

Great job aylene. this sounds encouraging. hope they get the bastards

Finally a seemingly appropriate response from SPD, we'll see what happens. SPD is always recruiting new officers, perhaps the gays and the lesbians need to join up and protect our people!

john cocktosin@45 - I apologize for the off-topicness of this statement, but I really appreciate your alias/handle.

"That's a beautiful name."

"Well, it's Scotch/Romanian."

Was anyone else bugged by the stand-up that KIRO 7 reporter Jeff Dubois did in his report on this incident?

"...This is the police report from that assault early Sunday morning. It outlines the attack on two men, two homosexuals, who were just walking home..."

His use of "homosexual" and the way he seemed to emphasize it seemed quite odd.

The Associated Press, New York Times and Washington Post all have style and usage guidelines that specify avoiding "homosexual" except when making a clinical reference.

A slip of the tongue under deadline pressure?

~GC

Found this posting on SeattlePI.com in response to an article about the beating: "As one of the victims in this article i feel relieved the race was included. i feel the race will help in the apprehension of suspects. The statement about there being no vehicle description or plate number is false. So, i guess i will take it upon myself to fix this oversight, 2000-2006 BMW M3 white, plate number 222 WXY. To all the race concerned people posting, this is not a black white issue. Its status as a gay/straight has yet to be determined, even though anti gay slurs were used."

I really hope this is an accurate plate number and they nail these bastards

What cowards these punks are! Attacking innocent people is chicken shit enough but now they attack people with canes! One of these "good Christian upbringing" pukes is gonna get killed attacking the wrong Queer. I hope I'm the one who gets to break their neck with a good, well practised kick!