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Monday, March 23, 2009

Homo Another Gay Bashing

Posted by Dominic Holden on Mon, Mar 23, 2009 at 12:15 PM

This time on the bus through the Rainier Valley, and it's not even clear the victim was gay. Take it away, Levi Pulkkinen at the PI:

Prosecutors have filed hate crime charges against an 18-year-old Seattle man accused of accosting another man on a Metro bus while yelling anti-gay slurs.

Abiazzizi I. Idris has been charged with second-degree attempted robbery and malicious harassment, the state's hate crime statute, in the March 10 attack. In court documents, police claim Idris was riding on a Metro coach near the 9000 block of Rainier Avenue South when he slapped the man in the back of the head. He then allegedly asked, using a slur, if he was homosexual.

The man disembarked the bus moments later, followed by Idris and an associate. Police say Idris again approached him, telling the man that homosexuality violates his religion.

Confronted by Idris, the man again said he was not gay. Idris then, police assert, "grabbed the victim around his neck and said 'Give me $10 and your cell phone and I'll let you go.'"

I've written about the apparent spike in gay bashings on Slog and in the paper. It's uncertain whether folks are reporting hate crimes more or if they're indeed happening more frequently. Nonetheless, from personal experience, I can say I hadn't been called a faggot since I left middle school—until a few weeks ago. I was walking up The Ave with a friend one night, when a couple big young guys started yelling "fagmo" at us as we walked closer. So I stopped and asked, "What did you call me?" Fagmo, the gentlemen informed us, is the hybrid of faggot and homo, and I happen to find it the funniest and best word invented—except when I'm afraid of getting kicked in the face while being called one. And the guys appeared fully prepared to kick in a couple faces. I took out my cell phone, dialed 911, and dared them to "call me a fucking fagmo one more time" and I'd hit "Call." They shut up until we were about 50 feet away, but we just kept walking. As my friend and I headed back down The Ave carrying carne asada burritos, he wanted to cross the street to stay clear of the guys. He was kinda shaken. Part of the reason I didn't call 911 in the first place—which I should have done—was that I didn't know if menacing people with gay slurs was a crime. "If people feel threatened [by gay slurs or other harassment] then it is good to report it. Call 911 if you can," says SPD spokesman Mark Jamieson. "The best thing you can do is get out of that situation, but do call 911 if you do feel threatened." And I wouldn't worry about wasting police resources, frankly. There's a woman living over Neighbours who has called police 500 times to complain about the menacing thump of disco.

Comments (38) RSS

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I'm sorry.

Posted by kim in portland on March 23, 2009 at 12:18 PM

Damn camel jockeys!

Posted by Stupid White Man on March 23, 2009 at 12:18 PM

So... what religion was it?

Posted by Nick on March 23, 2009 at 12:26 PM

He needs to be registered as a Basher. If it looks like he's not going to stop bashing/insulting people, he needs to be put on a list so the police will see how often he does it. It's a hate crime and I wouldn't want to be around people who think they can get away with it.

Posted by sewagefromreligion on March 23, 2009 at 12:29 PM

He was Mormon wasn't he?

Posted by ohmyass on March 23, 2009 at 12:29 PM

I think it's extremely unlikely that Mr. Idris has ever so much as seen a camel, let alone jockeyed one.

Posted by Fnarf on March 23, 2009 at 12:29 PM

The same thing happened to me and my friend on the Ave. I did call 911. Some staff members from a popular Ave bar came out and chased him down the street (my friend works there) to assist my friend. The guy was charged with drunk and disorderly conduct. This was about three weeks ago.

Posted by CommonKnowledge on March 23, 2009 at 12:31 PM

I think it's extremely unlikely that Mr. Idris has ever so much as seen a camel, let alone jockeyed one.

But "Sand Negro" is OK, right?

Posted by Nick Ohlsen on March 23, 2009 at 12:32 PM

fagmo. huh. it's so obvious. yes, that is pretty funny. 'hoggot' doesn't work as well.

Posted by ellarosa on March 23, 2009 at 12:37 PM

I was on my phone walking down 3rd, near Pike, and a guy (with his friend) asked to use my phone. I shook my head 'no', and kept walking, but not before he shouted "PUNK FAGGOT!" at me. Should I have called the cops?...or was this just another fucking idiot who has such a minimal vocabulary that he can only use the few words that seem denigrating?

Posted by Jon Brock on March 23, 2009 at 12:37 PM

@10 Did you feel threatened? That seems to be the SPD spokesperson's point.

I've seen the type of guys that pull this shit on the Ave. I would definitely have felt threatened.

Posted by Hernandez on March 23, 2009 at 12:47 PM

Jon @10, you call the cops if you feel threatened, not merely insulted. The first amendment gives people the right to say pretty much any sort of unkind thing they want to you, as long as it isn't threatening.

Hence:
"You are a fagmo" is insulting, but perfectly legal.
"Fagmo, I'm going to kick your ass" is threatening, and not legal.

It doesn't necessarily need to be an explicit threat. Gestures, actions, and behavior can be threatening, even if not verbally quantified.

Someone yelling "PUNK FAGGOT!" without any other sort of threatening action probably doesn't qualify as a threat. Did you actually feel threatened with physical harm? Or were you merely annoyed because the guy was a clueless asshole?

Posted by Reverse Polarity on March 23, 2009 at 12:49 PM

Abiazzizi I. Idris. Pffft. Just call him Ahab the Arab.

Sorry, you shitforbrains moron, that you find homosexuality offensive. I find your religion offensive. Eat shit and die, pinhead.

Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty on March 23, 2009 at 12:53 PM

I thought Punk Faggot was the standard term to refer to any Seattle male.

Posted by sweet home Alabama on March 23, 2009 at 12:57 PM

By all means call 911 if someone calls you a name.
Then Slog can report on the SPIKE in GAY BASHING.

Posted by OMG !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! on March 23, 2009 at 12:59 PM

I always thought 911 was supposed to be for major emergencies like your house burning down or someone shooting at you. I didn't know you could legally use it if you felt threatened. Huh. I'm guessing 911 gets a shitload of phone calls.

Posted by Urgutha Forka on March 23, 2009 at 1:04 PM

Most blacks and Arab Muslims hate gays way more than all the white rednecks that all you naive Seattle hipsters hate so much do.

CELEBRATE DIVERSHITTY YOU NAIVE WHITEY SEATTLE DUMBFUCKS

Posted by Celebrate Divershitty! There are so many wonderful examples on March 23, 2009 at 1:25 PM

I've been in Seattle for over two years now. I've never been called any slurs or anything here; until about a month ago, I was walking on Broadway and three guys in a convertible were driving North and just yelling "faggots" and "homos".

Posted by A gay on the hill on March 23, 2009 at 1:29 PM

During the earlier wave of gay bashings a few weeks ago, it was suggested that it might be related to a recent rise in immigration to the PNW from Russia. Now, we have someone who (judging from his name) is either from the Middle East or Africa. Do liberals now have a reason to be xenophobic? I hope so, it looks like fun when the conservatives do it.

Folks coming to this country to work or whatever need to realize that any ideas they had about homosexuality in "the old country" just won't wash here in 21st century America, and that the most American of American values is tolerance.

Posted by Chris down in The Couv on March 23, 2009 at 1:32 PM

be lucky you live in seattle. i was in gainesville, FL (where university of florida is located) back in November, and was called a faggot by a driving by car. then, christmas night, i was talking from my place to a bar and a car driving by called me a fag. not two minutes later, a separate car pulled over, two guys jumped out and robbed me at gun point. fun night.

Posted by konstantConsumer on March 23, 2009 at 1:34 PM

Lt. Hayes says it is o.k. to call when you are feeling threatened as I did when I called. In my case, the guy was puffing up with elevating agitation. The police suggest to always call even if they are passing by and yelling at you from a truck on Broadway while you are walking. They may not get the people, but it allows them to track these incidents and match them up with other calls to see if there are patterns. In some cases, use the non-emergency number if you feel 911 is not right to call.

Posted by CommonKnowledge on March 23, 2009 at 1:38 PM

20
wow
Gainesville is a tough town.
Even the vehicles are homophobic!

Posted by pathetic clueless liberal whining bitches on March 23, 2009 at 1:54 PM

19
Are you tolerant of those whose tolerance is different from yours?

Posted by you great American ! on March 23, 2009 at 1:56 PM

Ummm....so homosexuality is against Mr. Idris' religion, but robbery isn't?

Posted by Johnny on March 23, 2009 at 2:08 PM

The funny thing about this is if they knew about who you were and your Hempfest background, they probably would have blown you.

Posted by wisepunk on March 23, 2009 at 2:55 PM

Is there a 311 # here for non-life-threatening reporting?

Posted by Jigae on March 23, 2009 at 3:50 PM

Although this perhaps pertains more to the Idrid story than to Dan's, I think we do need to recognize at some point that in the world of profanity the signifier is often detached from signified; the shape of the curse is seldom directly tied to the word's meaning.

When was the last time you referred to someone as a "bastard"?

When you said that, did you mean to communicate your malice toward people born out of wedlock?

Or something else?

Language is fluid and words' uses evolve beyond original meaning -- swear words doubly so.

We'll need to remain aware that use of a word like "faggot" during an assault isn't always going to indicate a case of homophobic gay-bashing. (Anymore than callling someone a "bastard" while hitting them somehow indicates the aggressors hatred for the children of unwed mothers.)

Posted by Timrr on March 23, 2009 at 4:14 PM

Wow Dom, that is terrible. Do we need to send some Capitol Hill muscle over to the Ave to beat the shit outta someone? I'll sign up as lil' knife-weilder and starting cutting up achilles tendons.

Posted by Original Monique on March 23, 2009 at 4:43 PM

You go, religious ones! Keep revealing by your actions the similarities between the faithful and the violently schizophrenic!

Posted by E on March 23, 2009 at 4:45 PM

Like the man said;
I thought 'punk faggot' was an applicable term for all Seattle 'males'.

Posted by yes, this means you on March 23, 2009 at 4:55 PM

http://www.pinkpistols.org/

Hmmm...

Posted by Amnt on March 23, 2009 at 5:33 PM

@ 31,

And to go with you Pink Pistols membership...

http://www.glamguns.com/mylittleponycarb…

http://www.glamguns.com/carebeararmor.ht…

Posted by Y.F. on March 23, 2009 at 6:01 PM

Nobody deserves to have someone(s) try and intimidate them like that, even a complete asshole like you Dan.

Posted by Good Grief on March 23, 2009 at 9:02 PM

@33, who are you talking to?

I've only been shouted at from cars driving by on the Hill. There's a lot of shit on the Ave, but I've never been accosted there yet. I usually just ignore it, mostly because why the fuck would I want to interact with a fucking homophobic idiot?

Posted by another Andy on March 23, 2009 at 10:59 PM

Where's Bernadette, from Priscilla Queen of the Desert, when you need her. Now there's a trani that knows how to kick some homophobic ass.

Posted by frau blucher on March 24, 2009 at 9:24 AM

You retarded liberals created this atmosphere by encouraging the importation of tons of savage primitive black muslims. Liberal Seattleites are the most naive buttfuckers on earth.

Posted by you buttfuck like a naive liberal on March 24, 2009 at 11:17 AM

WHY WOULD ANYONE PUT UP WITH IT SO LONG. I HATE PEOPLE THAT WAY AS IN THAT PEOPLE BEAT PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT THE WAY GOD INTENDED THE WAY HE WANTED THEY WHY. WHO CARES GOD LOVES US ALL AND PEOPLE NEED GET OVER THEIR SELF.

Posted by personthatcares!!!!! on April 1, 2009 at 7:53 AM

There has been an increase in attacks here in Vancouver, B.C. as well, with several incidents in the gay community that has shocked residents here.

If this is indeed happening more often in both Vancouver and Seattle, perhaps it is part of a larger social phenomenon?

http://www.straight.com/article-210528/w…

Posted by Craig Takeuchi on April 1, 2009 at 2:26 PM