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Mayor Bloomberg weighed in on this weekend's savage gay-bashing outside East Village gay bar Phoenix, saying, "Anybody that thinks they can get away with a hate crime is sadly mistaken. It was a disgrace." Well-known performer and drag queen Kevin Aviance is being released from the hospital today after surgery to his jaw. He hopes to recover in time to perform at the Gay Pride Parade on June 25. Aviance was wearing a black sleeveless hoodie, black shorts and boots when he walked down East 13th Street; Clarence Patton, of the NYC Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project, summed up the fears about the attack to the NY Times, "People will say: Here it is. Kevin Aviance in the East Village in boy's clothes, in a place that's supposed to be ours, getting beat up." The attack occured around 1AM on Saturday night, which is not that late for the East Village - do you feel that the neighborhood is safe or unsafe then?
The Post reports that one of the assailants called his girlfriend, crying that it was "his first time doing something like this." And Aviance's publicist said, "Keep in mind this is in the street [with many onlookers present]. But no one was trying to help the situation." A stranger did help Aviance to a hospital.
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New York City is getting grimier and more violent every day. Will people continue to pay $1,500/month to live in a shoebox and get the absoltue shit beaten out of them? Probably.
Economists and real estate financial types with no vested interest in PR are uhh .. on edge these days, to say the least. Violence will probably only continue to get worse as life in general does.
His first and last time doing something like this. I hope he\'s on the receiving end of a particularly brutal prison rape scenario. Nothing would be more poetic justice for a gay basher in my opinion.
A friend in Astoria was out with friends when they were chased down the street by a gang yelling anti-gay slurs. One guy had a baseball bat. Awful.
I think that both the gay community and the straight community have to all come out against this bullshit TOGETHER. This is a crime against HUMANITY.
I think the E. Vill and LES are getting less and less safe. I got clocked in the head by some random crazy person Friday night at 1 am in front of at least 50 people on Essex and Houston and no one did much to help.
It\'s sad that no one gives a shit enough to help another person out when they\'re obviously in trouble. All the people who walked past Kevin and let him get beat should be ashamed of themselves.
It is immature and downright offensive to suggest that anyone deserves to be raped as punishment. The teenagers acted heinously, and should be punished accordingly, but their indecency does not justify flippant comments about jail rape as \"poetic justice.\" I find it odd that the very people who are rightfully shocked by the acts of torture performed Abu Graib have no problem wishing unlawful acts of retribution on citizens of this country.
I wish Kevin a speedy and full recovery.
I think it\'s ridiculous how many people are shocked by no one helping. Next time you see four people attacking someone, see how quickly you jump in the mix.
I live in E.V. and dislike it more every day. The trash that hangs around my block is unbelievably aggresive. Particularly so to the people who are just trying to get in their buildings, and have to step over said people.
Call me a hardened New Yorker, But I wonder how everyone brings up the \'No one came to his aid\' when it was four on one. What brave superman type was supposed to jump in and bravely beat off 4 dudes, successfully I might add, without also ending up getting stomped to the ground.
oh stop. kids will be kids.
Thank you, I\'d love to see one of you jump in the mix next time you see 4 people attacking a guy. Go right ahead.
I\'m glad they caught these guys and hope he recovers quickly.
Hate crime laws: a savage hypocrisy
The real sad part of all this being a holder of 2 black belts with over 16years of training. If i were to help this guy in the street, lost control and majorly injured one of the minors i would be goin to jail!
\"Kids will be kids\", hmmm, sounds like someone wants their homophobia dug right in the ground like their head. Any justification about this attack is mindless-Mr. Aviance was attacked because he was gay and those involved should be ashamed of themselves. And the people who want to attack hate crimes laws have never been the recipient of a hate crime and should maybe shut their mouths before spouting off. How many \"straight\" people get faggot or fucking queer shouted them for just walking down the street. How many \"straight\" people are the recipients of violence strictly based upon their perceived sexuality?
As for worrying about how \"dangerous\" things are, why not look at the ones giving out this message of intolerance. I\'ve lived in this city for 6 years now and I feel about as safe as I did back then, and since then I got called names, had a couple of bottles thrown at me, had to face down more than my share of homophobes and you know what, this city is more dangerous for gay people than any other city I\'ve been to or lived in. But would I move, not for a second. We\'ve gotta learn to leave each other alone, our opinions about life don\'t matter to others and trying to play some weak power game doesn\'t do anything but make us less than what we are - human.
diabolix,
I\'m a straight, white male and I\'ve had racial slurs hurled at me as well as homophobic ones. But guess what? Hurling slurs isn\'t against the law! As for violence, there\'s a name for what happened here. It\'s called assault.
Where are all the people who SCREAMED at me last week claiming all NYers were helpful and friendly and would come to your help if you needed it?? Huh? Where are all you SCREAMERS now?
Where are all the people who SCREAMED at me last week claiming all NYers were helpful and friendly and would come to your help if you needed it?? Huh? Where are all you SCREAMERS now?
hate crimes are always gross and shocking, but don\'t think that it never happens the other way
in the past, me and a date (we are straight) were hanging out on the Christopher street pier minding our own business and we got shouted at by a group of gay youth yelling out \'heteros\' and generally heckling - we felt so uncomfortable we had to leave. No, the story didn\'t end in violence (it was broad daylight). But, I do want to illustrate the point that hate crime can go in any direction and laws against it protect everyone.
I assure you, I was not one of those screamers.
I\'ve seen people faint on the subway and not one person would get up to help until the man actually called them out for help after waking up.
I\'ve been pretty shocked by how callous New Yorkers can be (I\'ve lived here 11 years). This crazy dude pushed me down the subway stairs once and was screaming at me and people (men and women) just kept walking on by. I\'ve also seen men and women of every race and age not give their seat on the subway to an elderly/pregnant/generally ailing person. I know these examples aren\'t as stark as doing jack when some guy is getting beaten up by four dudes, but the \"not my problem\" mentality is pervasive here.
For the record, I confronted a group of kids on a subway platform who were harassing and pushing around a mentally challenged man and tracked down a police officer to chase them away. Sure, I\'m a woman it was risky, but I couldn\'t just sit and watch it happen.
\"I got clocked in the head by some random crazy person Friday night at 1 am in front of at least 50 people on Essex and Houston and no one did much to help....\"
\"\'...It\\\'s sad that no one gives a shit enough to help another person out when they\\\'re obviously in trouble. All the people who walked past Kevin and let him get beat should be ashamed of themselves.\"
Keep letting bloomoron take away your 2nd amendment rights... if honest people could get carry permits (as opposed to only the rich and famous AND GOVT muckymucks) ) then we could defend ourselves AND YOU.
An armed society is a polite society.
You don\'t see bloomberg or any other \"celebrity\" go anywhere without armed bodyguards (like Rosie O\'Donnel) or carrying themselves:
http://gigablast.com/get?d=24759314229
\"In 1981, nearly 30,000 New Yorkers (not including police) had permits to carry a weapon. As of September 1 of this year [2002] , the number was down to just 3,389.
But the number of city officials, big shots and celebrities with permits is up.
Officials OK
Deputy mayors, mayoral staff members, commissioners of education, environmental protection, taxis and licenses, sanitation, management, and a host of others all received permits. But the man in the street is denied his Second Amendment right. For the first nine months of 2002, citizen permits were denied 62% of the time, according to a study by Newsday.\"...
\"The list of luminaries getting carry permits is long. The roster includes Mr. DeNiro, Donald Trump, Howard Stern, Harvey Keitel, Steven Seagal, Winthrop Rockefeller, Tommy Mottola, Buddy Hackett, Chazz Palminteri, Don Imus, and William F. Buckley, Jr.\"
For a supposed urban area, it sure seems like a lot of kids here were raised in barns. Why is this?
And Samantha, I\'ve noticed it\'s usually the women who step in during this kind of situation. Lots of dudes tend to be pussies about confrontations. I\'ve definitely stepped in myself, or visibly dial 911 when some guy is trying to beat his girlfriend.
Thank you Samantha...
Ever consider that most punks will gladly beat another guy but won\'t hit a woman (unless it\'s their girlfriend)?
So, when do we get the chance to kick and beat the snot out of these four fooligans . . . and their parents as well? Was one of the stupid kids even over 21? No excuses, no justifications are allowed for trash like them doing that. It\'s bad enough vandalizing other\'s property but openly attacking someone without provocation? No. They need to pay and pay big. Sting \'em up and beat \'em like pinatas. Let\'s see what kind of crap comes out of them.
\"I think the E. Vill and LES are getting less and less safe. I got clocked in the head by some random crazy person Friday night at 1 am in front of at least 50 people on Essex and Houston and no one did much to help.
It\\\'s sad that no one gives a shit enough to help another person out when they\\\'re obviously in trouble. All the people who walked past Kevin and let him get beat should be ashamed of themselves.\"
You see, you were probably surrounded by hipsters, and no action to a hipster is worth undertaking unless he or she can see the ironic value in it. Plus, they\'re total passive aggressive faux-rebellious wimps. Dressing grimy punk rock is one thing, actually doing something punk rock, like fighting, is something else.
I have to think kids who do these types of things are lacking serious parental discipline. In some neighborhoods I also think there is some thug culture idolizing going on (I read the attackers here claimed gang membership).
It\'s sick and disgusting and sad that I see terrible behavior among young people (and I\'m not old) more and more on NYC streets these days. Last year I was riding the M15 up 1st Avenue and there were these two boys, who could not have been more than 14-15, chasing each other up and down the back half of the bus and saying \"I\'m going to f*** you up.\" They were clearly posturing (I hope), but it was plenty to make the other people on the bus very uncomfortable. And the bus driver did nothing about this.
A few weeks ago I was on another bus and this group of teenagers sat in the back, talking and swearing so loudly. Everyone gradually moved to the front, except for this one elderly man who was sitting in between them and seemed determined not to move. These teens didn\'t seem like they would turn aggressive or violent, but you never know, which is why I think a lot of people are reluctant to confront others. Again, the bus driver did nothing. Why is that? I realize technically it\'s not his problem, but it\'s his bus and he\'s the only one there with any authority.
Hate crimes are stupid. All violent crimes are done out of hate, no one beats or kills you because they like you a lot.
Recent hate crime hypocrisy.
How come no one is talking about the fact that the four kids are black? Homophobia in the black community is rampant, leading many members of that community to stay in the closet and live double lives, contracting HIV at an alarming rate withoug seeking medical attention. Those that do venture to come out (like Kevin) get attacked.. interesting that this attack also coincides with PR day, when an above avg number thugs roam the streets.
I\'d imagine these kids picked their target exactly because he was black. And really, who is going to jump in between 4-6 wannaa-be-gangster scumbags beating up one guy?? Unless your carrying a gun or have fighting skills on par with Bruce Lee, those aren\'t very good odds. Fortunately, there all be going away for at least a few years with a felony hate-crime conviction.
I\'ve lived in the East Village for 23 years now. Honestly, I don\'t walk alone after a certain time.
That being said, I was once mugged and beaten right at dusk, so go figure. The police presence in the East Village/LES could be alot better, especially with all the trendy bars and restaurants. I am all for making the neighborhood safe for everyone.
This is truly sad. You\'d think if any U.S. city was a haven for a gay black man, whether he\'s in sneakers or platform heels, it\'d be New York City. It just goes to show you that this city isn\'t as liberal as most people think it is.
And speaking of the East Village/Lower East Side being unsafe, just last night (Sunday June 12) some guy beat another guy with a lead pipe at the intersection of Houston and Ludlow Streets. Wtf?! That\'s why I say a prayer every time I leave my apartment \'cos folks are crazy!
So because it is his first time and he cried, that somehow negates the fact he beat someone? It was the first time he got caught, but no one knows if it really is his first hate crime. And even if it is, they all start somewhere.
Disgusting. They should use these kids to send a lesson.
People: they are called \"hate crimes\" because the cops historically haven\'t done as much to help black, gay, female, whatever victims as they have white, straight, male, etc. victims. So save your whining about how all crimes are hate crimes for the day when you\'re the one who gets his jaw wired shut!
So the answer is to swing the pendulum past blind justice and give extra penalties because the victims are minorities? Brilliant. Everyone is created equal but some are more equal than others.
Come on, T..... Punk rock? Punks helping people? Actual punkers wouldn't have cared to fight those kids, because punkers are nihilists. Remember when punkers didn't care about people? The social-justice punk is truly an oxymoron. Something happened in the 90s, when the newborn punks seemed to start caring about the world, having vegan potlucks, and finding lost puppies. The only real punkers left have either died, are lingering outside of an N.A. meeting or hanging out at places like Mars bar on weeknights, drinking shot after shot of Jack and gurgling nonsense to the young kids about their band from 1981 that never made it. They wouldn't even be walking by Phoenix, let alone break up an attack, because that would take a beating heart and some coordination.
Good lord let's stop ANALyzing the racial, straight/gay, punk rock angles here!
This is tragic and disgusting, but the worst part is that he was left bleeding in the middle of the street. The thought of any human or living thing, attacked & beaten by any group of people in this disgusting way just brings tears to my eyes! But I do agree with the thought that women usually rush to someone's aid first. I have seen it, or done it myself actually, more often than not. Yeah, sometimes you don't think about the danger & rush to help cause it's so fucking disturbing. It's called adreneline. Couple that with a woman's compassion & there you have it.
Dearest Kevin, many, many prayers & blessings to you! Hope to see you in the parade this year!
With the increase in earned income in the past 10 years all of manhattan, especially the East Village has become overall safer.
This was a crime of ignorance and morality and has nothing to do with demographics it has to do with the fact that ignorance in egalitarianism still doesn't exist.
For some reason society doesn't comfront things in a way that is civil/intelligent and the least of which the education system doesn't have any effect on children to help dispell the ignorance of hate or intolerance.
Its not a signal of crime in the city its just another sign of Anti-Intellectualism in America.
The fact that nobody helped is sad, but people are scared, i mean the people that did the crime are scared too, repression is a frightening thing and it gets outlet in horrible ways (ie school shootings).
This is the cost of living in a society were you are taught each for your own and everybody thinks they themselves are "always right"
Simply horrific and a by-product of everything that is wrong with America.
When you have a president that comes out everyday against gays and even wants to go so far as to amend the beloved Constitution, this is the result.
"When Fish Rots It Stars From The Head!"
God speed your recovery Kevin.