Anti-Violence Project speaks out against anti-gay violence from the NYPD

New York City has been hit hard with anti-LGBT attacks. Twelve anti-LGBT incidents, including one fatality, were recorded for the month of May. GLAAD partnered with the New York City Anti-Violence Project (AVP) to bring media attention to the attacks, as well as organize a march mourning the death of a 32 year-old gay man, who was the victim of the fatal anti-gay incident.

Unfortunately, June started on a negative note. According to AVP, on the night of Sunday, June 3rd, in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, three openly gay men reported they were walking past the 79th Precinct when a NYPD officer accused one of them of public urination. The officer attacked the victim, and threw him up against a police car, while two other police officers arrived at the scene. The additional officers threw him to the ground, and continued to pepper spray the victim while he was handcuffed. Video footage was obtained from the men involved. Lacerations were the result of the victim being so tightly handcuffed. The victim had to seek hospital care as a result of his injuries from the incident. 

AVP provided local data to the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs report Hate Violence Against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and HIV-Affected Communities in the United States in 2012. The results reported that in New York City, in 2012 nearly 40% of survivors interacting with the NYPD reported police misconduct. "Reports of police misconduct increased significantly from 8 in 2011 to 78 in 2012, AVP stated after they received the results. "The report also found that survivor reports of hostile attitudes from police doubled in 2012, with 43 reports, up from 21 in 2011."

In response to this event, the Anti-Violence Project will be holding a press conference Tuesday, June 11th, 2013 at 2:00 P.M. just outside of Police 1 Plaza in Manhattan. They will be joined by the survivors, their lawyer, additional survivors of anti-LGBTQ police violence and community partners, including the LGBT Justice Project of Make the Road NY, Streetwise and Safe, the Safe OUTside the System Collective of the Audre Lorde Project, FIERCE, Communities United for Police Reform, Campaign to Stop the False Arrests, the Brooklyn Community Pride Center, the LGBT Advisory Panel to NYPD Commission Kelly, City Council Member Daniel Dromm. AVP is also reaching out to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, the Office of New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, and the NYPD about this incident. 

To assist with incidents such as these, AVP is holding Community Safety Nights every Friday through the month of June. The goal of these safety nights is to provide "outreach in neighborhoods recently affected by violence to raise awareness and provide people with information and safety tips." These occur every Friday night at 6:00 P.M. at AVP's offices. 

TAKE ACTION:

If you, or someone you know experiences an act of anti-LGBT violence, please report it.

 

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