Justice for Joseph Holladay and All Victims of Bias Attacks
July 6, 2009
On June 28th, New York celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, when the LGBT community drew a line against violence and oppression. On the same Sunday, one former New Yorker was apparently the victim of a brutal homophobic attack outside an apartment building on East 85th Street.
My thoughts and my very best wishes are with the victim, Joseph Holladay, as he recovers from this horrific assault. I am also determined that he should find justice, both against the perpetrators and in a society where such violence continues to take place.
I am personally outraged by this attack, not just because it happened in the neighborhood where I live, in the district I represent, but because as a New Yorker and as an American I recognize it as an assault on our shared values of dignity, security, and freedom.
It has recently come to light that this attack is part of a disturbing pattern. The suspected perpetrators may have been involved in as many as six attacks on the Upper East Side, going back as far as the end of May. Right now, three of these incidents are being looked at as hate crimes.
I will be working with the New York Police Department, as well as the Anti-Violence Project and my fellow elected officials, to ensure that the investigations into all of these assaults are vigorously pursued and the attackers are brought to justice.
Our best efforts must always vigilantly be directed towards creating a better New York in which such obscenities do not occur. I will update readers of this blog as the situation develops. I would ask my constituents to exercise caution, especially when walking home late at night.
The media has reported extensively on these incidents. For more information see the following news pieces (warning: there are some disturbing photos accompanying a few of these links): Gay Bashed on Pride Weekend on the Upper East Side (Village Voice, June 28, 2009), Number of Hate Crimes Decreased, Severity Increased (WNYC, July 2, 2009), East Side Assault Reflects Larger Trend (Gay City News, July 1, 2009), Police: Anti-Gay Hate Crimes on the Rise in NYC (CBS News, July 2, 2009), UES Attack Toll Grows (New York Post, July 3, 2009), Upper East Side Gay Bashing Epidemic? (Village Voice, July 2, 2009), Police: Upper East Side Attacks May Be Linked (NY1, July 3, 2009).
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