11 high profile anti-gay hate violence attack in New York City in May

May 31, 2013

AVP is outraged by eleventh high profile anti-gay hate violence attack in New York City in May; calls for community members to join us for tonight’s Community Safety Night, and on June 6 for Community Wellness/Speak Out

The New York City Anti-Violence Project is investigating reports of an eleventh incident of anti-gay violence to occur in New York City this month.  The latest incident occurredon Wednesday night, May 29^th in Prospect Park, Brooklyn.  The survivor, Bronx resident Kevin Kiaddi was with friends in Prospect Park when they encountered a group of men.  According to media reports, when Kiaddi offered one of the men a soda, the group began beating him and shouting anti-gay slurs. According to the same reports, five men have been arrested and are charged with gang assault and hate crimes charges.  AVP is working with the survivor in this most recent, brutal attack.  AVP is also reaching out to community partners, as well as New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, the Hate Crimes Task Force of the NYPD and the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office to further investigate this assault.

In light of recent anti-LGBT violence, AVP is holding Community Safety Nights each Friday throughout Pride month.  During Friday Community Safety Nights, AVP will be out on the streets doing outreach in neighborhoods recently affected by violence to raise awareness and provide people with information and safety tips. We will need dedicated volunteers and concerned community members to get out there and join us as we bring our message of safety to the streets.  Join us TONIGHT, May 31^st, and every Friday through June, at 6 p.m. at AVP’s offices for a brief Safety Training then we will head out to do outreach together!  TO JOIN US: contact Tasha Amezcua at tamezcua@avp.org or watch for event announcements on our Facebook page.

In response to the impact this string of violent incidents has had on our community, AVP is joining with the LGBT Community Center, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and other community partners for a Community Speak Out & Wellness Night.  We will bring our communities together to talk about how people are feeling and to offer support to anyone who needs it on June 6, 2013, 5:00 - 8:30 pm, The LGBT Community Center, 208 W. 13th St., NY, NY, 10011.  Join community members for: support and counseling, resources, speak outs about safety, and ways to get involved and take action.  This is a FREE event – food and Metro Cards will be provided.  ASL and tactile interpreters, Spanish interpreters, and Spanish speaking counselors available.

REPORTING VIOLENCE HELPS END VIOLENCE:
AVP encourages you to report violence you experience or witness to our free and confidential 24-hour bilingual (English/Spanish) hotline at 212-714-1141 where you can speak with a trained counselor and seek support, or you can report violence anonymously online.

Find out more about AVP at our website, www.avp.org, and get regular updates on our ongoing work on Facebook.com/antiviolence or Twitter @antiviolence, and get involved and make a difference.