Starting in 2021 and through 2023, thanks to community reports to AVP’s hotline, news coverage, and whisper networks in the nightlife communities, AVP documented a series of hook up violence incidents that originated in gay bars in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan.
These incidents became a public concern when two men, John Umberger, 33, and Julio Ramirez, 25 died in separate incidents as the result of drug mixes they were given to incapacitate them and make them easier to rob.
For more than 40 years, AVP has done violence prevention and response work in NYC that includes LGBTQ+ bars and other venues as a potential site of harm. In November 2022, the organizing and communications teams revitalized AVP’s Bar Safety Initiative, hosting regular outreach nights and distributing education and safety materials. Staff and volunteers made connections with bartenders, security staff, and bar patrons to listen to their concerns and share resources, including AVP’s 24/7 crisis hotline.
Since launching the campaign and supporting bars around NYC to safety plan, three men, accused to be a part of a larger ring, were arrested and charged in connection with the murders. After a short trial this winter, all three men were found guilty on all counts by a Manhattan jury on February 10, 2025.
AVP continues to provide bars and other venues around the city with safety planning support and training, both in-person and virtually, to equip bar managers and staff with the confidence to notice and intervene during suspicious behavior – including indicators of hook up, intimate partner, sexual, and hate violence. Your business or group can request a training here.
