AVP has learned of an anti-gay hate violence incident in Brooklyn, NY. According to media reports, two gay men, 29 and 34, were attacked and beaten unconscious in Williamsburg around 1:00 am on Sunday, September 23. The suspect made anti-gay statements before assaulting the men who had left a popular Williamsburg gay bar, according to police. Local authorities are still searching for the suspect whose picture was captured as he fled the scene.
We have reached out to NYPD about the incident. If you have been impacted by the incident and would like to report or to seek support, reach out to AVP by calling our free and confidential 24/7 bilingual (English/Spanish) hotline at 212-714-1141 or our online reporting form.
AVP will join the New York City’s Commission on Human Rights for a Day of Visibility on Friday, September 28, morning (8:00-9:30 am) in response to this hate violence. The Commission on Human Rights will be passing out Know Your Rights information and AVP will be sharing resources on our services for survivors.
If you know any information, please report to NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential.
Update: Brandon McNamara, 25, has been arrested and facing multiple charges for the incident. According to local news reports, “McNamara is charged with two counts each of second-degree assault as a hate crime, second-degree assault, second-degree aggravated harassment as a hate crime, first-degree harassment and second-degree harassment.”