This is terrible. Just hours after a rally against anti-gay violence, a nightlife promoter was assaulted in in lower Manhattan on Monday night. The attack, which is still under investigation, happened at Avenue D and E 4th Street in the East Village.
The victim, Dan Contarino, is a former promoter of a popular Friday night party at Shampoo nightclub in Philadelphia. Witnesses who came to Contarino's aid say the attacker kicked him while yelling anti-gay slurs. Contarino posted a photo of himself on Facebook (pictured above) and gave status updates:
"THANKS FOR CALLS.... GAY BASHED LAST NITE.... back from small surgery.... CHEST XRAYS THIS AM.... suspect still at large... police n media waiting to interview me... U JUST WANNA CRY N MOVE ON…."
As well as, "UGH…. THIS IS JUST AS BRUTAL AS the ATTACK…. 3 hours… 8 detective interviews… now waiting for Hate Crimes Unit main interview… THEN BACK TO HOSPITAL…."
A gay couple was also attacked late Monday night in the Soho neighborhood. "The couple was walking on Broadway between Prince and Houston streets at about 5 a.m. when two men started yelling anti-gay remarks in English and Spanish. The victims are Hispanic. The men were both punched, and one suffered an eye injury, sources said. Police said two men, 32 and 33, were arrested and face a charge of assault as a hate crime."
Both attacks follow the murder of Mark Carson, who was killed in Greenwich Village after being shot in the face by 33-year-old Elliott Morales. Carson, who had recently relocated to Brooklyn, was only 32 years old.
The recent attacks bring the total of violent anti-gay incidents to seven in the past month. I can't believe this is happen in New York City, especially in gay-friendly neighborhoods.
Comments