Former "Top Chef" contestant beaten in hate crime/Teen thrown through plate glass window

[Bluebear]

"Homosexual-instigated hate crime laws punish a person’s thoughts and beliefs, and they violate freedom of religion and speech." - "Traditional values coalition"

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Smith-Malave


Former "Top Chef" contestant Josie Smith-Malave Thursday talked about how she, her friend, and her sister were victims of a vicious hate crime outside a Long Island bar by a group of people who savagely beat them while others watched, laughed and took photographs.

Smith-Malave said she and a group of six friends had gone to Partners following a barbecue on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend. She and another woman, Emily Durwood, 30, had been dancing together inside the bar and had eventually been asked to leave.

"We were close — I'm sure we didn't look straight," openly gay Smith-Malave told The Advocate. "My hand was on her hip, my arm around her shoulder — we definitely looked like lesbians."

When they exited the establishment, they were met by a group of about 12 people, three of whom were women, who began to spit on them, punch them, and hurl epithets such as "fucking dyke" and "bush muncher." "It was a very large group of young adults. I mean, they were so angry," said Josie Smith-Malave, 32, who appeared on Season Two of the Bravo hit show. "I've never experienced something like that before, when you come face to face with people who are so angry."

Smith-Malave said bar employees and other patrons did nothing to help them. "I was punched and kicked all over my body," she said. "Everyone that was in the bar, bartenders, they all spilled out the door of the bar, and when I was able to look around, all of those people just watched this happen." After about 15 minutes, the group scattered, possibly because an older couple who lived across the street had called the police....

http://www.bgay.com/bnews/news70913_hate_crime_against_top_chef_contestant.htm

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WASHINGTON -- Police said Friday they were investigating a series of hate crimes targeting gay and transgender people.

Police said a 17-year-old boy was arrested in connection with the latest attack, which happened in Chinatown near the Verizon Center, and investigators added they were looking for more possible suspects.

Witnesses told NBC 4 on Friday that they saw a group of young men throw a 16-year-old transgender person through a plate glass window.

First district police officers who were nearby made the arrest. Police said they learned the 17-year-old suspect had been arrested twice earlier in the week for similar crimes. Reports indicated he was arrested last Saturday at 9th and F streets Northwest on suspicion of smashing out the window of a car in which a gay man was riding, NBC 4 reported. Police said the 17-year-old was arrested on Tuesday at the same location for a similar crime. It appeared that both times, he was released after his court appearance.

http://www.nbc4.com/news/14119890/detail.html

[Missy M]

1. Where does all that hate come from..

what really surprises me is the fact these horrible incidents happened on Long Island and in Washington. Lots of rednecks around and they are not all from the south.

[Bluebear]

3. Well, fundamentalists have had an open mike for 20 years

When Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson come on the air and say that 9/11 was the fault of gays and "abortionists", and that Hurricane Katrina was the fault of gays and hedonists, well, certain elements in society are vulnerable to that type of talk. Eric Rudolph, for example.

[IndianaJones]

6. Fundamentalists aren't the problem. nt.

[Bluebear]

7. Do tell then. nt

[IndianaJones]

8. my views on these subjects are not well received. put it this way...

I look at the faces of the majority for signs of guilt, not a small vocal minority.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

10. Good question.

--7 years of the current Maladministration?
--29% of the population hopped up on war?
--Hate-mongering FUX News, Limpballs, Coulter, et al?
--Houses of worship that preach that it's a sin to be poor, homeless, homosexual, etc.?
--Media that celebrates stupidity, violence, and lack of compassion? Jackass, Ultimate Fighting, and Punk'd come to mind.

All have a cumulative effect, and it ain't pretty.

[girl gone mad]

21. People are so naive...

to think that this stuff only happens in the South or in rural areas.

[Cha]

26. Shitheads lurk everywhere.

I hope these hopheads are punished for hatecrimes and have a long time to think about their violent attacks on other people.

THis is why people like larry craig, mark foley, david vitter, ad infinitum need to be exposed for the grand hypocricy they exude while promoting repubicon "family values"(oh the stench).

[Eric J in MN]

2. My guess is that the Traditional Values Coalition would say that...

...people can be punished for violent acts like this with-or-without hate crime laws.

[Bluebear]

4. Indeed, but hate crimes terrorize a whole community of citizens, not just the victim.

So the "Traditional values" people can stuff it :)

[IndianaJones]

11. Who is in this coalition? Most American citizens? nt.

[Bluebear]

14. I have no idea what you are looking for,

There are other groups against hate crimes legislation as well:

"Conservative Black Pastors Fight Bill on Hate Crimes
At Issue Are Sermons Against Homosexuality"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/27/AR2007042701899.html

[IndianaJones]

19. I tend to get exactly what I expect in these threads.

This is a reprehensible act. On that we agree.

[PDJane]

5. It seems to go in cycles, and

the Rethugs have been pulling that "gay and lesbian and transgendered" folks are evil sinners stuff for about 8 years now......it's all just an excuse for hatred.

[MadMaddie]

9. The people that committed these crimes have basically

been given the go ahead by this administration and the DOJ...

Kicking gays out of the military= gays are evil
Protect Marriage acts = gays are evil
Act as if gays are less patriotic = gays are evil

Folks this is no different than what Hitler did to the Jews and Gays in the 1930's....pick a group and demonize them....(and wink, wink...attack and brutalize gays if you want)

Random attacks, outright attacks and the Good Germans stood by.

This is why we must fight now instead of later....because it's the gays and the liberals now....

The people in these cities and towns must prosecute these criminals and make sure the public understands the crimes will not be tolerated.

And it's time to tax the shit out of these Religious organizations...they have too much untaxed money to do shit like this....if they want to play then they must pay..

[Bluebear]

12. Brilliant, MM, thank you.

:toast:

[conscious evolution]

24. Great reply

Pick a group and demonize them

That can't be said enough.

Never forget.
Never forget.

[Cha]

27. Excellent Reminder,

MadMaddie!

[QC]

13. DAMN RED STATES!!1!!!1! n/t

[Bluebear]

15. I wish you wouldn't. This is too important an issue for GLBT people.

What if the perpetrator in DC turns out to be from Virginia? Then we're back to "red states". We msut stop this in ALL states.

[QC]

16. Actually, I was cracking on how people always respond to these stories

when they take place somewhere other than the northeast and the west coast.

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT???? DAMN RED STATE ASSHOLES!!!

The truth is, as you point out, that we are not particularly safe anywhere.

[Bluebear]

18. I hear that!

Hate knows no boundaries, you are absolutely correct.

[renie408]

17. This so horrific and sad and defeating...

What is wrong with human beings that they could act this way?

[Ariana Celeste]

20. It ain't the fundamentalists, and it ain't red states. It's America.

We, as a society, allow this. (And I mean the collective 'we'.) Disgusting.

[WinkyDink]

22. It is, indeed. "Thug-ism" is "in", and why not? We have 2 thugs in the WH.

[terrya]

23. Yeah, we don't need that hate crimes legislation.

Oh, no. Not at all.

This is sarcasm, of course.

[noamnety]

25. And people wonder why it is

that women don't appreciate random men demanding to know why they won't go out with them. The fact that people are still targets of hate crimes based on their sexual preferences should be enough reason right there (as if there weren't enough other good reasons) to just say thanks and walk away if a woman says she isn't attracted to you.

I know that isn't the point of this OP, just sayin'.

[AtomicKitten]

28. Further proof that Americans are actually going backwards --

when it comes to equal rights under the law as evidenced by this heinous pack mentality behavior.

[tblue37]

29. The people who do these sorts of things really are

furious and full of hate. It makes you wonder where all that rage can come from, since the gays and lesbians they attack have never done anything to them.

I am reminded of the rage of the racists during the Civil Rights Movement who screamed and spit on Black children who just wanted to go to school.