ATLANTA, GEORGIA – All week, CBS Atlanta News has been showing you the brutal attack on a young SW Atlanta man.
On Saturday, 20-year-old Brandon White was beaten while gay slurs were being yelled at him by members of a gang called the “Jack Gang.”
Wednesday, White spoke for the first time.
“If a straight person can walk to the store and not have a problem, I should be able to do the same thing,” White said, referring to his sexuality. “I shouldn’t have to worry about whether or not I should have to look over my shoulder, or if this person is going to attack me, or if that person is going to attack me for just being a gay male.”
Federal authorities say they are investigating the attack as a possible hate crime.
The gang waited for White to leave a corner store in Atlanta’s Pittsburgh community and then attacked him. As gang members attacked White, they videotaped the beating and posted it to YouTube.
“By them going ahead and want to release it [the video of the attack] and put it on the Internet, I feel that they wanted the attention themselves, they wanted to make themselves look brave, they were strong. But in my opinion, I’m the brave one, I’m the brave one. I dealt with it,” said White.
Greg Smith, the executive director of the HIV Intervention Project, or H.I.P., encouraged White to talk.
“He is doing what a lot of us would never do. He is standing up with courage,” said Smith.
from CBS Atlanta
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Related Post:

Video Shows Gang Beating In Atlanta

ATLANTA, GEORGIA – A national human rights organization has scheduled a Tuesday morning press conference after video was released showing Atlanta gang members attacking a man they believed was gay.
New Order representatives will speak out against the beating at 10:30 at the corner of McDaniel and Delevan Streets, where the attack took place.
CBS Atlanta News obtained disturbing video uploaded on the Internet that shows three guys, who say in the video they are members of the Jack Gang, violently attack the man.
The video shows the gang members waiting outside a grocery store on the corner in Atlanta’s Pittsburg community.
When the victim walked out of the store, they ambushed him. While they were punching and kicking him, they yelled derogatory gay slurs at him.
Devin Ward saw the video. Ward is part of Atlanta’s LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bi Transgender) community.
“At the end of the day, this is a crime first. But it is a crime against the LGBT community that I support. A community that I’m a part of and a community that I will fight for,” said Ward.
The attack appears to be planned. One of the apparent gang members videotaped the assault and uploaded it on the Internet.
“This man was assaulted, and there were derogatory terms thrown towards him while he was being assaulted. That means it was a hate crime,” said Ward.
The attack was also caught on the store’s surveillance video. An Atlanta police spokesman, Officer John Chafee, said detectives have all this evidence, but not the victim.
“We’re hopeful the victim is going to come forward or someone will tell us who he is,” said Chafee.
Ward said it’s not unusual for gay African-American men who are attacked to remain silent.
“It is known that being gay is still very taboo in the African-American community,” said Ward.
Ward vows to support the victim and help get the men who attacked him off the streets.
“In order for these people to be brought to justice, we need this young man to come forward,” said Ward.
The FBI is also investigating the incident. United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates issued this statement:
“Combating violent gang activity in our District, including the Pittsburgh community, is a priority of this office, as are any potential civil rights violations based on a person’s sexual orientation. Along with the Atlanta Police Department, we are working to determine if the actions portrayed in the video violate federal law, including the hate crime statute. The actions depicted in the video are appalling and unacceptable in our community, and we encourage anyone with information about this video to contact the FBI or Atlanta police.”
from CBS Atlanta

Ripples Bar Long Beach

LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA – Police are investigating two incidents of vandalism that occurred at well-known, local gay establishments.
At this time, police are not investigating the incidents as hate crimes, Detective Jackie Bezart said Wednesday.
“These crimes might be connected, but at this time we can’t say,” she said.
A plate glass window next to the front door of The Center Long Beach was shattered around 8:30 p.m. Friday. Nobody was injured and nobody inside The Center saw anything, but some of them heard the noise, said Ron Sylvester, Center board chairman.
It appeared a potted plant was thrown at the window. Damage was estimated at more than $500, he said.
Less than 30 minutes later, someone tossed a rock through a window facing Ocean Boulevard at Club Ripples. The bar was open at the time, but nobody was injured, said manager Ken Davis.
The damage was estimated at $400, he said.
One of the club’s patrons saw a man in a white Prius park the car in front of the club and turn on his flashers. He exited the car, threw the rock at the window and drove away, Davis said.
“It wasn’t even a pretty rock, so we won’t put it on display,” he said.
from The Press Telegram
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SANTA MARIA, CALIFORNIA – A Santa Maria man was arrested early Thursday morning on charges of attempted murder and committing a hate crime after an employee at a Denny’s Restaurant was stabbed in the neck and throat.
Police responding to the call of battery at 3:28 a.m. found the victim, an adult man in his 30s, outside the restaurant at 1019 E. Main St. with a laceration to the side of his throat. He also had been stabbed in the side of his neck. The man was specifically targeted by 24-year-old Curtis Martin because of his perceived sexual orientation, police said.
The victim was transported to Marian Medical Center by ambulance for treatment.
“The injuries were not life-threatening and he’s expected to fully recover,” said Santa Maria police Lt. Dan Ast, noting that the knife did not pierce any vital body parts.
Ast said that Martin knocked on the window of the restaurant, which was closed, and asked to use the restroom. He was let in and approached a group of Denny’s employees sitting at a table. Martin asked the victim, a waiter, if he was gay and when the victim replied that he was, he was attacked, according to Ast.
Martin used a knife he had brought with him, Ast said.
After the assault, Martin ran to his vehicle and was seen fleeing the scene westbound on Main Street, police said. His vehicle was located a short time later and Martin was arrested and booked into county jail.
from The Santa Maria Times
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