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Yesterday, AVP learned of two appalling hate violence incidents that occurred this past weekend in Chelsea and at the historic Stonewall Inn. “Even a bar like the Stonewall Inn, which plays an integral part in the modern gay rights movement, is not immune to this sort of violence," said Sharon Stapel, Executive Director of the New York City Anti-Violence Project. “We will not allow perpetrators of anti-LGBTQ violence to come into our communities and target us. Today we send a strong message that our communities will not be intimidated by this violence and that we will stand up in the face of it and demand equality and respect. This is a wake-up call for every New Yorkers. We all have a responsibility to end this culture of violence against LGBTQ people, which has become so apparent in recent weeks.”

AVP mourns the death of Tyler Clementi, a freshman at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Following the discovery that two fellow students broadcast footage of a sexual encounter between himself and another man, Tyler reportedly jumped from the George Washington Bridge on September 22nd and is presumed dead. Rutgers University freshmen Dharun Ravi, Tyler’s roommate, and Molly Wei, have been charged with invasion of privacy and face up to 5 years in jail. Additionally, today the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) released a statement concerning four youth reported to have died in hate-related suicides over the past two weeks.

AVP is outraged by the recent attacks targeting Mexican immigrants and members of the LGBTQ community on Staten Island. In what became the twelfth hate violence incident to be reported in the borough since April 2010, Jonas Vidals, 36, and wife Sonia, were threatened with hate speech as they returned to their Port Richmond residence on Saturday, September 17, at 11:45 p.m. Jonas and Sonia Vidals, who stated that they traveled together due to the recent surge of bias attacks on the island, allege that three individuals in a nearby apartment building shouted anti-Mexican and anti-Latino slurs, as well as threatened them with physical harm if they did not leave the area. The incident is being further investigated by the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force.

AVP is deeply concerned by a spike in violence perpetrated against transgender and gender non-conforming people. On September 23, Victoria Carmen, a 28-year-old transgender woman, was shot to death in a private residence in Maplewood, New Jersey. The case is still being investigated, and no arrests have been made. On September 13, two transgender women were found dead alongside Highway 512 in Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico. Both women had been shot in the head. Authorities have arrested a 28-year-old man in connection with the killings. These murders are the fourth and fifth that we know of in the past year that have targeted transgender and gender non-conforming people in Puerto Rico.

AVP is outraged by the bias attack on Luis Vieira, 47, and his partner, Richard Vieira, 39, that occurred at a White Castle in the Stapleton neighborhood of Staten Island at about 2:30 am on Wednesday. The victims allege that they passed a group of about 40 youths on Bay Street and that three members of this group entered the White Castle shortly after they did and approached their table using hate language in a verbal exchange with the victims. The youths walked away, but moments later, Luis was hit in the back of the head. He and his partner rushed out to the parking lot but saw the larger group of youths gathered there. Luis returned inside to ask a restaurant employee to call 911 when he realized that his partner, Richard, was not with him. Luis went back outside to find Richard badly beaten and bleeding from his head in the parking lot. Richard Vieira was taken by ambulance to Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton, Staten Island where he received stitches. He has since been released.