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DINING NYPRESS.COM
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COMMUNITY NEWS BELOW 14TH STREET
• MAY 23,
Greenwich Village Murder a Devastating Call to Action By Alissa Fleck
I
n the morning hours of May 18, 32-year-old Mark Carson was gunned down outside a Greenwich Village pizzeria after being trailed and threatened with anti-gay slurs. Before opening fire early Saturday, the gunman confronted the victim and his companion on the street and asked if they “want to die here,” Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said. The tragedy, deemed a hate crime by the NYPD, follows a string of similar incidents throughout the city over the past two weeks. While the perpetrator, later identified as 33-year-old Elliot Morales, was arrested following the most recent attack, State Senator Brad Hoylman, in whose
district the murder occurred, says the city’s work does not stop at an arrest for one act. “This recent rash of hate violence is a reminder that there’s still a lot to be done,” said the Senator. “It’s my hope that the LGBT community will not become complacent by our recent successes, such as marriage, and other advances in the struggle for equal rights.” According to Hoylman, tragic acts such as those which occurred over the past few weeks reflect a society which fails to be entirely LGBT-friendly and has a long way to come. “To take a couple of examples,” he explained, “we still don’t have state law protecting the rights of transgender people, homelessness among LGBT people is a growing problem and our social services safety net has been cut
dramatically by state and local government.” Sharon Stapel, the executive director of the New York City Anti-Violence Project, told the New York Times that anti-gay violence actually seems to be escalating in the area where the attack on Carson occurred. “The Village has always been a place where LGBT people have felt accepted and respected,” she said. “But the Village is not immune from this vitriolic antiLGBT violence.” While the area is home to numerous LGBT-friendly and owned establishments, and Carson reportedly loved frequenting the region, Stapel added the community is not as homogeneous as it may sometimes appear. Streets seen as tolerant of LGBT populations may border less friendly ones.
Still, there is a lot which can be done by community members to protect each other. “Awareness is a key component,” said Hoylman. “Victims who have been targeted need to come forward even though it’s sometimes difficult, embarrassing or frankly inconvenient to report a crime.” “Neighbors need to look out for each other and the community needs to continue to be vigilant,” he added. Hoylman noted that various LGBT and anti-violence groups throughout the city, such as the Anti-Violence Project, the LGBT Center and GLAAD, are doing a good job in raising awareness, including organizing a march following the murder, but that still more is needed.
2013
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