Seeking Information on Anti-Gay Attack at West 4th Street Station

On the morning of March 7, I was joined by City Council Member Corey Johnson in distributing fliers outside the West 4th Street subway station seeking information about an alleged anti-gay hate crime that took place on the platform earlier that week. In the incident, the perpetrator approached two men and asked them if they were gay. When they ignored the question, the man made a derogatory statement and punched one of the men in his face, breaking his nose and fracturing his orbital bone. This instance only reinforces the need for an audit of the State Hate Crimes Law, which New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli is currently conducting in response to a report I released on the topic last year. The flier, below, includes details of the attack and a police sketch of the perpetrator. If you have any information regarding the suspect or the attack, please call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-8477. A $2,000 reward is available, and all callers will remain anonymous.