NY1: Manhattan DA Classifies Two Alleged Anti-Gay Attacks As Hate Crimes

Excerpt from Rebecca Spitz's October 18, 2010 NY1 story on the response to two alleged cases of anti-gay violence in Greenwich Village.

Greenwich Village is a neighborhood that prides itself on its reputation as a welcoming home for gay men and women. Yet Julius, a well-known gay bar that has been in the neighborhood for decades, is now the scene of an alleged bias attack.

On Monday, October 11, police say Frederick Giunta walked into Julius, shouted racial and anti-gay epithets and slugged the bartender...

Ten minutes before the attack at Julius, investigators say the same suspect did a similar attack at Ty's Bar on Christopher Street. The victim's wallet was stolen and he was punched in the face...

These attacks came just weeks after two men were charged with brutally beating a man while screaming anti-gay slurs in the bathroom of the Village's Stonewall Inn, which is accepted by many as the birthplace of the gay rights movement.

"People are feeling trapped in their homes. They are afraid to go out because they feel the streets are too dangerous for them. That has to stop," said Manhattan Senator Thomas Duane, who is openly gay.

To read the whole story, click here.