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Friday, September 19, 2008
A
message
from
GLLU’s
Brett
Parson:
In
recent
weeks,
GLBT
community
members
and
leaders
have
become
increasingly
aware,
concerned
and
outspoken
about
hate/bias
crimes
being
committed
against
actual
or
perceived
members
of
the
community.
News
articles,
blogs
and
e-mail
listserves
have
all
brought
to
everyone’s
attention
the
dangers
of
living
in
an
urban
environment.
During
2006,
the
most
recent
year
of
statistics
reported
by
the
Federal
Bureau
of
Investigation,
the
District
of
Columbia
reported
a
total
of
57
hate/bias
crimes. Of
those
crimes,
36
were
based
on
the
victim’s
actual
or
perceived
sexual
orientation. This
accounts
for
63
percent
of
the
total
hate/bias
crimes
reported
in
the
District
of
Columbia.
By
comparison,
the
FBI
states
that
in
2006,
sexual
orientation
was
the
motivation
in
15.5
percent
of
all
the
hate/bias
crimes
reported
nationwide.
From
January
through
July
this
year,
there
have
been
19
reported
hate/bias
crimes
in
the
District
of
Columbia. Of
those
crimes,
11
have
been
motivated
by
hate
or
bias
based
on
the
victim’s
actual
or
perceived
sexual
orientation. This
disparity
is
alarming,
but
is
probably
due
to
a
multitude
of
reasons.
In
1998,
the
Metropolitan
Police
Department
reported
only
two
hate/bias
crimes
to
the
FBI.
It
is
impossible
to
believe
this
number
was
accurate. The
Gay
&
Lesbian
Liaison
Unit
(GLLU)
was
created
in
part
to
increase
awareness
and
communication
in
the
GLBT
community,
in
the
hopes
members
would
report
any
victimization.
It
is
believed
the
GLBT
community
members
now
are
reporting
their
victimization
at
a
much
higher
rate
than
other
groups.
Lastly,
officers
are
better
trained.
In
the
years
prior
to
the
creation
of
the
GLLU,
officers
learned
little
to
nothing
about
the
GLBT
community
or
hate/bias
crimes. As
the
amount
of
information
being
provided
to
officers
has
increased,
so
has
their
level
of
awareness. Every
case
is
investigated
by
veteran
criminal
investigators
who
have
access
to
the
assistance
of
the
members
of
the
GLLU. These
investigators
work
diligently
to
identify
the
perpetrators
of
these
offenses
and
bring
them
to
justice.
There
are
things
you
can
do
to
avoid
becoming
a
victim
of
a
hate/bias
crime. For
more
information,
visit
the
GLLU
at
www.gllu.org.
The
D.C.
police
department’s
Gay
&
Lesbian
Liaison
Unit
was
recently
involved
in
the
following
cases.
The
GLLU
assists
in
a
wide
variety
of
cases
and
its
involvement
does
not
imply
any
person
or
business
is
gay,
lesbian,
bisexual
or
transgender.
•
Police
were
called
Sept.
9
at
4:30
p.m.
to
an
apartment
along
the
1400
block
of
Newton
Street
N.W.
to
respond
to
a
reported
assault.
Officers
determined
a
man
had
assaulted
his
boyfriend
and
destroyed
property
inside
the
apartment.
The
suspect
was
arrested.
No
injuries
were
reported.
•
Police
were
called
Sept.
14
at
8
p.m.
to
the
Minnesota
Avenue
Metro
Station
to
respond
to
a
reported
assault.
Officers
found
a
man
with
minor
injuries.
He
told
police
that
he
was
attacked
by
a
group
of
five
men
ranging
in
age
from
17
to
21
years
old.
Officers
stopped
several
nearby
suspects,
but
the
man
declined
to
identify
any
suspect
as
an
attacker
for
fear
of
retribution.
•
A
man
reported
to
the
GLLU
on
Sept.
14
at
11:30
p.m.
that
he
was
involved
in
an
altercation
along
the
1500
block
of
17th
Street
N.W.
The
man
told
police
that
as
he
left
a
local
bar,
another
man
approached
him
and
asked
for
money.
When
the
first
man
refused,
the
second
man
displayed
a
knife.
The
first
man
struck
the
second
man,
knocking
him
to
the
ground
and
ending
the
attack.
The
first
man
left
the
scene,
returned
home
and
contacted
the
GLLU.
•
Police
were
dispatched
Sept.
15
at
11:30
a.m.
to
the
Mitch
Snyder
Shelter
along
Second
Street
N.W.
to
respond
to
a
reported
assault.
Shelter
staff
told
officers
that
a
man
had
exposed
himself
to
another
man
and
indicated
that
he
intended
to
sexually
abuse
the
man.
Officers
determined
the
suspect
was
suffering
from
mental
illness
and
transported
him
to
the
Comprehensive
Emergency
Psychiatric
Evaluation
Program
for
evaluation.
No
injuries
were
reported.
Anyone
who
has
been
the
victim
of
a
crime
or
has
knowledge
of
a
crime
is
encouraged
to
contact
the
GLLU
on
its
24-hour
pager
at
1-877-495-5995.
Visit
the
GLLU
at
www.gllu.org.
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