Posted on 04/19/2002 4:49:46 AM PDT by Lance Romance
Report: Attacks on Hub gays fewer but increasingly severe
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Although the number of hate crimes reported against gays and lesbians in the Bay State dropped last year, the severity of the assaults and the number of incidents involving weapons shot up, new statistics show. ``Victims were struck with bats, clubs, bricks and household objects. Those (incidents) that are reported are becoming more serious and more violent,'' said Emily Pitt, coordinator of the Violence Recovery Program at Fenway Community Health. The program released its annual findings yesterday. Following the trend of recent years, statistics showed the number of reported incidents against gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders decreased 5 percent, from 151 in 2000 to 143 last year. Nationally, there was a 12 percent decrease. ``This report does not include all the incidents that occurred in the commonwealth last year. It's probably only the tip of the iceberg,'' said Pitt, who said some victims might not report crimes to police because they don't think it will be taken seriously. The number of assaults involving weapons soared 43 percent while there was an 11 percent increase in injuries suffered by victims. Ronald Levasseur, 33, painfully described how a man punched him outside a restaurant in November because he is gay. His attacker was later criminally charged. ``I woke up to a painful shiner,'' said Levasseur, who does not go out alone in public anymore. ``Fear is an awful feeling. It really prevents you from truly living.'' More and more elderly Bay State victims are coming forward to report anti-gay assaults. The number of people over age 65 who reported being a victim spiked from one case in 2000 to 21 last year. Awareness campaigns as well as an aging gay population might have impacted those numbers, Pitt said. In the weeks after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, there was a significant decrease in the number of reported anti-gay incidents. There was, however, an increase of victims of Arab and Middle Eastern descent. ``Many of the victims who were sought out for anti-gay hate crimes were also being targeted for racially motivated hate crimes after the Sept. 11 attacks,'' Pitt said. Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley said hate crimes would not be tolerated.
by Jessica Heslam
Friday, April 19, 2002
Why is it every time I see this phrase, I question the data?
``This report does not include all the incidents that occurred in the commonwealth last year. It's probably only the tip of the iceberg,'' said Pitt, who said some victims might not report crimes to police because they don't think it will be taken seriously.
Oh yeah, the unreported crime statitic. My personal fav.
I have a feeling straight-gay violence is akin to white-black violence. i.e. both communities have much more self inflicted damage than damage from outside forces.
Yeah, I like the unreported crime stat myself. If it's unreported, how do the "experts" know about it? They must have called Cleo for a tarot card reading.
I bet they got hit with a few balls too...
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