Four teenagers have been arrested in New York Four for an alleged anti-gay hate crime.
They have been accused of physically attacking two men while shouting anti-gay epithets in the early hours of July 21 outside a train station in Babylon, N.Y.
The Long Island Press reports that the alleged attackers punched, kicked and shoved the two men “while using slurs based on the suspects’ belief of the victims’ sexual orientation,” police said in news release. Police did not disclose the alleged slurs used.
A witness called 911 and responding officers arrested 20-year-old Gregory Gilbert, Shane Buckley and Nicholas Battaglia, both 18, along with 17-year-old Justin Buckley.
All four were charged with assault as a hate crime. Gilbert, Battaglia and Shane Buckley were also charged with gang assault. They will be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip.
The victims were taken to Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip, where one was treated and released and the other victim was admitted in serious condition.
David Kilmnick, CEO of the Long Island GLBT Services Network, called the allegations disturbing and frightening.
“This incident reminds us that we need to be vigilant in combatting hate and homophobia and that there still is a tremendous amount of work to do to make our Long Island a safe and welcoming community for all gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people and families,” he said in a statement.
Well hate crime and violence is all over
the country and I just finished reading a book about it. White Girl
Bleed a Lot: The return of racial violence to America. http://whitegirlbleedalot.com/.
It’s about hate crimes, racial crimes, mob violence, violence against
gays.. etc. It’s a collection of violence mostly have videos. You might
not believe it but it’s really happening. So scary. I think there’s
more than 50 cities.