A New England LGBT Newspaper and Media Outlet has been the target of a hate crime. A newspaper box belonging to The Rainbow Times was blown up by a group of people around 1.20 a.m. Tuesday.
Seven people were captured on surveillance video placing an unknown device inside the newspaper box , reports CBS Boston. As the suspects run away from the newspaper box, a large explosion can be seen in the video above. According to police, the explosion could be heard up to a mile away.
Gricel Ocasio, co-founder of the publication said, “When I saw the video, there are no words to express how I felt. It was a combination of sadness, anger.” According to Ocasio there have been numerous incidents targeting this box.
Ocasio is not deterred. He has ordered more boxes and vows to keep on publishing. “Everyone should be outraged because this touches on the fabric of everything that we know and every person,” he told CBS. “We are going to continue to be here. We are not scared.”
Identifying this as a hate crime, Salem Police Chief Mary Butler told CBS,“There are clearly other newspaper stands around it and they’re not being touched, so this is a particular, targeted hate crime.”
