Hate Crime Update and PROTEST

For background, here's our most recent post, and here's our first post.

So, so, so much has happened and I have exactly 12 minutes before my shift to get all the information I can possible get together on one post.

I'll start with the most pressing.

The founders of Guerilla Queer Bar, all UC students, have called a protest tomorrow (3/19) at 5:30pm. I'll let them tell you the full story:

Dear Members of the Cincinnati LGBTQ and Allied Community,

As you may or may not know, there was a serious hate crime on UC's campus the night of March 6th. If you have not yet read the message that was sent to the UC community, it's at the bottom of this email. We need to take a stand for our community and show the beauty and validity of our identities and sexualities!

In response to this incident, we will hold a demonstration TOMORROW (Thursday, the 19th) starting at 5:30 pm at the corner of CLIFTON and CALHOUN. We will congregate on the UC Law School side of the street and then walk as a group down to the corner of MLK and CLIFTON.

Bring a hand made sign that states your identity-- "I am Gay" or "I am a Lesbian" or "I am Queer" or "I am Bisexual" or "I am Trans" or "I am an Ally". Be proud! There will also be a big communal sign that states the reason for the demonstration.

Cancel whatever you had planned, make a sign, get all your friends to come, and get your butt to CLIFTON and CALHOUN at 5:30 tomorrow evening! This is important. Stand up for our community and make our voices heard!

With love,
Ethan Philbrick, Jane Meek, and many more - Please Forward!!!!!!!

That came over the Facebook and is now making the rounds in your email inboxes. This is in response to the note to the UC Community from the UC Police Captain, Karen Patterson:

To: UC Community
From: Karen Patterson, Captain UC Police Department

Cincinnati Police have reported two felonious assaults that occurred on March 6, 2009 at 4:20am in the 2500 block of Clifton Avenue.
The victims were walking home when one of the victims stopped to talk to the suspects, who were friends from high school. Upon hearing that the other victim was a homosexual, the suspects became aggressive and attacked both individuals.
The victims were able to provide the police with the names of several of the suspects in the case. All three suspects were white males with two being described as 18 to 20 years old, 5'10", between 150 and 160 lbs, with brown hair and green eyes.

Karen K. Patterson MEd
Office phone: (513)-556-4906
Email address: karen.patterson@uc.edu

But I really wanted to call attention to the very excellent and extensive information provided to us by Stuff Queer People Need to Know, who did a lot of great research on the hate crime statutes and is intimately involved with the UC LGBT community... and therefore she speaks from a very personal position. God knows, when shit happened at Miami, we were all affected. Much love to the UC LGBTQ community. I know how you're all feeling.

JereKeys said it best:

Barry is hoping to draw attention to a little reported crime at the University of Cincinnati which may have been a hate crime had Ohio passed a law to recognize felony assault as a hate crime (or if the Cincinnati bias crime penalty for misdemeanor assault were applicable) or something. The news organizations who are claiming “neither have been charged with a hate crime, and, therefore, reporting it as such would be illegal” are full of shit. No one had a problem reporting on Matthew Shepard’s murder as a hate crime even though Wyoming had no such provisions in state law. It’s very simple, “Police are investigating an assault on two local college students, an assault that some say should qualify as a hate crime… [begin discussion of the incident, follow-up with information about how Ohio state law (not to mention federal law) doesn't recognize hate crimes based on sexual orientation or gender identity].” It’s a time-honored formula for the media and an opportunity for them to create more false balance by placing a random board member from Equality Cincinnati on the air next to a raving lunatic from CCV for a “debate.” It’s controversial and ratings gold!

IMPACT Cincinnati has put the information out there, and I believe individual members are offering logistical help as best they can.

The grand jury report of the alleged attacker -- Ethan Kirkland -- is on Friday.

I have more stuff, but it will have to wait, for now.