By John Riley on January 19, 2023 @JRileyMW
Orlando police are investigating after an unidentified person was captured on surveillance cameras appearing to break the windows at a nightlife complex that is home to three LGBTQ bars.
Video surveillance footage from around 3:40 a.m. on Wednesday shows a person — believed to be a man, based on stature and appearance — in a hooded sweatshirt walking by the Southern Nights complex in Orlando’s Milk District, which houses the LGBTQ bars District Dive, Southern Craft, and Southern Nights.
As the video continues, the man walks back and forth in front of several windows, which begin to shatter. At one point, the man appears to make a motion with his arms as if he was using a slingshot to fire something at the windows. In total, eight windows were broken.
Police said it appears the unidentified vandal “used an unknown item that was able to shatter the windows.”
Nobody was harmed in the incident, which occurred about 10 minutes after the last employees had closed down the bars. Orlando police do not yet have a suspect or have not determined a possible motive for the crime.
“The Orlando Police Department does not tolerate criminal behavior of any kind,” Chief Eric Smith said in a statement. “Whoever committed this brazen vandalism against our city’s LGBTQ+ businesses will be held accountable.”
Blue Star, an LGBTQ advocate and a spokesperson for Southern Nights, called the incident “heartbreaking.”
“Your first initial thought is that you are a target for a specific reason,” Star told Orlando NBC affiliate WESH. “I don’t want to assume. But I can tell you that my heart feels attacked for sure.
“Every day we stand up and we fight for our rights. Unfortunately, in Florida, we are battling the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ laws, our anti-trans laws. Every single day you’re beat down when you wake up,” Star added. “And to have someone attack one of our safe spaces in Orlando is disheartening.”
Employees of the bar and construction workers arrived on scene on Wednesday morning to clean up the broken glass and board up some of the windows so the bar could open later that day.
“We want to make sure that the community understands…that their safety is the first and foremost thing that we are thinking about. But we also want to remain vigilant. And we want to remain open,” Star said.
Orlando Commissioner Patty Sheehan, who arrived on scene while the debris was being cleaned up, said she hoped that the incident was not fueled by the recent spate of incendiary rhetoric directed at the LGBTQ community.
“I hate it because there’s been so much backlash against the LGBTQ community lately. I hope this is not related to that kind of rhetoric that spreads hatred towards my community,” Sheehan said.
But she also expressed confidence that the community would rebound from this latest setback.
“Gay people are resistant. Gay bars are resistant,” Sheehan told WESH. “We are people who rise from the ashes and keep going every time no matter how much stuff you throw at us. We’re going to keep going. And we have the support of this community. This is going to be not something that’s going to be found to be popular. And I wish people would just keep their hatred to themselves.”
Orlando police are asking for help in identifying the vandal. Those with information about the vandalism are asked to call 321-235-5300 or contact the police department’s Crimeline anonymously by calling 1-800-423-TIPS (8477) or texting **TIPS (8477).
“We need everybody to look at that,” Sheehan said, referring to the security footage of the vandalism. “And if you know who that person is we need to identify this person so that we can figure out what this person’s intent was.”
By John Riley on December 27, 2022 @JRileyMW
A man has been arrested for allegedly vandalizing two LGBTQ bars in Lexington, Kentucky, with anti-gay slurs.
William White, 51, has been charged with first- and second-degree criminal mischief for allegedly spray-painting the exteriors of Crossings Lexington, a popular queer dive bar, and The Bar Complex, an LGBTQ nightclub. He faces additional charges for an outstanding warrant related to a separate charge.
Based on photos posted to Facebook by The Bar Complex, the graffiti on and near the windows reads: "Homo, Qeer (sic), Sissy, F**, Punk" and other homophobic slurs, while graffiti on the sidewalk and main door appears to say "Dead" without any other context.
By John Riley on January 18, 2023 @JRileyMW
A gay-owned restaurant in Chicago had its front glass door shattered in what is being classified as a possible hate crime.
The incident occurred on Monday evening at R Public House, a bar and restaurant located in the city's Rogers Park neighborhood, around 5: 30 p.m.
According to owners Renee Labrana and Sandra Carter, a man on the street began harassing two customers as they approached the restaurant, and challenged the two to a fight. The man followed the patrons inside before being told to leave the restaurant. Once outside, he pulled out a hammer, shattered the glass of the front door, and ran off, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.
By John Riley on February 1, 2023 @JRileyMW
Two new LGBTQ-specific spaces are opening in the D.C. area with one slated to open within a few weeks, and the other by the spring of 2023. Construction and final permitting processes are currently underway at both locations.
The first location, expected to open in mid-February, is Bunker, located in the subterranean space that once housed Tropicalia nightclub, at 2001 14th St. NW.
Owned by the producers behind the KINETIC Presents LGBTQ dance parties, Bunker seeks to establish itself as the District's answer to what has been a dearth of LGBTQ-specific dance clubs following the establishment of Nationals Park, the closure of Town Danceboutique, and the pandemic-related closures of the DC Eagle, Ziegfeld's/Secrets, and other venues that once played host to top DJs and live musical entertainment.
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