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Concerns
about
a
rising
wave
of
anti-gay
violence
gripped
Fort
Lauderdale’s
GLBT
community
in
the
wake
of
a
blatant
gay
bashing
at
a
popular
Las
Olas
eatery
on
Feb.
23.
The
latest
incident
has
prompted
Equality
Florida
and
a
coalition
of
gay
organizations
to
schedule
a
town
hall
meeting
to
address
the
anti-gay
violence
problem
on
Thursday,
Feb.
28,
at
the
Gay
&
Lesbian
Community
Center
of
South
Florida
in
Fort
Lauderdale.
Fort
Lauderdale
Police
are
investigating
the
assault
against
Melbourne
Brunner
as
a
hate
crime.
Brunner
was
beaten
around
3
a.m.
Saturday
in
the
parking
lot
of
the
Floridian
Diner.
The
incident
began
as
Brunner
and
his
partner,
Mitchell
Mart,
were
eating
at
a
table
with
another
friend.
At
one
point,
the
men
said
“good
morning”
to
a
man
who
was
seated
at
another
table.
That
man
became
belligerent
and
approached
the
table
where
Brunner
sat.
According
to
Brunner,
the
man
said,
“Are
you
looking
at
me
faggot?
You
know
what
I
do
to
faggots?
I
break
their
necks.”
Brunner
and
Mart
asked
the
waiter
to
call
police.
The
men
got
up
to
leave,
and
when
they
tried
to
get
in
their
car,
the
man
who
approached
their
table
blocked
their
way.
The
man
punched
Brunner
in
the
jaw
as
Brunner
attempted
to
get
in
the
passenger’s
seat,
Brunner
said.
Brunner
was
knocked
unconscious
and
fell
face-first
to
the
ground.
Mart
attempted
to
get
the
attacker’s
license
plate
number,
but
the
man
took
off
his
shirt
and
wrapped
it
around
the
tag
before
speeding
off,
Mart
said.
Police
have
yet
to
identify
the
attacker
or
release
a
sketch.
The
only
identifying
information
is
that
the
man
drove
away
in
a
green
2002-2003
Toyota
Tacoma
with
a
bed
cover
and
a
roll
bar.
The
Floridian
restaurant
is
offering
a
$5,000
reward
for
information
leading
to
an
arrest
in
the
case.
According
to
police,
the
first
emergency
call
was
made
from
the
Floridian
at
3:21
a.m.,
but
police
did
not
arrive
until
5:17
a.m.
—
nearly
two
hours
after
the
incident.
By
then
Brunner
was
being
treated
at
Broward
General
Hospital.
Brunner
and
Mart
tried
to
make
a
report
from
the
hospital,
but
police
did
not
arrive
there
until
after
Brunner
was
released
at
7:30
a.m.
For
Mart
and
Brunner
the
attack
itself
was
shocking
enough,
but
they
remain
unsettled
about
the
police
response.
Mart
and
Brunner
said
they
had
to
wait
until
Monday
to
file
their
report,
raising
questions
in
the
gay
community
about
whether
the
police
are
taking
anti-gay
violent
incidents
seriously.
Fort
Lauderdale
Det.
Brice
Brittenum,
the
department’s
gay
and
lesbian
liaison,
who
handles
hate-crime
cases,
responded
by
saying
that
the
department
has
been
pursuing
the
case
as
aggressively
as
possible.
“Everything
we’ve
done
on
this
case
indicates
we’re
taking
it
seriously,”
Brittenum
said.
“We’re
handling
it
as
quickly
and
efficiently
as
possible.”
He
confirmed
that
officers
arrived
at
the
Floridian
almost
two
hours
after
the
initial
call.
But
he
said
the
call
was
from
an
anonymous
caller
and
it
only
described
the
incident
as
“a
couple
of
guys
fighting.”
He
said
the
department
was
responding
to
other
more
dangerous
calls
at
the
time
of
the
incident
at
the
Floridian.
The
gay
community
has
been
watchful
of
homophobic
incidents
throughout
the
city
since
Fort
Lauderdale
Mayor
Jim
Naugle
incensed
the
community
last
summer
with
what
many
people
perceived
as
anti-gay
statements.
“We
cannot
help
but
see
the
connection
between
the
virulent
anti-gay
rhetoric
of
people
like
Jim
Naugle
and
the
Florida4marriage
group
and
wonder
if
their
continued
demonization
of
the
LGBT
community
is
leading
to
this
increase
in
anti-gay
violence,”
said
Waymon
Hudson,
president
of
the
local
activist
group
Fight
Out
Loud.
The
hit-and-run
of
a
bartender
at
the
Ramrod
last
October,
muggings
around
Wilton
Manors
nightclubs
and
reported
incidents
of
people
driving
down
Wilton
Drive
and
screaming
“faggot”
have
alarmed
many
people
in
Broward’s
gay
community.
This
week,
the
Express
received
e-mails
about
an
incident
involving
hecklers
throwing
eggs
at
pedestrians
along
Wilton
Drive.
The
fatal
shooting
of
Simmie
Lewis
Williams,
a
transgendered
teen,
on
Feb.
22
has
added
to
the
tensions.
“There
is
clear
evidence
that
there
are
those
who
don’t
want
[gay
people]
here,”
said
activist
Michael
Rajner.
“We
need
to
make
certain
that
we
are
safe.”
The
GLCC
meeting
will
take
place
at
6:30
p.m.
on
Thursday,
Feb.
28.
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