Letters

STREETS UNSAFE FOR GAYS Dear SGN, The city of Seattle has turned into a city of hate! I have lived in Seattle for 4 years now and in that time there have been four Gay bashings, three within a 6 month period! Luckily, no one has lost their life yet but, sadly, in time this is destined to happen and then and only then will our police department take notice and do more to protect the citizens of the city of Seattle! It all started with Micah Painter who was Gay bashed on June 27, 2004 as he left the Timberline bar to get a dry shirt from a friends car. As he headed away from the club, Painter heard someone yelling faggot! and turned to see a person in the white truck giving him the finger! There was a Gay bashing June 20th in the drive thru at Jack in the box on Broadway, which means you are not even safe as you are waiting to pick-up a late night meal in the safety of your car! Less than 10 days before this attack, Jason Mancillas, a 25-year-old Gay man, was brutally beaten Sunday, June 10 on his way home from Neighbors Nightclub. Mancillas was punched in the face, thrown to the ground and kicked by five or six unknown assailants. He is currently recovering from wounds to his head and body, including a black eye, multiple lacerations and bruises. I have never understood why the Neighbors entry door is in a dark alley when the front door opens out to Broadway, which would be much safer for people coming and, especially, those who are going home late at night! Now, Michael Wrenn has been attacked in Belltown, which is one of the safer neighborhoods in Seattle! The Seattle Police Department does not care about the Gay community in this city because, if they did, more would be done to keep these attacks from happening; instead of acting put out because they are asked to protect and serve, which is what they are paid to do! Hatred against the Gay community has been going on way to long and we should not be forced to put up with it anymore! There are a few things that can be done! 1) Flood the telephones of the mayor and the chief of police and let them know that we are sick of being overlooked and that we want to walk the streets of Seattle without having to fear being Gay bashed by a homophobic bastard with too much time on their hands! 2) Walk in groups, remember there is safety in numbers! Never walk the streets of Seattle alone at night! 3) Attend the meetings of the city council and voice your concerns because it is going to take us speaking up before our streets can be made safe! Together we can do more to make this city safe. It is high time we do so before someone else is hurt or, even, killed! Sincerely, George S, Ellington Seattle, Washington