Comments on: Judge finds probable cause in anti-gay stabbing outside D.C.’s Howard Theatre http://www.washingtonblade.com/2012/07/10/judge-finds-probable-cause-in-anti-gay-stabbing-outside-d-c-s-howard-theatre/ the gay community's news source Sun, 19 May 2013 20:09:04 +0000 hourly 1 By: Davis http://www.washingtonblade.com/2012/07/10/judge-finds-probable-cause-in-anti-gay-stabbing-outside-d-c-s-howard-theatre/#comment-59745 Davis Sat, 28 Jul 2012 01:14:13 +0000 http://www.washingtonblade.com/?p=44985#comment-59745 Maybe, just maybe some justice will prevail. Maybe.

]]> By: brian http://www.washingtonblade.com/2012/07/10/judge-finds-probable-cause-in-anti-gay-stabbing-outside-d-c-s-howard-theatre/#comment-56998 brian Wed, 11 Jul 2012 03:33:55 +0000 http://www.washingtonblade.com/?p=44985#comment-56998 *****
But after Monday’s hearing, Singletary said GLOV was pleased that the U.S. Attorney’s office chose not to lower the charges further in its plea offer and that it called for retaining the hate-bias designation in its plea bargain offer for Ali Jackson.
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Thank you. A.J. Singletary. GLOV’s continued diligence in communicating LGBT residents’ concerns to USAO regarding their prosecution of anti-LGBT hate crimes is deeply appreciated.

I’m sure USAO-DC wants to do the right thing. But as with communicating community impacts to sentencing judges, it does not hurt at all to repeatedly remind USAO-DC of the deep and widespread impact when the entire LGBT community is threatened by such obvious hate violence.

If USAO repeatedly fails to prosecute clear, bold violations of DC’s hate crimes law, that only encourages more anti-LGBT hate crimes. That’s a problem we have when MPD does not ROBUSTLY (Look it up, Chief.) pursue and investigate hate crimes cases, as well.

Singletary and GLOV also offered an informative, newsy presentation to Council’s Judiciary Committee hearing on hate crimes on June 29th. Their (and DC Center’s) stats and comparison charts on the increase in hate crimes in DC were helpful and appeared to be accurate. That Chairman Phil Mendelson continues to express his doubts about comparisons with other cities’ stats, as well as the apparent increase in violent hate crimes in DC against LGBT residents and visitors is now just an odd stretch– and frankly, disappointing given the rising level of violence and community fear.

Likewise, it was disappointing to hear of the lack of communications, transparency and interactive fair play with DC’s LGBT organizations from Mayor Gray’s Office of GLBT Affairs regarding the spending by that office of up to $70,000 in city funds. We ought to expect better from Jeffrey Richardson and Mayor Gray.

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