Local
Gay man attacked in D.C. halfway house
Victim’s sister says police investigating as hate crime
D.C. police are investigating a Feb. 22 incident at the Hope Village Halfway House in Southeast Washington in which a 39-year-old male resident of the facility was attacked and beaten because he’s gay, according to the victim’s sister.
Missy Payton said a detective working on the case told her the assault against her brother Isaac Payton has been classified as a hate crime and that the attacker fled the house without permission. She said the detective told her police were obtaining a warrant for his arrest but he had not been found as of Tuesday.
Police spokesperson Gwendolyn Crump said the police report for the incident wasn’t completed for public release as of Tuesday but would be released later in the week.
“My brother told me he was resting on a sofa in his room and half asleep when a man from another room came in and started punching and kicking him,” Missy Payton said.
She said her brother told her the attacker repeatedly shouted, “I told you to keep your gay ass out of my way” as he continued to assault Isaac Payton. “My brother never said anything to the man that attacked him,” she said.
She said that according to her brother’s account of the incident, two of his three roommates who were present when the assault started told the attacker, “that’s enough” when they noticed her brother’s head was bleeding.
It was at that point that the attacker fled the room and, as Hope Village officials discovered later, fled the house and did not return.
Her brother was taken to a hospital, where he received stitches to treat a head wound, Missy Payton said.
She said her brother told her that one of his roommates was friends with the attacker and had told him shortly after her brother arrived at the house on Jan.31 that he disliked him because of his gay “lifestyle,” of which he did not approve.
When asked how the roommate knew her brother was gay, she said Isaac Payton is “openly gay” and is recognized as being gay by most people who see him “because of his appearance.”
A Hope Village official who would only identify himself as Mr. Verone told the Blade by phone that he was not authorized to speak with the media.
“I can say an incident did happen,” he said. “It is being investigated. Mr. Payton’s safety is assured.”
Missy Payton, however, said her brother told her he doesn’t feel safe and is fearful that someone else may assault him.
The Hope Village website says the facility, which is located at 2840 Langston Pl., S.E., is operated by a private company under contract with the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
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Congratulations to Yadiel Meléndez, on their new role as Community Associate, with the Wanda Alston Foundation. Meléndez is piloting a new role as a Community Associate at the Wanda Alston Foundation, where they support queer and trans young people in finding their footing, building independence, and experiencing a housing community where they are seen, valued, and affirmed. They are coming into this role with more than a decade of experience as a community organizer and operations specialist, supporting diverse communities through service, advocacy, and program coordination.
Previously they worked for Right Proper Brewing Shaw as a server and bartender and at Sephora, Washington, DC, and at FreshFarm, DC, in bilingual food access. They also worked freelance to build foundational structures for local queer BIPOC performance art coalitions, producing variety shows to curate space for marginalized performance artists in the community. They were a production manager for Haus of Hart Productions, a BIPOC centric performance art production. They also worked as field staff with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in Stafford, Va.
Meléndez is bilingual, Spanish and English. Their work is guided by a commitment to dignity, safety, and trauma-informed engagement, particularly within LGBTQ and BIPOC communities.
Congratulations also to Ben Rosen LICSW, on his new role as program director, with the Wanda Alston Foundation. Rosen previously worked with Fountain House’s OnRamps program, helping to build a new, innovative outreach program for individuals considered chronically homeless, and living with serious mental illness, in the Times Square area of New York. Rosen is a Psychotherapist, having worked with SG Psychotherapy, and as the psychotherapist with the Nest Community Health Center (URAM).
Rosen has a B.F.A. in Theatre Arts: Musical Theatre, Minor in Psychology (Cum Laude) from Malloy University Conservatory; and his M.S.W. in Clinical Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups, from The Silberman School of Social Work, Hunter College, N.Y. He is independently licensed in New York and Washington, D.C.
Rehoboth Beach
BLUF leather social set for April 10 in Rehoboth
Attendees encouraged to wear appropriate gear
Diego’s in Rehoboth Beach hosts a monthly leather happy hour. April’s edition is scheduled for Friday, April 10, 5-7 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to wear appropriate gear. The event is billed as an official event of BLUF, the free community group for men interested in leather. After happy hour, the attendees are encouraged to reconvene at Local Bootlegging Company for dinner, which allows cigar smoking. There’s no cover charge for either event.
District of Columbia
Celebrations of life planned for Sean Bartel
Two memorial events scheduled in D.C.
Two celebrations of life are planned for Sean Christopher Bartel, 48, who was found deceased on a hiking trail in Argentina on or around March 15. Bartel began his career as a television news reporter and news anchor at stations in Louisville, Ky., and Evansville, Ind., before serving as Senior Video Producer for the D.C.-based International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union from 2013 to 2024.
A memorial gathering is planned for Friday, April 10, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the IBEW International Office (900 7th St., N.W.), according to a statement by the DC Gay Flag Football League, where Bartel was a longtime member. A celebration of life is planned that same evening, 6-8 p.m. at Trade (1410 14th St., N.W.).
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BLUF leather social set for April 10 in Rehoboth
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