District of Columbia
US Attorney’s office discloses two D.C. anti-LGBTQ hate crime cases
Murder, assault with dangerous weapon cases still pending
The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, which prosecutes most people charged with committing crimes in the nationās capital, disclosed for the first time earlier this month that a murder and an assault with a dangerous weapon that occurred in D.C. in 2021 have been classified as anti-LGBTQ hate crimes.
Court records show that arrests have been made in both cases and a man arrested in the murder case is being held without bond and is scheduled for a jury trial on May 6, 2024. Another man arrested in the unrelated anti-transgender assault case is scheduled to stand trial on Sept. 26, 2023.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Monroe provided information about the two cases at a June 15 virtual meeting of the D.C. U.S. Attorneyās Officeās Hate-Bias Task Force, which was attended by local LGBTQ activists.
Although Monroe provided only a brief description of the two cases, she disclosed the D.C. Superior Court case numbers for the cases, which enabled the Washington Blade to obtain further details of the cases.
Murder case
Public court records show that D.C. police, following a month-long investigation, charged D.C. resident Idrissa Idy Fall, 36, on Aug. 3, 2021, with the July 18, 2021, murder of his ex-girlfriend, Dara Northem.
A 7-page affidavit in support of Fallās arrest prepared by a D.C. police homicide detective states that a friend of the victim listed as an eyewitness to the incident who is identified only as Witness 1, or W-1, called 911 and reported that Fall allegedly shot Northem in the head while Northem was sitting in the front passenger seat of Witness 1ās car.
Witness 1, according to the affidavit, said the car was parked in front of the house where Northem, Fall and another person lived at 6101 4th St., N.W. Witness 1, the affidavit continues, told police Fall shot Northem through the passenger side window seconds after Northem entered the car and after he chased after her and shouted at her, āStop playing with me with that gay shit.ā
The affidavit says the police investigation learned from Witness 1 and the other person who lived in the house with Fall and Northem, who is identified as Witness 2, that Fall and Northem were in a relationship that became strained when Northem became friends with and went out with Witness 1, who identifies as a lesbian.
āIt was learned that the decedentās sexual orientation was heterosexual, but W-1 is gay and there was no romantic relationship between the decedent and W-1,ā the affidavit states.
Nevertheless, the affidavit and other court documents filed by prosecutors with the U.S. Attorneyās Office imply that Fall believed his girlfriend, who broke up with him shortly before the murder while the two continued to live in the same house, was being āunfaithfulā to him by having an affair with Witness 1.
āWitness 2 said the defendant had paranoia because the decedent had gay friends,ā the affidavit says.
Like other hate crime cases it prosecutes, the U.S. Attorneyās official initially charged Fall with Second Degree Murder While Armed and did not list the case as a hate crime. But court records show that in November 2022, prosecutors brought the case before a D.C. Superior Court grand jury.
The court records show that on Nov. 9, 2022, the grand jury handed down a three-count indictment against Fall, including First Degree Murder While Armed (Premeditated.)
āThe grand jury further charges that the murder was a bias-related (hate) crime,ā the indictment states. Although the indictment doesnāt say so directly, court observers believe the hate crime classification is based on defendant Fallās perception of Northemās sexual orientation as being homosexual and his hatred toward her for becoming a gay woman as he saw her.
The second count of the indictment charges Fall with Possession of a Firearm During Crime of Violence or Dangerous Offense; and the third count charges him with Unlawful Possession of a Firearm after having been previously convicted of a crime punishable for a prison term.
The arrest affidavit says D.C. police learned that Fall pleaded guilty in November 2020 to a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol in Montgomery County (Md.) Circuit Court and was sentenced to 60 days with seven days suspended.
Court records show that the first judge that presided over the case and another judge who replaced him each denied requests by defense attorneys requesting that Fall be released while awaiting trial.
The records show that a status hearing for the case is scheduled for July 5, and a jury trial is scheduled for May 6, 2024. Neither the court records nor the U.S. Attorneyās Office have given a reason for why the trial could not be scheduled for an earlier date.
Man charged with assaulting woman while shouting anti-LGBTQ slurs
The second of the two cases disclosed by the U.S. Attorneyās Office involves an Oct. 23, 2021, incident in which Darryl Barnes, 45, whose address is not provided in court charging documents, was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon for allegedly hitting a woman in the face with a metal pole inside Chen Sunnyās Carry Out restaurant at 3131 Rhode Island Ave., N.E.
A D.C. police charging document says witnesses, including the woman who was allegedly assaulted, and another person who was with her, told police that Barnes called them both āfaggotsā shortly before he assaulted the woman.
āOfficers interviewed Complaint 1, who stated that her and Complainant 2 were coming to the location to get something to eat when Defendant 1 produced a screwdriver and a pole and hit her in the face with the pole while wielding the screwdriver in his other hand,ā the charging document says.
The charging document says Complainant 1 sustained a small abrasion over the left cheek from the metal pole and Complainant 2 sustained a small abrasion to the left shoulder as a result of Barnes hitting them with the pole.
The charging documents do not say why Barnes was charged only with assaulting Complainant 1, who is identified by name as a woman. The Blade has a policy of not disclosing the names of crime victims except for murder cases if they cannot be reached for permission to use their names. Contact information for the victim could not immediately be obtained by the Blade.
Court records, like the murder case, show that Barnes was not immediately charged with a hate crime. But the records show that on May 31, 2023, at the request of prosecutors with the U.S. Attorneyās Office, a Superior Court grand jury handed down an indictment charging Barnes with Assault with a Dangerous Weapon that it classified as a hate crime.
āThe grand jury further charges that such criminal act demonstrated the prejudice of Darryl Barnes based on the actual or perceived gender identity or expression of [name of victim],ā the indictment states.Ā
Court records show that Barnes was initially ordered held in jail pending a mental health competency hearing, which was postponed several times. The records show that on Jan. 28, 2022, Superior Court Judge Michael Ryan issued an order finding Barnes āmentally incompetentā and ordered him to undergo āInpatient Competency Restoration.ā
The court record shows that Ryan ordered that Barnes be committed to D.C.ās St. Elizabethās Hospital for the competency restoration process. According to the records, the judge on April 1, 2022, found Barnes incompetent to stand trial and ordered that the competency restoration process continue and be conducted on an inpatient basis.
However, by July 29, 2022, the records show that Ryan approved Barnes eligible for release on his personal recognizance under the courtās High Intensity Supervision Program.
On Nov. 29, 2022, the court record shows that Barnes, though his attorney, rejected a plea bargain offer made by prosecutors and a trial date was set for July 11, 2023, after the court determined he was competent for a trial. But the records show that following the grand jury indictment against Barnes on May 31 of this year, the trail date was changed to July 26, 2023.
District of Columbia
Billy Porter, Keke Palmer, Ava Max to perform at Capital Pride
Concert to be held at annual festival on June 9
The Capital Pride Alliance, the group that organizes D.C.ās annual LGBTQ Pride events, announced this week the lineup of performers for the Sunday, June 9, Capital Pride Concert to be held during the Capital Pride Festival on Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. near the U.S. Capitol.
Among the performers will be nationally acclaimed singers and recording artists Billy Porter and Keke Palmer, who will also serve as grand marshals for the Capital Pride Parade set to take place one day earlier on Saturday, June 8.
The Capital Price announcement says the other lead performers will be Ava Max, Sapphira Cristal, and the pop female trio ExposƩ.
āThe beloved pop icons will captivate audiences with upbeat performances coupled with their fierce advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights, echoing the vibrant spirit of this yearās theme, āTotally Radical,āā according to a statement released by Capital Pride Alliance.
āWith Billy Porter and Keke Palmer leading the parade as Grand Marshals, weāre not only honoring their incredible contributions to the LGBTQ+ community but also amplifying their voices as fierce advocates for equality and acceptance,ā Capital Pride Alliance Executive Director Ryan Bos said in the statement.
āThe concert and festival serve as a platform to showcase the diverse array of LGBTQ+ talent, from the chart-topping hits of Ava Max to the iconic sounds of ExposĆ© and the electrifying performances of Sapphira Cristal,ā Bos said in the statement. āCapital Pride 2024 promises to be a celebration like no other.ā
The concert will take place from 12-10 p.m. on the main stage and other stages across the four-block long festival site on Pennsylvania Avenue.
District of Columbia
200 turn out for āLove Festā Drag Story Hour at Freddieās
Performer reads stories to kids and parents as three protest outside
Between 200 and 250 people, including parents and their children, turned out on Saturday, May 4, for a āLove Festā Drag Story Hour brunch hosted by the Arlington, Va., LGBTQ establishment Freddieās Beach Bar and Restaurant.
Local drag performer Tara Hoot, who read childrenās stories and handed out coloring books to the kids attending the event, was joined by members of the Gay Menās Chorus of Washington, which sang several songs before Hoot began reading from childrenās books in keeping with the tradition of drag queens conducting Drag Story Hour events across the country.
The May 4 event at Freddieās in the Crystal City section of Arlington took place four weeks after the start of a similar event hosted by Freddieās was delayed by a bomb threat, forcing those who had arrived to exit through a rear door and wait in a parking lot as Arlington police conducted a search of the premises with a bomb sniffing dog. No trace of a bomb was found.
All the customers, including parents and their kids, were invited back inside and the show took place as planned.
No similar threat occurred at the May 4 event. But three male protesters assembled on the sidewalk next to the parking lot behind the Freddieās building, with one of them shouting from a bullhorn passages from his Bible that he said indicated the Drag Story Hour event was an āabomination.ā
The three protesters were outnumbered by nearly a dozen counter protesters who were members of the Rainbow Defense Coalition, an LGBTQ organization. They carried bright, rainbow-colored umbrellas while chanting messages of support for the Drag Story Hour event.
Freddie Lutz, Freddieās Beach Bar owner, called the event a āsmashing successā that brought an āoutpouring of love from the community.ā Lutz released a flier on social media promoting the Love Fest event shortly after the earlier event interrupted by the bomb threat as a showing of love “to stop the hate.”
“Join us for the next story time brunch dressed in your favorite rainbow/hippie outfit” and “carry your favorite homemade signs of support,” Lutz said in his promotional flier. He came to the event dressed in what he called his hippie protest outfit.
Lutz said while the protesters did not interrupt the event, he was concerned that their shouting was scaring some of the kids as they and their parents walked by the protesters to enter Freddieās.
āI went out back and tried to talk to one of them and it was kind of like talking to a brick wall,ā Lutz told the Washington Blade. āHe was screaming at the parents that were crossing their kids on the crosswalk,ā Lutz said. āAnd I said, youāre screaming at those kids, youāre scaring them.ā
Lutz said the man told him he was yelling at the parents, not the kids. āAnd I said, no youāre not. The kids are hearing you. Youāre scaring them.ā
Added Lutz, āAnd to have such a fun-loving, happy show and then walk out on the sidewalk to that is very disheartening. Itās really sad. I told him my God is a forgiving and loving God.ā
One of the protesters, who declined to disclose his name, said he and his two fellow protesters came to talk about the gospel of Jesus Christ.
āWe want them to know this is an abomination to the Lord,ā he told the Blade. āWe want them to know those children donāt have a voice and theyāre being brainwashed in there. Weāre here to call out their sin.ā
Stephanie Krenrich, who brought her two-year-old daughter to the event, said she strongly disputes the claims of the protesters.
āI brought my daughter here because I think that it was a beautiful and wonderful show, and it was great for her,ā she said. āAnd I think itās pretty offensive when people come to Arlington and tell parents what to do, especially for something so beautiful and so fun and so wholesome,ā she told the Blade.
āSo thatās why I brought her,ā Krenrich said. āI think that itās really important that we stand up for our values and people just being themselves, being happy and being them.ā
Among those who attended the event were four elected officials from Arlington ā Virginia State Sen. Barbara Favola, Virginia State Del. Adele McClure, Arlington County Board member Maureen Coffee, and Arlington and Falls Church Stateās Attorney Parisa Dehgani-Tafti.
Also attending was Nick Benton, editor and publisher of the LGBTQ supportive Falls Church, Va., News Press; and Kellen McBeth, president of the LGBTQ group Equality Arlington.
āIt was fantastic to see so many people come out to support Freddieās, to support the LGBTQ+ community,ā McBeth said. āIt was a great event and weāre happy to be a part of it.ā
District of Columbia
Another successful Taste of Point fundraiser
Scholars praise financial, networking support
The Point Foundation hosted its annual Taste of Point DC fundraising event on Thursday with nine participating restaurants, a drag performance, and a silent auction.
The event was hosted on the rooftop of the Room & Board on 14th Street, with an afterparty at Shakers. Point donors, scholars, and alumni circled the rooftop eating chips and guacamole from Mi Vida and drinking Pinot Grigio from Barkada.
After about an hour of mingling the events began with event committee member, Kelly Horton and Kevin Kim Wright, chief of staff welcoming the crowd and speaking about the importance of their presence during this pivotal time in queer youth history. Then, Wright welcomed BIPOC Scholar Katherine Guerrero Rivera, saying she was a model of a Point scholar.
āWeāre always impressed with all of our scholars and Katherine is another example of a student who is deeply engaged in their campus life and a myriad of projects, everything from creating her own podcast to being a part of a number of student organizations.ā Wright said.
Rivera said that the Point Foundation scholarship helps her resist the pressure to drop out. She pointed out that just over 50 percent of Latina students who attend college graduate.
āThe Point BIPOC Scholarship is not just financial support, Point has connected me with hundreds of people like me studying on campuses across the country.ā she said.
Rivera is a criminology major and poetics minor at University of Maryland and said she hopes to use her degree to bring knowledge to her community through art and advocacy. She said it is important for her to take academic jargon and make it accessible to her community.
āToo often, the history of LGBTQ and people are ignored and silenced during our education,ā she said. āI want to use my access to higher education and the chance to develop my creative skills to bring light to societal issues.ā
She finished her speech with applause for the audience, then Horton came back with drag queen Tara Hoot to discuss ways donors could continue to support the Point Foundation.
After the lineup of events Wright said he felt great about the event, because it was a celebration of Pointās scholars.
āSome are interning for United States senators, some are volunteering for leading national non-profits, so to be able to celebrate all thatās being done here is truly amazing,ā
Wright continued, thanking the D.C. restaurant community for consistently showing up in force to support Point.
āThis really helps to paint the picture that this movement is growing,ā he said. āPeople believe in this mission to provide LGBTQ young people with the opportunity to pursue their higher education goals, to improve their leadership abilities and then go on to make a significant impact on society.ā
CLICK HERE to see more photos from Taste of Point.
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