Posts Tagged ‘GLLU’
The Week in GLBT Police Activity: Fist and Brick Edition
The GLLU, MPD’s Gay and Lesbian Liason Unit, serves the District’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender communities. Last week in police activity related to the GLBT community—including fistfights and brick-assisted assaults—below.
Club clubbing. On Monday, Dec. 29, an employer contacted the GLLU to report an assault on behalf of one of his employees. The victim was leaving a U Street club at 3 a.m. earlier in the month, accompanied by a female friend. Three males approached and “verbally berated” the pair. One “used homophobic language.” Then, the men punched both clubgoers in the face, “causing injuries to their heads and faces that required brief hospitalization.” One suspect also took the male victim’s cell phone.
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The Week in GLBT Police Activity: Carry-Out Hate Crime Edition
The GLLU, MPD’s Gay and Lesbian Liason Unit, serves the District’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender communities. Last week in police activity related to the GLBT community—including details about the apparent hate crime at the Hong Kong Delite Carry Out —below.
* Anti-gay club. On Thursday, Dec. 4, a Rhode Island Ave. NE club owner contacted the GLLU for “advice regarding neighborhood relations.” The owner had “received a couple of complaints from area residents.” She thought the complaints stemmed from the patrons being gay. The owner was referred to the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration.
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The Week in GLBT Police Activity: Fugitive Edition
The GLLU, MPD’s Gay and Lesbian Liason Unit, serves the District’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender communities. Last week in police activity related to the GLBT community—including consensual teenage sex, severe lacerations, and a search for fugitives—below.
* Denial twist. On the evening of Nov. 28, 2008, the mother of a 16-year-old male flagged down police outside the Metro on Minnesota Ave. The mother claimed “her son was sexually assaulted” by a 17-year-old one month earlier. Police interviewed all parties, and determined that “the sexual contact was consensual and no crime occurred.” The mother refused further police resources.
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The Week in GLBT Police Activity: Minor Stab Wound Edition
The GLLU, MPD’s Gay and Lesbian Liason Unit, serves the District’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender communities. Last week in police activity related to the GLBT community—including minor stab wounds, pride flag assailants, and stolen coats—below.
* Lip service. On the afternoon of Nov. 18, D.C. police responded to the report of an assault. A group of friends had had a fight over “missing personal property.” A victim had been punched in the face, and suffered a “minor cut to his lip.” The victim asked that the suspect—whom police identify as a “Transgender female”—not be arrested, but he did ask for “information regarding how to obtain a Stay Away Order.”
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GLLU Police Blotter
The GLLU, MPD’s Gay and Lesbian Liason Unit, serves the District’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender communities. Read the last two weeks in police activity related to the GLBT community below.
First, GLLU’s report of the David Kerstetter case, in full:
On Thursday, Nov. 6, at approximately 10:20 am, uniformed officers from the department’s Third District responded to a residence located in the 1300 block of 13th Street, NW to assist the building manager with a possible open door at that location. Upon arriving and initiating their investigation, the officers were suddenly confronted by an adult male inside of the premises reportedly wielding a knife. Reportedly, a struggle ensued as the officers repeatedly ordered the man to drop the weapon. It was at that time that the police in the face of apparent imminent danger fired upon the subject, striking him. The suspect, Mr. Kerstetter, was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead at 12:48 pm. There were no reported physical injuries to the two officers involved in this incident. The identities of the officers, both males, are being withheld at this time to allow for the proper notification of their families. A knife was recovered at the scene of the incident. Both members have been placed on routine administrative leave with pay as the circumstances surrounding this case remains under investigation by members assigned to the Force Investigation Team from the department’s Internal Affairs Bureau.
Read the rest of the GLLU blotter, after the jump.
GLLU Police Blotter
The GLLU, MPD’s Gay and Lesbian Liason Unit, serves the District’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender communities. Last week in police activity related to the GLBT community:
* Don’t hit the door on the way out. On Thu., Oct. 30, 2008, a call from SE concerning “damaged property” yielded a damaged “interior door,” two arguing “male residents,” and some cartoonish finger-pointing. According to the police, “Neither male took responsibility for the damage or advised officers how the damage resulted.” Read More “GLLU Police Blotter” »
GLLU Police Blotter
The GLLU, MPD’s Gay and Lesbian Liason Unit, serves the District’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender communities. Last week in police activity related to the GLBT community:
* All loiterers are created equal. On Friday, Oct. 24, police responded to a complaint about “disorderly juveniles” in Chinatown. After being told to leave, one of the juveniles requested to speak to the GLLU, then “complained he was being harassed based upon his race and sexual orientation.” The GLLU said the loitering procedure was standard and based on “specific complaints.”
* Expensive ride. Later that evening, a man requested assistance from police because he “reported he left his wallet on top of his vehicle and pulled away without retrieving it.” Unfortunately, “A search for the wallet was unsuccessful.”
* Ruff night. On Saturday, Oct. 25, a woman was attacked by a neighbors’ dog while walking her own dogs. She contacted the GLLU to report the attack; the GLLU notified the District of Columbia Animal Control.
Tony Hunter Case: What Makes a Hate Crime?
On Wednesday, 18-year-old Robert Hanna was arrested in relation to the September death of Tony Randolph Hunter. Hanna is being charged with voluntary manslaughter in the death of Hunter, a gay man, but some community members are more concerned with a charge that hasn’t been levied against Hanna: “Hate crime.” The Sept. 7 attack on Hunter—along with several other recent acts of violence against gays—has galvanized D.C. GLBT activists, many of whom are referring to the incident as a “hate crime“—even as D.C. Police classify it otherwise.
In a Wednesday press conference, Metropolitan Police Department Chief Cathy Lanier stated that as far as MPD and the U.S. Attorney’s Office is concerned, the Hunter case is not a hate crime. In a statement, Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit (GLLU) Community Outreach Specialist Matt Ashburn wrote, “Of particular interest to members of the GLBT community, Chief Lanier stated the case was thoroughly reviewed by prosecutors at the United States Attorney’s Office and there is no evidence to support a hate crime enhancement.”
Lanier also noted that investigators in the case have ruled out another suspected motive: robbery. MPD is now describing the events leading to Hunter’s death simply as an “altercation between Mr. Hunter and Mr. Hanna.”
But with the robbery motive abandoned, how is it decided whether or not an “altercation” is motivated by hate?
Tony Hunter Suspect Robert Hannah Arrested
18-year-old Robert Hannah was arrested yesterday in relation to the death of Tony Randolph Hunter. Last week, D.C. police secured an arrest warrant charging Hannah with Voluntary Manslaughter in Hunter’s death. The case is still not classified as a hate crime, police say. According to a press release:
Of particular interest to members of the GLBT community, Chief Lanier stated the case was thoroughly reviewed by prosecutors at the United States Attorneys Office and there is no evidence to support a hate crime enhancement. Furthermore, Chief Lanier indicated the initial suspected motive of robbery was eventually determined by investigators to not be correct and that the death of Mr. Hunter resulted from an altercation between Mr. Hunter and Mr. Hanna, during which Mr. Hunter suffered injuries which lead to his death.
Mr. Hanna will be presented in the District of Columbia Superior Court, at which time a judge will determine if he will be released or jailed pending the judicial process.
Note: I’ve seen different spellings of the suspect’s name, re: Hanna/Hannah, from MPD documents. Will update when I get word from MPD.
Full statement after the jump.
GLLU Police Blotter
The GLLU, MPD’s Gay and Lesbian Liason Unit, serves the District’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender communities. Last week in police activity related to the GLBT community:
* Cold case. On Mon., Oct. 6, a potential witness contacted the GLLU regarding a year-old Alabama homicide. GLLU “is assisting members of the local Alabama Sherriff’s Department.”
* Pocket call. On Mon., Oct. 6, a victim who had attempted to break up a fighting group of juveniles called the police after the mob turned on him and stole his cell phone. “The cellular telephone was recovered and returned to the victim, who refused to provide his personal information for a police report.”
* Return to sender. An employee of the federal government reported receiving two unwanted pieces of mail via USPS: “Each piece of mail contained a single piece of paper, on which was written homophobic epithets.” GLLU is investigating with the U.S. Postal Inspector.
* A thin line between stab and “serious cut.” On Wed., Oct. 8, officers responded to a report of a stabbing. “Upon arrival on the scene, the officers found the victim suffering from a serious cut to his neck.” The man claimed he had been stabbed by a former lover. “According to the victim, the suspect was intoxicated and an argument ensued over money the victim accused the suspect of stealing from him.”
Full GLLU police blotter after the jump.
