April 23, 1997
A rare night out recently led me to downtown Orlando, and ultimately into the violent world of hate crime.
I had joined a friend for a Saturday night at The Club at Firestone. I enjoyed my time there, being especially impressed with the quality of the entertainment, as well as the superior sound and lighting system.
We left The Club around 1 a.m. and walked toward the parking lot. It was then that we were confronted by the reality of hate crime in our "City Beautiful".
On the sidewalk, a man who was visibly shaken, was pacing back and forth with his hands in front of his face. In front of this man was a uniformed security officer talking into his radio. As we approached, we asked the young man if he was ok, and as he turned toward us, into the glow of the streetlight, we could see his bloodied face and arms.
"No, I'm not ok," he spoke, stopping to wipe at the blood around his mouth. "THIS is not ok!"
The victim was visiting Orlando from Atlanta. It was in the parking lot behind The Club that he was jumped and beaten, as his attackers jeered "You faggot!"
The man escaped his attackers, and The Club security force converged on the parking lot followed in a matter of minutes by an OPD cruiser.
My astonishment that this type of violence had hit home was shared by the patrolled parking lot attendant, who told us that nothing like this had happened in her three years at The Club.
According to a Review of the U.S. Dept. of Justice report, "The most frequent victims of hate violence today are blacks, Hispanics, Southeast Asians, Jews, and gays and lesbians. Homosexuals are probably the most frequent victims."
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