From:1910 Osborne Place, To: the media bogeymen
On October 3-4, 2010, 10 members of the Latin King Goonies found one of their recruits, a 17 year-
Little Shop of Terror
old wannabe, leaving the home of “La Reina [the queen].” They decided to torture him to find out if he was a “fag.” After finding out that their potential recruit had in fact had sexual relations with “La Reina,” who is 30 years old and known to be gay in this Bronx’s neighborhood, the gang decided to attack the “La Reina” and another 17 year old that had sex with “La Reina.” According to several news sources, some community members knew what went down at 1910 Osborne Place the next day, but no one (not even the victims) went to police. What caused this silence on both the victims’ and the community’s part and what’s up with the investigative reporting by the media?
According to the New York Post article, the community knew about the torture and was reluctant to come forward. Jaymaire Mendez explains the reason for the lag time “We don’t talk to cops. We don’t like them.” The victims’ (and the community’s) distrust is informed by things witnessed, experienced or shared regarding the police actions in the Bronx(and the city at large). In the Bronx, we need only think of Amadou Diallo and how he was gunned down by plain clothed police officers, who were later acquitted of their crime. In terms of a hate crime committed by those who protect and serve we need only think of Abner Louima, a Haitian man, who was violently beaten, and sodomized by police officers in a police precinct. Even when dealing with people of color, not as wrongfully murdered or beaten would-be perpetrators of crime, but as victims in need of assistance, there is still a cause for concern, because their plights are often rendered invisible by inadequate media coverage.
There is a general lack of equal media attention, investigative reporting and concern about the lived experiences of people of color, particularly black and Latino youth.
black, gang member and gay?
As a result, it comes as no surprise when we see this same trend play out for Black and Latino LGBTQ youth and adults. This lack of concern is made manifest in how much media attention black and Latino LGBTQ hate crimes receive; a pervasive indifference for the context in which some Black and Latino LGBTQ youth live (e.g., like the victims in the Bronx and Steven Parrish); and the blatant efforts made by some to downplay, erase or disregard the difficulties that some black and Latino LGBTQ face within their racial and ethnic communities as well as the racial biases experienced outside of them (e.g., with the police and the larger LGBTQ community).
It has been proven that there is bias in coverage particularly in terms of which victims become remembered (i.e., their stories get more media hits and are written up in more papers) as the trigger for societal response. Within a seven months period after their attack, Professor Kim Pearson found 659 stories in major newspapers regarding the murder of Matthew Shepard, compared to only 21 articles about Sakia Gunn’s murder.
Ebony Whitaker
Continually we see this play out at the expense of black and brown youths’ lives and how it has the potential to skew attention (and resources) towards those who are the least vulnerable within a marginal community, particularly the LGBTQ community. Here is a short list of Black and Latino LGBTQ people who have been victims of hate crimes: Julio Rivera (29 years old, murdered, July 1990); Bella Evangelista( 25 years old, murdered, August 2003); Emonie Spaulding (26 years old, murdered, August 2003); Dwan Prince (27 year olds, beaten, June 2005); Tiffany Berry (21 years old, murdered, Feb 2006); Duanna Johnson (43 years old, beaten, Feb 2008); Ebony Whitaker( 20 years old, murdered, July 2008) . Yet for these transgender persons, women and men of color their stories remain often buried in reports and numbers used to prove political points that gain privileged gay folks more political capital to push an agenda, and where their stories are not buried is in the minds of millions of Americans.
More dangerous (at least to me) is the haphazard way in which stories involving black and Latino LGBTQ are used as footnotes or padding to prop-up a gay agenda that doesn’t often directly benefit them. At the same time, their stories are isolated in a way that downplays the tragedies occurring in their respective racial and ethnic communities. Instead of speaking on similarly situated youths like Steven Parrish, 18, who was murdered by his fellow gang members for being gay, both the print and television media have repeatedly attenuated the context of the 1910 Osborne Place torture, isolated the story from relevant similar stories, and th
en linked the torture story to that of a white youth taking his own life as a way to talk about the impact of bullying and suicide.
In this New York Times’ article and NPR audio clip, the author of the article and the speakers in the clip erase the significance of race and ethnicity. In an attempt to align this torture with Tyler’s suicide, bullying in school, and other issues, the media misses the lived-experience of some LGBTQ youth of color. The story is that the police weren’t trusted by this working class Latino community (nor by the victims) in the Bronx; the story is one of gang culture and the premium place on heterosexuality; the story is how a recruit of a Latino gang was experimenting with homosexuality. I’ve read only one article start to address the consequences that these teens face trying to navigate their lives through both the lens of race and sexuality. Granted that may be a lot for a journalist to do in an article, but at the very least, take the time to look at similarly situated stories.
Sakia Gunn
By doing a thorough job of investigative reporting on stories like 1910 Osborne Place torture, the different media outlets could provide a better look at the dynamics and magnitude of the peril that some black and Latino LGBTQ people face within their racial communities as well as the racial bias experienced outside of it (e.g., with the police and the larger LGBTQ community). Still the media, however imperfect, must bring visibility and awareness to the harsh realities that some Black and Latino LGBTQ people endure in trying to find their place within ethnic, racial, and LGBTQ communities. Their stories cannot just undergird the push of the LGBTQ communities’ agenda to move forward, but it must serve also as a call to action for these people’s racial and ethnic communities. The stories of the transgender persons, bisexual people, lesbian women and gay men of color have to occupy a visible place in both communities.
I obviously dont know much about the circumstances, but from what you wrote it seems like a gross injustice for LGBTQ persons of color. The mere fact that ppl dont feel safe enough to report crimes to the police and then the fact the media is down playing murder and trying to tie it in with other minor stories is another injustice.
I obviously dont know much about the circumstances, but from what you wrote it seems like a gross injustice for LGBTQ persons of color. The mere fact that ppl dont feel safe enough to report crimes to the police and then the fact the media is down playing murder and trying to tie it in with other minor stories is another injustice.
I think you make some great points; thanks for the article. I wonder, then, what is next. This makes me think of the feminist movements and how first wave feminism failed to capture the complexity of sexism that is compounded by race and socioeconomic class. I hope the LGBTQ movement can find a way to avoid the fragmentation that happened with the feminist movement. I think it will be stronger overall if these issues can be brought from the margin into the mainstream (rather than constituting a separate or alternative front). Speaking out about it is the first step!
I think you make some great points; thanks for the article. I wonder, then, what is next. This makes me think of the feminist movements and how first wave feminism failed to capture the complexity of sexism that is compounded by race and socioeconomic class. I hope the LGBTQ movement can find a way to avoid the fragmentation that happened with the feminist movement. I think it will be stronger overall if these issues can be brought from the margin into the mainstream (rather than constituting a separate or alternative front). Speaking out about it is the first step!
There is definitely a need for the media and minorities alike to address the “no snitching” mantra and overall distrust of the police by minority groups. However, in the Osbourne torture case, an emphasis on that aspect of the story would be akin to ‘missing the tree for the forest’.
First, the crime was reported and most of the perpetrators were arrested within a week after the event. I do not know the exact timeline, however it is fair to say the distrust of the police by the minority group involved did not result in delayed justice for the victims.
Second, the reason parallels were drawn between the suicide over the GW bridge and the Osborne case was simply because the suicide victim was the most recent casualty of an homophobic environment. And that suicide dominated the news cycle before the torture happened, hence the shock that such a heinous crime was committed within days of the suicide. All the names you mentioned in your article are valid reference points, but as we all know, people have short term memories, and the most recent acts always hold a greater sway in our thought process that events from the past.
So in this case the media got it right, although ‘The story is that the police weren’t trusted by this working class Latino community (nor by the victims) in the Bronx; the story is one of gang culture and the premium place on heterosexuality; the story is how a recruit of a Latino gang was experimenting with homosexuality’… and the story is about the ‘consequences that these teens face trying to navigate their lives through both the lens of race and sexuality’
The main story is still about abuse as a result of sexual orientation. LGBTQ People of all ethnic backgrounds (white, brown, yellow, black, blue, gray…) have to deal with prejudice in their everyday lives. The suicide the week before and this torture case were a call to action for people of all ethnic backgrounds (not just Latinos, or other minority groups) to address the problem.
There is definitely a need for the media and minorities alike to address the “no snitching” mantra and overall distrust of the police by minority groups. However, in the Osbourne torture case, an emphasis on that aspect of the story would be akin to ‘missing the tree for the forest’.
First, the crime was reported and most of the perpetrators were arrested within a week after the event. I do not know the exact timeline, however it is fair to say the distrust of the police by the minority group involved did not result in delayed justice for the victims.
Second, the reason parallels were drawn between the suicide over the GW bridge and the Osborne case was simply because the suicide victim was the most recent casualty of an homophobic environment. And that suicide dominated the news cycle before the torture happened, hence the shock that such a heinous crime was committed within days of the suicide. All the names you mentioned in your article are valid reference points, but as we all know, people have short term memories, and the most recent acts always hold a greater sway in our thought process that events from the past.
So in this case the media got it right, although ‘The story is that the police weren’t trusted by this working class Latino community (nor by the victims) in the Bronx; the story is one of gang culture and the premium place on heterosexuality; the story is how a recruit of a Latino gang was experimenting with homosexuality’… and the story is about the ‘consequences that these teens face trying to navigate their lives through both the lens of race and sexuality’
The main story is still about abuse as a result of sexual orientation. LGBTQ People of all ethnic backgrounds (white, brown, yellow, black, blue, gray…) have to deal with prejudice in their everyday lives. The suicide the week before and this torture case were a call to action for people of all ethnic backgrounds (not just Latinos, or other minority groups) to address the problem.
Supernerd, thanks for this post. I appreciate the way you connected each story in that long (and sadly incomplete) list of recent anti-gay atrocities in communities of color. In addition to giving names to these often anonymous victims, your post reminds us that these attacks, murders and suicides are not unique to any one community, but that they are regrettably pervasive and the shit isn’t “getting better” fast enough–particularly in communities of color where there as been a woeful silence around these issues for too damn long, albeit for various reasons.
John, media coverage of the GW bridge suicide may be enough to constitute a “call to action”, particularly for the white queer (and ally) community which is still fueled by the activism surrounding the deaths of Matthew Shepard, Brandon Teena, etc. However, the same cannot be said for Black and Latino communities. Of the stories that Supernerd cited, how many garnered national (or even local) media coverage? How many did you already know about? How many triggered a public outcry with the help of national Black and Latino leaders, queer and non-queer alike? Many people in communities of color have yet to hear about these stories or publicly express outrage over them, let alone “act”. The sad truth of the matter is that communities of color are behind in both knowing about AND acting on these issues, hence the alarming number of deaths. The perpetrators should be severely prosecuted, but we also have to hold public government officials, NGO leaders, and anyone with access to this blog accountable for improving the situation of those who are at risk of meeting a similar fate. This goes for anyone who is concerned about or claims to represent the interest of racial and so-called sexual minorities. We can raise awareness through blogs and Facebook posts. Now that we know about them, we should CONTACT, INFORM and QUESTION local and national media outlets, elected officials and NGOs (e.g., NAACP, Human Rights Campaign, ACLU, National Black Justice Coalition, GLAAD, National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, Lambda Legal). In my experience, though, too few people are willing to do something as simple as this, so it leaves me with little hope that it will “get better” before it gets worse.
Supernerd, thanks for this post. I appreciate the way you connected each story in that long (and sadly incomplete) list of recent anti-gay atrocities in communities of color. In addition to giving names to these often anonymous victims, your post reminds us that these attacks, murders and suicides are not unique to any one community, but that they are regrettably pervasive and the shit isn’t “getting better” fast enough–particularly in communities of color where there as been a woeful silence around these issues for too damn long, albeit for various reasons.
John, media coverage of the GW bridge suicide may be enough to constitute a “call to action”, particularly for the white queer (and ally) community which is still fueled by the activism surrounding the deaths of Matthew Shepard, Brandon Teena, etc. However, the same cannot be said for Black and Latino communities. Of the stories that Supernerd cited, how many garnered national (or even local) media coverage? How many did you already know about? How many triggered a public outcry with the help of national Black and Latino leaders, queer and non-queer alike? Many people in communities of color have yet to hear about these stories or publicly express outrage over them, let alone “act”. The sad truth of the matter is that communities of color are behind in both knowing about AND acting on these issues, hence the alarming number of deaths. The perpetrators should be severely prosecuted, but we also have to hold public government officials, NGO leaders, and anyone with access to this blog accountable for improving the situation of those who are at risk of meeting a similar fate. This goes for anyone who is concerned about or claims to represent the interest of racial and so-called sexual minorities. We can raise awareness through blogs and Facebook posts. Now that we know about them, we should CONTACT, INFORM and QUESTION local and national media outlets, elected officials and NGOs (e.g., NAACP, Human Rights Campaign, ACLU, National Black Justice Coalition, GLAAD, National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, Lambda Legal). In my experience, though, too few people are willing to do something as simple as this, so it leaves me with little hope that it will “get better” before it gets worse.