Police have described the incident as a hate crime and say they are taking it seriously.
Springfield - A rally was held in front of Barrows Park on Walnut Street Tuesday afternoon, in an effort to call attention to last week's assault on a man believed to be gay by his attackers.
SPRINGFIELD – The scene at Barrows Park early Tuesday afternoon - children yelling with delight under sprinklers, adults talking quietly in the shade - jarred with the violence that erupted here last week when nine people, nearly all of them juveniles, allegedly attacked a man because they believed him to be gay.
The 30-year-old victim, attacked as he walked past the Walnut Street park on June 28, shortly after 3 a.m., was thrown to the ground, kicked in the head and abdomen, punched in the face, police said.
Some of his attackers yelled “That’s what we do to faggots,” according to a police report on the incident.
More than two dozen people gathered here at noon to deplore the violence that sent the victim to Baystate Medical Center, saw the arrest of 8 juveniles, at least one as young as 12, and a 19-year-old.
The victim, treated at Baystate and released, was not present at the rally.
Police have characterized the incident as a hate crime.
Honks from passing vehicles and and waves and thumbs-ups proffered by their drivers greeted group members, many of whom were carrying such signs as “Stop the Hate,” and “We Want Peace Not Violence.”
“No one should get beat up for who they are or what they believe,” said Ellen Graves. anti-violence coordinator for Arise for Social Justice.
Jamari Pagan, an Old Hill neighborhood resident who was enjoying the park with her three young children, said she had been saddened to hear of the attack. “That’s not fair, that’s not right,” said Pagan as she chatted with a friend inside the park.
Robin DiAngelo, who moved Seattle to the Forest Park neighborhood four years ago, agreed with the Springfield Police Department’s contention that such incidents are rare for Springfield.
“I like to see it as an aberration that needs to be taken seriously,” said DiAngelo, who attended the demonstration or rally with her husband, Jason Toews.
DiAngelo, a multi--cultural education teacher at Westfield State University, said they opted to move the city because of its diversity.
“Everybody told us not to move to Springfield and we are happy not to have listened to them,” DiAngelo said. “We love the diversity that we would not have had if we had lived in Northampton or other places. We have always had a very positive experience here.”
City Councilor Amaad I. Rivera, who describes himself as the city’s first openly gay city councilor and helped to organize the rally, said the incident is indicative of bullying and other issues that needs to be addressed at the grassroots level, by families and schools.
“What does it say about our community that young people committed this crime?” he said.
The lone adult in the group of suspects, Shay Andre Edwards, 19, of 11 George St., and the eight juveniles, were charged with unarmed robbery and civil rights violation with injury.
Edward’s arraignment has been continued to Thursday.