On March 15 around 4:35 in the afternoon Rob Taylor Craft was walking northbound on Fifth Avenue South intersecting Brandon Street in Georgetown when he saw four men huddled together. Hoping there would not be any conflict he continued in his direction, passing them, when one of them proclaimed “You know you look like a faggot, right?” Unsettled by this hateful and ignorant comment and just wanting to get home safely, Rob politely offered a calm “Thank you,” in an effort to diffuse the tension.
That’s when it happened. As Rob stayed on his path minding his own business, one of the four men called out again yelling “Hey faggot!” When Rob turned around his face was met with a hard dense object, possibly a boot, with what could have been a metal eyelet gashing his upper lip causing him to bleed profusely. Thinking on his feet, Rob chose to run for his safety until he was somewhere he felt safe to call his friends who quickly came to pick him up and then his fiancé at their apartment before seeking medical help for his laceration.
At the hospital Rob stated he was there for only a few hours and received excellent care from his doctor who gave him five to six stiches for his wound. His experience with the Seattle Police Department on the other hand was not as positive. Rob told Liberation News that when he tried to file a report on this hate crime he was met with impatience. Rob wanted a police officer to meet him to take his statement but says the officer insisted on taking his statement over the phone and after battling with the officer he consented.
He gave his statement to the officer who said that if another gay bashing like this were to occur again and it matched the description of this incident they would be able to put two and two together, crassly stating that he should not expect anything to come of filing his report.
Community forum on hate crimes
Rob’s attack came not even two weeks after an open forum held at All Pilgrim’s church which sought to find solutions to the ever increasing rates of anti-LGBTQ violence growing in the traditionally gay neighborhood of Capitol Hill and in Seattle in general. Hosted by Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant, the open forum was a spectacular opportunity for people in and around the community to share their experiences and thoughts on topics ranging from gay bashing and homophobia to police brutality and the lack of intersectionality. Mayor of Seattle Ed Murray, an openly gay man, was in attendance at the forum and shared his own experiences of living in the Emerald City for over 30 years.
In an interview with Q13 Fox, Mayor Ed Murray acknowledged the jump in anti-LGBTQ violence in his city but what wasn’t mentioned was just how bad it had gotten. It is important to note that many hate crimes go unreported and the number may in fact be higher. According to The Seattle Times, the city of Seattle has the third highest rate of hate crimes in the continental United States, a statistic that has many longtime residents of the city feeling confused as to how a city perceived to be such a gay bastion like Seattle could become this dangerous for the LGBTQ community.
Members of Seattle’s gay community have come to the realization, as have others in the past, that no one is going to defend them but themselves. In an effort to combat anti LGBTQI violence many have vocalized the need for community organized groups like Q Patrol to make a comeback to patrol Capitol Hill to ensure members of the community get home safe.
Others are more in favor of individualized action, like Mac McGregor, a community leader with over forty years of martial arts training. In conjunction with Neighbours night club, Mac is teaching a monthly self-defense course that teaches his students ways in which they can defend themselves from gay bashers and get out of life threatening positions like chokeholds. One of the most positive aspects of McGregor’s class is that each class builds upon the previous lesson instead of being the same class once a month. He says that the first 30 minutes will be a recap to keep what his students have already learned fresh in their minds while the rest of the class will be new techniques to keep them and their community safe.
As for Rob Taylor Craft’s take on how to combat anti-LGBTQ violence, he told Liberation News that he wants the Capitol Hill police need to seriously improve their patrols in the famous gay neighborhood and possibly create a task force to ensure the nightlife remains peaceful for all. Rob also agreed with what other community members have proposed in regards to the reactivation of Q patrol which would have a specifically LGBTQ agenda that the police won’t necessarily have. He made sure to mention that the Social Outreach Seattle Safety Shuttle, which can be reached at (203) 441-SAFE, is a prime example of the gay community coming together in solidarity and will hopefully be one of many advances for LGBTQ safety.
Capitol Hill and Seattle are changing rapidly as neighborhoods are gentrified; unity and solidarity are needed as we struggle for a better future.
