Emanuel Xavier brutally beaten, expected to recover

Emanuel Xavier at a recent police brutality protest

As far as exclusives go, this is not necessarily the type of news that you would want to hear. From the announcement that was just forwarded to this blog:

On the evening of Tuesday, October 25th, spoken word artist, openly queer activist and actor, Emanuel Xavier, was brutally beaten at random by a street gang in the Bushwick area of Brooklyn. On his way to visit his mother, currently struggling with cancer, the poet was surrounded by fifteen to twenty young Latino men and punched several times in the face. The crime has not been labeled a biased attack and - though one of his poems is set to appear in King’s Court, the Almighty Latin Kings Nation newsletter - no gang affiliation has been established and is unlikely. Though he declined hospitalization, initial statements described him as badly bruised with possible hearing damage to his right ear

Emanuel had shared news of the attack with a few people yesterday and I think he was struggling with how public to go with it. I know that in one instance in which a knife was held to my throat during a mugging that took place years ago, I also struggled with going public with it (I never did 'til now). Yesterday, I found myself sharing that experience with Emanuel as well as the surprising sense of rage that rushed through me when the mugger let me go, perhaps at having put myself in a dangerous situation in a dark alleyway, as my knees started shaking and almost let my body go.

Yesterday, I told Emanuel that he should eschew political correctness and only speak up if he wanted to do it and felt ready to talk about it and not necessarily because he is a public figure and should be expected to do so. But we also touched on the importance of raising awareness about violence in our communities, whether it's bias-related or not. Ultimately, I think that this last concern was what brought up this morning's statement from his publicist. So, if I didn't speak up back then when I got mugged, I am now doing so as well and applaud Emanuel for taking the lead.

I have previously blogged about the annual House of Xavier, but my admiration for Emanuel goes back a bit further, starting with the moment I picked up his amazing first book of poetry, Pier Queen. As someone of Latino heritage who nevertheless grew up in the United States and who spent hours in Manhattan's now gentrified West Side Piers - which was and still remains one of the few sites were queer youth of color congregate in this city - I felt the shock of having lived some of the same experiences that Emanuel so vividly expressed through his poems. A shock that I know others have also experienced since it's rare to see these words reflected on any page. Emanuel would go on to author Christ-Like and Americano, and edit a collection of spoken word poetry by different authors called Bullets and Butterflies. He has also appeared in HBO's Def Poetry Jam and the film The Ski Trip.

I will post updates as I get them and wish Emanuel a prompt and full recovery and the best for his mother as well.

UPDATES (click on hyper-links):
· October 30, 2005: Dispeling rumors regarding the assault on Emanuel Xavier (thanks Leo for the update)
· November 4, 2005: A Message from Emanuel Xavier
· November 15, 2005: Gay City News Cover Story - Emanuel Xavier
· January 15, 2006: Emanuel Xavier: New York Post OpEd
· January 27, 2006: This Saturday at the Bowery Poetry Club
· January 30, 2006: Butterflies with Emanuel Xavier and friends