My New York: "No beards allowed," City tells cops

Been a bit busy at work so, while I get back to blogging, here's some dismaying news... At least they can keep the mustache.

Last night's vigil...

From last night's vigil: Top - The parents of Edgar Garzon lead a crowd in a vigil in their son's memory; 3rd picture down - Armando Garzon, Eddie's father, lights a candle in front of a make-shift memorial; Bottom - 37th Avenue and 77th Street will be renamed :Edgar Garzon Corner" at a public ceremony later this month. Additional photos here.

I was a bit surprised by the turn out at last night's vigil in honor of Eddie Garzon considering the late notice and the fact that it happened on the Tuesday right after labor day weekend. Initially about 15 to 20 people gathered on the corner of Roosevelt Avenue and 80th Street but by the time Eddie's parents showed up some of them had already left. No matter because they were replaced by others and at the end I counted 30 to 40 people. Among them were old friends of Eddie's, a couple of political figures and some who didn't seem connected other than by having read about of the vigil somewhere else.

Whether it was because there seemed to be separate groups or because some weren't sure what was going on or because Eddie's parents did not show up until 8pm or so, everyone seemed to be aimless and at a loss of what to do.

Personally I was feeling a bit awkward for some reason, so - while I guess I could have easily stepped in and take the lead - I just wanted to take a step back this time around. So I was glad when the Garzons appeared with local District Leader Francisco Moya at their side.

Among the other community and political leaders that showed up were New York State Assemblymember Ivan Lafayette and future District Leader (and friend) Alfonso Quiroz. Marlene Forero, who used to be one of Eddie's closest friends and is now a Board Member of the Colombian Lesbian and Gay Association (COLEGA) as a straight ally, brought some of her friends (they have always been there year after year) and other COLEGA members such as Jose Cruz and Juan Carlos Sandoval (and his partner Julio) also showed up. Yoselli Castillo showed up in representation of the Dominican group GALDE.

When I spoke to Leonor Garzon yesterday morning she was a little nervous about how to lead a vigil, the potential number of people that might show up and whether someone would be able to translate for her if there were a lot of people who only spoke English. I said that I'd translate for her if need be, that she only had to worry about the crowd if more than fifty people showed up and, even then, I was sure the local police precinct would take care of it (she had already invited officers from the 115th precinct in Queens to show up).

But once the Garzons showed up, there was no need to worry as everything ran somewhat smoothly. Slowly everyone marched along the same path we took during that 1st vigil, from the Cositas Ricas restaurant, going by Friend's Tavern, turning right on 77th Street and crossing 37th Road and 37th Avenue to the place where Eddie had fallen, his skull fractured, his blood staining the sidewalk.

During the walk, Leonor asked me once again to translate once we got there and to maybe talk about my memories of Eddie. How could I have said no?

The Reverend John Azzali began by offering a prayer and asking for a minute of silence. I then spoke of the day that we marched down the 5th Avenue Heritage of Pride march with the jaw-dropping float that Eddie had designed for COLEGA, a horse with coffee sacs reading "100% Colombian coffee/100% gay Colombian," Colombian folk dancers dressed up like coffee-cups (one of the dancers was at the vigil last night as well).

Leonor then addressed those gathered around a make-shift memorial - signs and photos posted and tied up around the trunk of the tree that was closest to where Eddie had fallen, candles set on the sidewalk illuminating the images - and was at turns mournful, sad, angry and defiant.

She spoke of her son and his friends, of how the unity of the Garzon family had been shattered by Eddie's death and of coming to the United States to make sure that justice was done. Mrs. Garzon also spoke of the recent trial that ended in a hung jury verdict and of how difficult it had been to take the witness stand to talk about her son's life, of how difficult it was going to be to face a jury again come this Fall when the case was brought to court again, and of hoping that it would be the last time she would have to testify about her son to a jury, that the next time there'd be justice.

She also said that she was surprised that there were so few representatives from gay organizations. She said that she knew her son was gay, had been proud to be gay and had lived an openly gay life in the United States, and how it was hard for her to comprehend how a lot of the gay leaders in the city were not there last night. She urged the gay community to remember their own, to support their own, to make sure that justice would come in the future when it came to her son.

Finally she made special mention of those who had shown up and, in particular, Marlene Forero and those who used to know Eddie years ago; the political leaders that showed up ("for them, not all is politics," she said, "sometimes they also show they have a heart"); Father John Azzali; and the homicide unit of the New York Police Department as well as the detectives and officers at the 115th Precinct who were instrumental in capturing suspect John McGhee when all traces seemed to have expired. She specifically thanked Detective Daniel Corey who was unable to be there last night.

Armando, Eddie's stoic dad, then spoke and nearly broke my heart. He was brief but full of emotion as he told the crowd that someone had taken away half his heart by killing his son. How he didn't know whether to be grateful that Eddie was now gone and perhaps at a better place than any of us but of how much it still hurt and how much he missed his son.

I hope I did them justice in translating their words. It's difficult to translate other people's words when there is so much emotion and tragedy behind them.

I was approached by the new commander at the 115th precinct and I thanked her and the many officers that showed up last night for being there. I laughed and told her that I might have criticized the 115th precinct in the past but that they deserved the warm thank-yous that the Garzon's had given them last night.

People mulled around and signed a memorial book. When most of the people had drifted away as well as most of the security detail I found myself talking to a young police officer who arrived late and remained behind as everyone else left. He wanted to know more, saying he'd been shocked to find out a man had been attacked on that street - which he considered among Jackson Heights' safest. So I told him the story and spoke about the gay community in Queens, the gay nightlife and how I didn't necessarily feel that it was a dangerous place to be gay. "Yeah," he said, "to be perfectly truthful, as a police officer I've always thought that the gay bars are safer and seem to have a funner atmosphere than the straight bars in Queens; I always see trouble there but not at the gay bars."

A small conversation after a mournful vigil that for some reason mad me love my neighborhood even more and seemed an appropriate end to yet another year in which a few of us came together to remember Eddie.

A memorial mass is planned for this Thursday, September 6th at the Our Lady of Fatima Church at 25-56 80th Street in Jackson Heights, Queens. Also later this month, the corner of 77th Street and 37th Avenue will be renamed the "Edgar Garzon Corner" in a public ceremony. A specific date has yet to be determined.

In the meantime, Terrance has offered this perspective and reading someone else's thoughts, for some reason, finally brought the full emotions home.

My New York: Pride

Oh, I almost forgot! The Heritage of Pride march took place yesterday. Had an OK time. Cop above got stuck herding da' bears (to the right) and the pier kids (to the left). More photos here. Better photos from someone else here.

Who is Luis Barrios? Why isn't he in jail?

Let me tell you a couple of things about the Reverend Luis Barrios:

• In 2006 he was honored by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation when they named him the Outstanding Spanish-language Newspaper Columnist of 2006. For years Reverend Barrios has written an influential weekly opinion column in the New York daily El Diario La Prensa which he has often used as a platform to advocate for LGBT rights.

• In July of 2006 he spoke up against the New York State Court of Appeals' decision that the state is not required to provide equal access to marriage for same-sex couples. In an Empire State Pride Agenda statement, the Reverend was quoted as saying:

"It is a shame that the Court made a decision to not protect the rights of all people. This unfavorable decision affects people that love and take care of each other. Family values lost out today. However, just because the court did not require the legislature to act does not mean that it should neglect its duty when it comes to lesbian and gay couples and their children. We now call upon the legislators to pass a law that allows loving same-sex couples to marry so that they have access to the same life-and-death legal rights and responsibilities that are given to all other families."

• In a 2006 profile from the Columbia school of journalism news service he tells Alison Ogden the reason why he allows condoms to be distributed at his church services: Three of his brothers died of AIDS in the mid-1980's.

• In May of 2006 he spoke movingly of long-time gay activist and journalist Juan Mendez upon his untimely passing when I asked him to reach out to Gay City News for an obituary they were drafting in Juan's honor.

• In 2004 he accepted my invitation to participate as a panelist at a Hostos Community College forum on the issue of marriage rights for same-sex couples and riled against homophobic Reverend (and state senator) Ruben Diaz, Sr. for the pro-Bush and anti-gay rally he'd organized weeks earlier at the Bronx Courthouse.

• In 2001, he accepted my invitation to say a prayer in memory of Eddie Garzon at a memorial vigil that I organized in Queens a couple of days after Eddie died from injuries he sustained when he was beaten up on the streets of Jackson Heights as he walked home from a nigh out at the gay bars.

• Hm, he also was kind enough to bring me some Dominican cigars from a trip to the Caribbean island last year.

Still, I swear that I am not being biased in my suggestion that he shouldn't go to jail.

You see, ever since he attended an anti-Bush demonstration at the United Nations in September of last year, Reverend Barrios had faced charges of assaulting an officer, of disorderly conduct and of resisting arrest; charges that could have sent him to prison for five years (or more).

Fortunately on Wednesday the court decided that some of the charges had been less than credible and dropped all charges except "violation of disorderly conduct" for which he was charged with time served and a fine of $95 dollars.

Reverend Barrios maintains that he was innocent of all charges and says that the disorderly conduct charge is the price to pay nowadays for civil disobedience.

All in all, we are happy to still have the Reverend amongst us, free to predicate his inclusive sermons.

My New York: Tell Mayor Bloomberg to allow PRIDEfest in Chelsea!

As you might have heard elsewhere, in trying to move the site of their annual LGBT Pride Festival to accommodate increasing crowds and secure a more welcoming environment, New York City's Heritage of Pride has ran smack into Mayor Mike Bloomberg's sreet event policies and the New York City Police Department's regulations on street event permits.

The City has decided that in moving the event from the narrow streets of the West Village to the wider 8th Avenue in the Chelsea district and by changing the date of the PRIDEfest from the day of the actual Pride March to a week earlier, HOP has created a "new" event and, as such, will tax police department resources.

The result? A permit has been denied and Heritage of Pride has been forced to cancel this year's festival.

BUT they would like for the community to express themselves loudly and demand that a permit be granted immediately for next year's event. More information on their site including a sample letter that you can send to local political leaders, including Mayor Bloomberg.

Other views: Blogger Frank León Roberts has another take.

ACT UP protest: Same old BS, twenty years later

NOTE: Images Copyright © 2007 Andrés Duque and Rex Wockner

About 400 t0 500 people showed up on a magnificently sunny day to act up once again on what was planned as the 20th year anniversary action of the organization ACT UP.

Larry Kramer, who was among the people who jump started the direct action group twenty years ago addressed reporters at the rally's start (YouTube video here). Clients from organizations such as Housing Works, African Services Committee, the Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project, the New York City AIDS Housing Network, People of Color in Crisis and GMHC joined the crowd. There was also a large contingent from ACT UP Philadelphia.

The well-behaved crowd shouted slogans such as "No more bullshit, health care for all," "Health care for people, not for profit" and "Same old bullshit, 20 years later."

Marchers made their way from the Federal Building down to City Hall with a stop at Trinity Church (just off the World Trade Center site) through the narrow building canyons in front of the New York Stock Exchange ending up at the big bull statue at Bowling Green, long a symbol of Wall Street.

Organizers threw plastic body bags in front of the statute, two ACT UP'ers also mounted the bull and flew a banner that read "ACT UP: Health care for all."

After addressing the crowd and reporters, a group of 20 to 25 activists crossed the police barriers surrounding the Bowling Green park and laid down on the street in a "die-in." They were arrested for disrupting traffic and are currently in custody.

When it was all said and done the bull was left standing alone with a pair of condoms adorning its horns.

Additional stuff:

• Lots of photos here
• Even more photos, from a Philadelphia ACT UP'er here (courtesy of Kaytee Riek)
  
• A video of marchers going past the New York Stock Exchange here
• Rex has his take on today's march here as well as commentary about ACT UP's past - including some archive photos - here
• Michael Petrelis: "Dozens 'Die-In' at san Francisco ACT UP/Gay Shame Action in the Castro"
• Castro Die-In Demands Housing for All (SF/Bay Area Independent Media Center)
• ACT UP marks 20 years with housing protest (San Francisco Chronicle)
  

Future meetings: According to a message left tonight on my voice mail by Andrew Velez, ACT UP will mark its anniversary with a $20 celebration/fundraiser on Saturday, March 31 at 8 p.m. at the LGBT Community Center, 208 West 13th Street.

There will also be a follow-up organizing meeting on Thursday, April 12th at 7:30PM - also at the LGBT Community Center - for the first ever meeting of the Queer Justice League (although the name of the group is subject to change). Questions should be directed at queerjusticeleague@gmail.com.

Coverage:

• ACT UP Roars Again at 20 (Andy Humm in Gay City News)
• ACT UP returns to Wall Street with a bang (POZ Magazine)
  
• El Diario La Prensa's Photo Gallery
  
• Still Acting Up Twenty Years Later (New York magazine's "The Intelligencer")
• Arrests Taking Place at ACT UP demo - Updated (Joe.My.God)
• ACT UP 20th Anniversary March (Queer on Paper)
  
• ACT-UP's 20th Anniversary March on Wall Street (Band of Thebes)

UPDATE: The official press release puts participation at "nearly a thousand" and arrests at 27. It also has a full list of co-sponsors.

ACT UP to General Pace: Your War is Immoral

It's been a while since I told a story in pictures. So here it goes:

Having followed the recent developments regarding the 20th anniversary of ACT UP but having yet to attend one of the planning meetings, this morning I headed over to the first of several demos being planned to mark the occasion. The reason behind it? General Peter Pace's recent comments to the Chicago Tribune in which he called homosexuality "immoral."

With home made-signs that read "Being gay is not immoral, being bigoted is," "Torture is Immoral, Love is Fabulous," "Pace = Hate," and "Don't Ask Don't Tell, General Pace Go to Hell," a lively and lovely crowd of about 200 to 250 people showed up to the protest following Larry Kramer's call to arms on Tuesday.

Kramer (top picture) was among the participants and at one point joined Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum and National gay and Lesbian Task Force Executive Director Matt Foreman in knocking on the door of the Times Square Armed Forces recruitment office (or "Career Center" as they call it), but they might have known that ACT UP would be showing up because the Center remained shut and no one was inside.

Rainbow flag creator Gilbert Baker brought along a 100 foot flag that participants used to frame the protest and surround the recruitment center.

This was the same flag that Matt Foreman and Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum used at the end of the protest to stop traffic in an act of civil disobedience as they extended it across 7th Avenue. Mr. Foreman and Rabbi Kleinbaum were first warned by police officers and then quickly arrested after they sat down and would not budge.

The flag was also taken into custody.

As he promised after the Larry Kramer speech on Tuesday, former New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey also showed up (that's me next to him in the bottom pic). Actually, he was amongst the first to arrive and offered to pick up coffee for me at Starbucks, alas, by the time he got back from Starbucks the protest was in full swing. Gay City News and Gay USA reporter Andy Humm spent most of his time doing an extensive interview with the former Governor so expect a detailed report in the next issue of GCN.

ACT UP'ers seen: Andrew Velez (with a "Queer Tortilla" ACT UP shirt), Eric Rhein (who wore his gay uncle's army jacket), Ann Northrop and Eric Sawyer, among others.

As well as: Puerto Rico Para Tod@s Pedro Julio Serrano, Village Voice gossip columnist Michael Musto, political mavens Allen Roskoff and Alan Fleishman, cutie patootie retired detective (and former Gay Officers Action League president) Edgar Rodriguez, Sirius radio personality and author Michaelangelo Signorile, blogger Joe.My.God and some misplaced tourists who just loved all those rainbow flags and angry fags.

What other blogs are saying:

• Queer Justice League
• Rex Wockner (for whom I actually was "on assignment" today when I took the pics)
• Joe.My.God
• Towleroad
• Good As You
• Pam's House Blend
• The Mad Professor Lectures
• Miss Wild Thing
• Andrew Sullivan
• Gothamist
• It All Goes Here
• Radioactive Quill
• The Fifth Column
• The Stranger's SLOG
  

MANY, MANY MORE PICS AT MY FOTKI SITE. Please ask for permission before using.

COVERAGE:

• "American Gay Group ACT UP Resurrected as General Pace Targeted in New York" (UK Gay News)
• "Gay Rights Activists Protest Pace's Remarks" (NY1)
  

Update: No arrests yet in Pimentel murder

On January 25th, the Queens Chronicle reported that two months after the murder of a young Latina lesbian in Queens, authorities have yet to arrest anyone in the case.

Friends and family of Priscilla Pimentel, who was just 24 when she was found stabbed to death in her apartment on November 24, 2006, have continued to leave candles and flowers outside the Richmond Hill residence where she used to rent a second-floor apartment.

There is a $2,000 reward for anyone who might provide information on the murder and New York 1 says tonight that the New York Police Department is asking the public for help in solving the crime through their confidential Crime Stoppers hotline at 1 800 577-TIPS.

Young Latina lesbian stabbed to death in Queens

Priscilla Pimentel (left) never made it to Thanksgiving dinner at her family's place in Bethlehem, PA last week.

The 24 year-old had moved to New York City four years ago because she did not want her sexual orientation to be a source of shame or pain for her Puerto Rican family. Still - when she did not show up on Thursday night, her family knew something was wrong.

On Friday, according to the New York Times, her brother and sister went to her Richmond Hills apartment in Queens and walked into a murder scene. The green walls of the apartment were streaked with blood, a rainbow flag laid on the floor, a mattress she'd been using as a bed was still unmade and dirty dishes were still in the kitchen sink.

Her body, which showed multiple stab punctures in the arms and left side of the chest, was also smeared with "mint green paint, which she had recently used to brighten the walls of her apartment." Her hands had been tied, her dog Gucci, was also lying dead next to her.

It's been a couple of days since the Times article was published (smaller articles also ran in the Daily News and Newsday following an AP report) and there hasn't been additional information.

Most of New York probably hasn't heard about this crime and it calls to mind the stabbing murder of Rodney Velazquez, a young Puerto Rican gay man who was also found in as ghastly a murder scene as Priscilla back in 2002. That case has long been forgotten by most people (actually, it never really caught the attention of people in this city as other crimes have done), and remains unresolved.

Let's hope that things turn out differently in this case even if, obviously, someone else in our community is gone due to mindless violence and nothing that happens will bring her back.

UPDATE: Richmond Hill Woman Stabbed to Death (Queens Chronicle, Friday, Dec. 1, 2006)

"Michael J. Sandy almost escaped his death..."

That's the lead sentence in a story that appears on the front page of the New York Times Metro Section tomorrow ("From Crime to Arrest, By Way of Computer," October 15, 2006).

The article takes a look at how NYPD detectives were able to trace back what happened a week ago tonight when Mr. Sandy was lured into a trap by someone he thought was offering to have a sexual encounter when it actually turned out to be four heterosexual white youth who had previously decided to try to rob a gay man using a single profile to lure him.

The Times tells what happened next:

When Mr. Sandy pulled up to a Sheepshead Bay street corner last Sunday, he found not the lone man he thought he had been exchanging instant messages with, but two men. Uncomfortable, he drove away.

Back home, Mr. Sandy resumed his online chat with the man calling himself “fireyefox,” who persuaded him to go through with the rendezvous.

Later that night, Mr. Sandy was led to a trash-strewn parking lot near the Belt Parkway, and confronted by four men who, the authorities say, were hoping to rob him. He was beaten and chased onto the highway, where he was hit by a car. On Friday, a day after Mr. Sandy turned 29, his family removed him from a respirator.

Detectives were able to determine these things from something that Mr. Sandy did not do before he went out a second time that night: He did not turn off his computer and left his Adam4Adam profile on (the Times also runs a photo of Mr. Sandy's Friendster profile).

What follows is an incredibly sad and vivid account of the confrontation near the Belt Parkway and disturbing emerging profiles of the four assailants.

"It wasn't a hate crime against blacks or gays," says a young woman who knew the assailants but did not give her name to the Times. Then she ads "They were looking to rob him. They didn't think he'd fight back if he was gay."

As for Mr. Sandy's passing on Friday afternoon, McCartha L. Lewis, his aunt, tells the Times "He was already gone, he's resting in the arms of Jesus right now."

Ms. Lewis is also known as the soca music performer Calypso Rose.

REMEMBER: A rally in memory of Michael Sandy is scheduled for Monday afternoon at 5pm on the steps of the New York City Council building. It's being organized by People of Color in Crisis, the New York State Black Gay Network, the New York City Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project and the National Black Justice Coalition and has been endorsed by Brooklyn Pride.

RALLY/VIGIL FOR MICHAEL SANDY
MONDAY OCTOBER 16
5:00 pm
City Hall, Manhattan
2/3 to Park Place
4/5/6/J/M/Z to Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall
A/C to Broadway-Nassau
R/W to City Hall

According to Michael's MySpace profile, a memorial is also being planned. For updates please write to: Friends.of.Michael.Sandy@gmail.com

Days of mourning - Part 8: Epilogue

Images (top to bottom): Julio Rivera on the cover of Gay City News; Rodney Velazquez; Gwen Araujo; Sylvia Guerrero holding her daughter Gwen's photo; LaTona Gunn; Sakia Gunn on the cover of Gay City News; Rashawn Brazell; Desire Brazell at adresses media at a vigil in honor of Rashawn; Dwan Prince's mom Valerie Prinez.

Though not by any means a comprehensive listing of other under-reported attacks and murders of LGBT folks, these are the ones that I carry in my heart. Most striking is that in most of these cases, the families of the victims, and particularly their mothers, have been moved to take action on behalf of their sons and daughters. Just like Eddie Garzon’s mother, Leonor, these women have moved earth and heaven to find justice. Leonor Garzon, LaTona Gunn, Sylvia Guerrero, Valerie Prinez are all unsung heroes. And, even though I helped to organize a community meeting with the local police precinct and the hate crimes unit in the Bronx after the gruesome death of Rodney Velazquez, I wonder how his mother is doing and why there seems to be so little additional information on that specific murder.

Julio Rivera was killed in July of 1990. His murder galvanized the Queens gay community and led to the launch of the Queens Pride Parade yet few people at the Queens gay bars would know about him. I briefly made mention of his murder in the blog posts about Eddie but, in a tragic coincidence, Julio was attacked fifteen years ago just two blocks away from where Eddie was attacked.

Rodney Velazquez was found dead in his apartment on August 4, 2002. A report of the shocking murder can be found here, information on a memorial vigil that took place in 2004 in the Bronx can be found here.

Gwen Araujo was killed on October 4, 2002. As I write, a jury has reached 2 verdicts in the trial of three men but the court has ordered the papers sealed while the jury verdict of the third man on trial is determined. This is the second trial after the first one ended with a deadlocked jury. There also were angels at a memorial held on October 1, 2002 and the Advocate ran a moving profile of Gwen’s mother, Sylvia Guerrero, in March of 2004.

15 year old Sakia Gunn, died on May 11, 2003. An interview with Sakia’s mom, LaTona Gunn, and an overview of the community's response to the crime, here, courtesy of Keith Boykin. On further advocacy by her family here. Information about the Sakia Gunn Film Project here. Information on the trial of the confessed murderer here and here.

In February of 2005, parts of 19-year old Rashawn Brazell’s body were found in plastic garbage bags at different sites in Brooklyn. As horrific as the crime was, his mother, Desire Brazell, a social worker, has been tireless in her search for justice. The New York City Anti-Violence Project has accused the NYPD of dragging its feet in this case and the murder has been kept in people's mind by Gay City News and a myriad of blogs and bloggers out there who refuse to let the crime fall from the city's consciousness. Photos I took at a vigil in memory of Rashawn that took place on March 25 in which Ms. Brazell addressed the crowd and media can be seen here.

On June 9^th, 2005, Dwan Prince was beaten in a bias incident that has left him in a coma to this date. His mother, Valerie Prinez, met Desire Brazell at a rally organized by Gays and Lesbians of Bushwick Empowered (GLOBE) on June 19th.

Simply, whether hate crimes or not, they all deserve justice...

This is the last in a series of posts, to read previous posts go to:

• Part 1: The Attack
• Part 2: COLEGA and Eddie Garzon
• Part 3: So what is, exactly, is a 'hate crime'? (and a prayer)
• Part 4: Eddie Garzon passes on
• Part 5: The Vigil
• Part 6: A Newsday Editorial
• Part 7: A parade of angels

*** UPDATE: Eddie Garzon: After five years, an arrest (June 29, 2006)

Days of mourning - Part 7: A parade of angels

Images (top to bottom): Three photos from the Queens Pride March in June of 2002 including photos of Leonor and Armando Gatzon leading the COLEGA angels; COLEGA proclaims "Colombia, COLEGA and Friends"; an August 2002 family memorial gathering in front of the site of the attack, Armando and Leonor standing, Marlene Forero with the flowers.

I began these blog entries on Eddie Garzon just as the full ugly picture of the Katrina hurricane disaster was becoming clear. It has been tough to stay on topic but, in some ways, the daily horrors provided a similar back-drop to those traumatic days in 2001 as the fall of the twin towers eclipsed any hope that any additional investigative resources would be destined to solving the his murder – or that many people would pay any attention. It was unclear how much I’d be able to write on the topic. I am amazed that I remember so many details (though it must be said that the mind, in seeking narrative logic, sometimes neglects some key details while high-lighting others – there must be other perspectives out there and some recollections might be different than mine or outright contradict some of the stuff I have written down).

The fact is that it is four years later and his killers are still out there.

Eddie’s murder galvanized the Colombian Lesbian and Gay Association (COLEGA). Though I retired from its board and as director, my boyfriend Raul took the reins. Marlene Forero, who had been one of Eddie’s closest friends, joined the Board of Directors as a straight ally. New people became involved not only on the Board level but also as members.

In the meantime, Eddie’s parents continued to seek answers while they also had to address their immigration status and other family situations. Some tensions developed between the family and former friends of Eddie’s as the family aligned itself with a certain number of people but not with others. Some feelings were hurt but it was almost impossible to avoid this particularly because Eddie’s parents had to basically reconstruct their son’s life in New York after his passing. The fact that they were not fluent in English also created some obstacles. Through it all, it was Leonor Garzon’s tenacity that seemed to sustain the family.

Sometimes those of us involved with COLEGA and the Garzon family grew distant, and at other times we worked closely with them. There were lingering feelings that the family felt uncomfortable with the fact that their son’s sexual identity was exposed so publicly during such a traumatic event; a sense that while they could accept this, it was still something else for extended family members and friends in Colombia to be able to somehow find out. Some people in the community continued to accuse them of being homophobic but I would tell them that dealing with a son’s coming out was hard enough for parents anywhere, much less in these circumstances (worse, I thought, were those gay men who said that maybe Eddie had brought the attack on himself for being out in the streets so late; NO ONE DESERVES TO BE BASHED IN THE HEAD WITH A BAT).

As the shock of the fall of the towers subsided, several developments were taking place under the surface. At community meetings with the new head of the Hate Crimes Task Force during efforts to improve their relationship with the LGBT community, I continued to bring the case to light. As a matter of fact, some of the people who made sure that the case remained under investigation were lesbian and gay members of the New York Police Department such as Detective Kevin Czartoryski, who was one of the first detectives assigned to the case, and (since-retired) Officer Vanessa Ferro, among others. The New York City Anti-Violence Project also worked closely with the police department and the family to keep a spot-light on the murder. Latino LGBT organizations, who had been so supportive of the rally, also helped to keep the case alive. Less can be said, though, about the 115^th Police Precinct in Jackson Heights, which went through several changes in leadership, assigned different officers to the case, and fumbled attempts to communicate with the Garzon family. It seemed as if every time that the family contacted them, they would have to go over details of the case all over again. At one point, a computer that they had taken from Eddie’s apartment as part of their investigation seemed to get lost and, when found after repeated requests from the family, its hard drive had been completely erased.

Over the years COLEGA tried to raise awareness about the case with varying degrees of success. Queens used to be home to the first celebration of the gay pride season in the New York City metropolitan area by scheduling it on the first Sunday of June (until Staten Island launched their pride event earlier this year and scheduled it for the 1^st Saturday in June). Although participants and spectators have been on the decline, it still remains a unique event distinguished by the fact that most of the people that line up the streets to watch are straight families and neighbor residents and the fact that it cuts across a hugely diverse swath of Jackson Heights (along 37^th Avenue through Pakistani, Colombian, Argentinean, Indian, Afghani, Mexican and Turkish restaurants and venues).

During the summer of 2002, HBO started to run “The Laramie Project,” a dramatized version of a Broadway play, in which actors portrayed a number of different people interviewed in Laramie, Wyoming, in the aftermath of Matthew Sheppard’s murder. In a powerful scene, members of a rabidly homophobic Baptist church set up camp outside Matthew Sheppard’s funeral and the media, as expected, swarm around them to capture images of their hateful signs. Friends of Matthew, who had struggled with how to defuse the hateful messages get a brilliant idea: They don long white tunics and large angel wings which they unfurl as they form a circle around the anti-gay protesters and block their signs from the media.

That’s when Raul got the idea that COLEGA would march at the 2002 Queens Pride parade dressed as angels and demand justice for Eddie, ten months after his death.

The idea caught fire. Friends of Eddie not involved with COLEGA, former members of COLEGA and others joined in. People donated their time to sew dozens of angel tunics. Marlene was amazing, calling on her friends for support and help. Eddie, who definitely liked to create something memorable for COLEGA’s previous pride marches, would have been proud. On the actual day of the parade, we all looked beautiful. A stunning crowd of angels in white, with little angel wings, carrying signs demanding justice and rememberance started congregating on a Jackson Heights corner on a beautifully sunny Sunday, blue skies above us.

And then… And then… A miracle

The Garzons, who had been rumored to be weighing whether to march with COLEGA or not, actually showed up. Each holding the same black and white photograph of their son’s face, each in somber toned clothes.

They, in fact, led the contingent.

Most people on the sidelines seemed intrigued by the scene but only when they begun to read the signs did they realize what the message was. Some people seemed to recognize Eddie’s photo and I could see people on the sidelines gasp and hold their hands to their mouth.

Now, the parade route actually is on 37^th Avenue and, at one point, it does cross the intersection at 77^th Street were Eddie was pursued and attacked. As we approached, I was keenly aware about it and had even discussed stopping at the intersection for a few moments in Eddie’s memory. Before I knew it though, members of the New York Police Department stopped us anyway and, before I knew what was going on, the new Captain of the 115^th Precinct, Ruben Beltran, was walking towards the Garzons and extending his hand to Armando and Leonor.

Coming after a series of changes at the Precinct, unreturned phone calls and poor communication between them and Eddie’s parents, this very public meeting during the middle of the parade seemed to indicate that things would change. Leonor and Armando were thrilled that our participation in the Queens pride parade had elicited such a public response, even if it came months after their son’s death. Unfortunately, in retrospective, it was more of a public relations coup for the Precinct than a renewed commitment. Captain Beltran has since moved on and some of the detectives as well. I am not sure if the new leadership has made any improvements but, at this point, it seems as if the only way that the case is going to break is if one of the killers (or any possible unknown witness) speaks.

Now, in “Part 5 – The Vigil” I mentioned the opportunist strategies used by a particular community activist and some of his followers. At the time of the vigil and against my recommendations, the Garzon’s family did not want any political involvement at the vigil. And, as much as I abhorred some of said activist’s actions during and after the vigil, it must be said that using Eddie’s funeral mass to get a politician acquainted with the Garzons actually did lead to some good: On August 16, 2002, a day after the first anniversary of the attack, New York State Congressman Joseph Crowley called for a press conference to announce that he had been able to secure immigration rights for Eddie’s parents (if not for his sister, as this article reports erroneously). A great thing indeed!

The press conference, which I actually crashed as I wasn’t invited, seemed to be arranged hastily. As said political activist glared angrily at me from across the room as if he could not believe I was there, I mingled with the reporters who were waiting for the Garzons to arrive. When they finally did, Mrs. Garzon nervously scanned the room and finally saw some of us who had known Eddie in the past and smiled. The family was greeted by Senator Crowley and asked to sit down. He addressed the cameras and spoke about what he had managed to arrange. When asked how the family felt, Senator Crowley smiled and said that he imagined they felt great but couldn’t know for sure as they only spoke Spanish and he didn’t understand. A reporter actually had to ask Senator Crowley to let the family speak, as there were several Spanish media reporters in the room. I raised my hand and asked the Garzons if they wanted me to act as translator, they welcomed the intervention and I spent some time with the family and the reporters.

Four years have now passed since the attack. In 2003 and 2004, some of us participated in small memorial vigils held in Eddie’s memory at the site of the attack. Last year some of the residents in the adjacent apartment building tore down the signs and photographs that the Garzons had left behind. A woman actually asked them never to come back and to leave the neighborhood alone.

I spoke to Leonor on Monday. This year, the 115^th precinct provided a squad car just in case there were encounters with some of the neighbors. Fortunately, there were none. Leonor also asked the chapel at Elmhurst Hospital to hold a memorial mass in honor of her son. Even though I was not able to be there this year, she said that it meant a great deal for her son to still be in our minds.

The Garzons themselves have become more politically savvy as well and Leonor told me at one point that she regretted asking me not to let any political leaders take the stage. As the years have passed they have also dealt with a tragic case of illness in the family - which sometimes has taken precedence over any media opportunities they might have to speak out on the case. Organizations such as PFLAG-New York, thanks to my good friend Nila Marrone, have embraced them and showed them support. The Empire State Pride Agenda, of which I was a board member until last year, also highlighted the case in an annual advocacy report. GLAAD, thanks to my good friend, Monica Taher, has also worked hard to maintain the case alive. Newsday and Gay City News, in particular, have been amazing in their coverage.

Back in 2001, I remember being asked if I felt the neighborhood was less safe. I also remember telling the reporter that the neighborhood was great just because there were so many cultures and ethnicities living together and yet there was still a sense of harmony. But for weeks, I stopped wearing my headphones and started looking behind my back whenever I walked home from the subway. I still cringe every time I hear of a baseball beating or see one portrayed in film (I particularly find it noxious when it’s used for comedic purposes as in the film “50 First Dates” with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore).

Some things in the neighborhood have changed. I am not sure it’s the haven of ethnic and racial tolerance that I once imagined it to be (or if it ever was) but our memories of Eddie remain and we are not forgetting his life that easily. I hope that by sharing my thoughts, others will learn of his life - and death - and carry him in their thoughts.

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On June 3, 2002, in "Diversity on Display: Thousands flock to annual parade to celebrate gay pride"
by Bryan Virasami, Newsday reported (EXCERPT):

Watching a rainbow of costumes, thousands of residents jammed the streets of Jackson Heights yesterday for the 10th annual gay pride parade. ...As suggested by the parade's full name - the Queens Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Parade - the event was colorful and inclusive. Banners announced groups such as the Gay Officers Action League, the Lesbian and Gay Big Apple Corps - a contingent of dancers and a 30-person marching band - the South Asian Lesbian & Gay Association and health care organizations geared to HIV/AIDS. ...One group, however, didn't make a splash with colors but instead dressed up as angels in white to call attention to the unsolved slaying of Edgar Garzón, a Jackson Heights man who was beaten to death Aug. 15, 2001, as he left a gay bar in the neighborhood. The case is still under investigation, according to police, but members of the Colombian Lesbian and Gay Association, who wore the costumes, sought to make sure the case remains a public priority. "We want to tell the community we remember him," said Andrés Duque, 33, one of the winged marchers. "We want to put some pressure to bring attention to the crime."

---

On June 6, 2002, in "New York Community Revels in Gay/Lesbian Parade" by Lauren Weber Reuters reported (EXCERPT):

...The parade -- which kicks off National Gay Pride month in New York and is much smaller than its Manhattan cousin -- reflects the communities that predominate in Jackson Heights, with Latino and South Asian groups drawing applause. ...Standing under a tree as the sun beat down along the parade route, Charles Hymowitz watched with his sister and her sons. "I'm here in memory of my brother," said the burly Jackson Heights resident as he pulled up his sleeve to reveal a bulging bicep decorated with two big tattoos, one commemorating his gay brother's death in 1995 and the other paying homage to the losses of Sept. 11. His sister, Jennifer Santiago, said she brought her kids -- Joseph, 10, and Brian, 4, because "I want them to respect everyone's choices." ...But that respect is not widespread enough yet, a point brought home when about 40 members of the Colombian Lesbian and Gay Association walked down the parade route dressed as angels and carrying grainy black and white photos of Edgar Garzon, a Colombian man who was murdered after leaving a gay bar in Jackson Heights last year. The crime remains unsolved. ...The impetus for the first Queens gay pride parade was a similar crime. About 12 years ago, a young gay man named Julio Rivera was attacked and killed by three skinheads in a schoolyard.

Previous posts:

• Part 1: The Attack
• Part 2: COLEGA and Eddie Garzon
• Part 3: So what is, exactly, is a 'hate crime'? (and a prayer)
• Part 4: Eddie Garzon passes on
• Part 5: The Vigil
• Part 6: A Newsday Editorial

Next posts:

• Part 8: Epilogue
• Eddie Garzon: After five years, an arrest (June 29, 2006)

Days of mourning - Part 6: A Newsday Editorial

[Reprinted here on the 4th anniversary of his death, September 4, 2005 - Andres Duque]

NEWSDAY, October 3, 2001

EDITORIAL Don't Let Jackson Heights Gay Murder Be Forgotten

Seven days before thousands of New Yorkers perished at the hands of suicide hijackers, Edgar Garzon met an equally senseless fate. He died from wounds sustained in a bias attack in Jackson Heights. He had been beaten into a coma with a baseball bat or lead pipe three weeks earlier - because he was gay.

The police, who are actively pursuing leads in the case, have not forgotten about Garzon. Let's hope no one else has either, especially public officials whose duty is to remind residents that brutally attacking people because of their sexual orientation is outrageous and unacceptable.

A Colombia native, Garzon settled in Queens' largest gay community in Jackson Heights. Some residents believe that the borough, no matter how tolerant of its wide diversity, is more susceptible to this kind of bias attack than a lot of people might assume.

In fact, another bias killing horrified the gay community 11 years before, when Julio Rivera was beaten to death a block away from where Garzon was attacked in mid-August. That high-profile murder helped galvanize the community and heighten its social and political influence, culminating this year with the opening of the borough's first two gay community centers – in Corona and Woodside - and an openly gay candidate for City Council, Jimmy Van Bramer, finishing second in the multi-candidate District 25 race.

For now, there's a $15,000 reward for information leading to Garzon's killers, including $10,000 from the city. Community leaders also hope to reschedule a town-hall meeting with police officials that was originally planned for Sept. 12, a day after the World Trade Center terror attack.

Gay residents' fear and anxiety are just as real today. So it's up to law enforcement and elected officials to put their minds at ease.

Previous posts:

• Part 1: The Attack
• Part 2: COLEGA and Eddie Garzon
• Part 3: So what is, exactly, is a 'hate crime'? (and a prayer)
• Part 4: Eddie Garzon passes on
• Part 5: The Vigil

Next posts:

• Part 7: A parade of angels
• Part 8: Epilogue
• Eddie Garzon: After five years, an arrest (June 29, 2006)
• New York Times: Stepping off plane, man is arrested in '01 murder (June 30, 2006)
• Armando Garzon talks to El Diario La Prensa (July 1, 2006)
• Gay City News on Eddie Garzon (July 7, 2006)
• 5th Annual Memorial Mass and Vigil in honor of Eddie Garzon (September 5, 2006)
• A Pansy for Edgar Garzon (October 18, 2006)
• Michael J. Sandy and Edgar Garzon pre-trial hearings underway (February 8, 2007)
• Trial begins in the slaying of Edgar Garzon (July 13, 2007)