article placeholder

Recent local ‘hate crimes’ show danger of incomplete information

When two lesbians told a local TV station they were attacked over Atlanta Pride weekend because they were gay, people reacted with shock and empathy.

How could something so awful happen in Atlanta, much less during Pride weekend?

But when the Fulton County Sheriff’s Department released its report on the incident that happened at about 3:30 a.m. Oct. 13 in front of the W Hotel in Midtown, it raised questions about whether the two women told the whole story when they spoke to Fox 5 reporter Kaitlyn Pratt before the report was released.

Lesbian couple Kathryn Katalinich and Brooke Creef told Fox 5 they were called an anti-gay slur and pushed to the ground by men who also laughed at them.

article placeholder

Transgender woman robbed in possible Atlanta bias crime

A 16-year old male is under arrest after he allegedly beat a transgender woman and stole her purse in a March 12 incident that is being investigated as a possible bias crime by the Atlanta Police Department.

The victim, 22, whose home address is listed as being in Baltimore, Md., told police the suspect and friends with him shouted "faggot" and "Are you even a woman?" at her, according to the APD police report. 

The LGBT Unit, including Officers Patricia Powell and Brian Sharp, was notified of the incident immediately after it occurred and the APD's Homeland Security Unit is investigating the robbery as a possible bias crime, said Carlos Campos, spokesperson for the APD.

article placeholder

Atlanta police report five anti-gay bias crimes for 2010

So far this year, the Atlanta Police Department has classified five reported crimes as anti-gay bias crimes. A total of 17 bias crimes, which also include race, gender and religion, have been reported and classified by APD for 2010.

article placeholder

U.S. Marine faces lesser charge in attack on Savannah gay man

One of the U.S. Marines charged in the beating of a gay man in Savannah will not face a battery charge, a judge ruled today.

The Savannah Morning News reported today that Sgt. Keil Cronauer, 22, “will definitely not go up as battery,” as ruled by Chatham County Recorder’s Court Judge Claire Cornwell-Williams.

The other U.S. Marine charged in the attack on Kieran Daly — Christopher C. Stanzel, 23 — was sent to Chatham County State Court on the battery charge after a preliminary hearing, the newspaper reported.