Homosexuals attacked in Astoria

A series of attacks on homosexuals in Astoria has left local lawmakers and residents worried about their safety and angered - during one of the attacks the victim sought shelter in a local deli but was shoved out by the store's employees.
&#8220Every person has the right to walk down the streets without fear of attack. When these violent hateful thugs are caught, they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said Councilman Peter Vallone Jr.
On June 10, a 25-year-old Queens man was beaten with a bat and pummeled by eight men, allegedly shouting racist and homophobic slurs. The victim had been walking with three friends when approached by four thugs, one of whom wielded a baseball bat. The attackers called on a cell phone for four more men, who arrived in a white SUV and also beat the gay victim.
The man, who has asked not to be identified, ran to the St. James Deli, located at 34-02 34th Street, where 16-year-old Macke Maricela allegedly blocked the door.
Cando Maricela, the boy's father, said that his son was frightened and acted on impulse, trying to protect himself, his aunt, Marie, who was staffing the counter, and the store.
Meanwhile the attackers - who were described as white men with foreign accents - continued to beat him with the bat, punch him and push inside the store.
&#8220I tried to go in, and I was told, ‘No, no.' The guy said, ‘This is your fight' I was being hit at the same time,” the victim told the media during a press conference with local politicians recently.
As the beating continued, Marie Maricela ran into the streets screaming.
&#8220Thanks to that, [the attackers didn't] kill him,” Cando said.
Queens lawmakers met last week with the victim to denounce the deli workers and the assailants, who police are investigating for a hate crime charge, as well as the attacker in a June 11 assault.
Rewards offered by Councilmen Peter Vallone Jr., Eric Gioia, Assemblyman Michael Gianaris, and Rev. Mitchell Taylor, founder and chairman of the East River Development Alliance, total $2,000 for information leading to an arrest in either attack.
In the second assault, a 24-year-old man was pushed down the stairs at the N subway station at 36th Avenue and 31st Street and kicked about the head. The man suffered a possible head fracture from the 5:45 a.m. attack. His attacker was described as a white man, about 5'8” and 150 pounds, with a light, clear complexion and brown hair with a crew cut.
The Astoria attacks fell on the same weekend that renowned drag queen Kevin Aviance was brutally beaten in the East Village by men yelling anti-gay slurs. Gay and lesbian activist organizations have said that most anti-gay attacks seem to occur in June because several parades and events up the perceived presence of homosexuals.
But organizations like the New York City Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project also list tips to protect against attacks - paying attention to people around you, traveling in groups of people, and not letting your &#8220guard down” when in neighborhoods where there is a higher predominance of homosexuals.