HateSpeech=HateCrime #1

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SAN DIEGO -- San Diego's mayor said on Monday that the men who attacked five people leaving the gay pride festival in Balboa Park are "cowards," and the police chief has called for their swift arrest.Three men wielding two baseball bats and a knife and shoutinganti-gay slurs hit two men in the head, stabbed a third in the backand injured two others outside a gay pride event, police said."It's being investigated as a hate crime," said police Lt. MargaretSchaufelberger. "That adds an extra layer of investigation for thedetectives to prove in court and it adds an extra level ofpunishment to those convicted of the crime."San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders called the attackers "cowards" at anews conference on Monday afternoon."Clearly these animals wanted to push these men back into thecloset," said Sanders. "We won't and shouldn't allow that to occur."Police said that the three attackers were all white men between 18and 20 years old, and were last seen running from the area.Through June, 23 hate crimes have been reported in San Diego in2006, said officials. "Five were related to sexual orientation,"according to a news release issued by the San Diego police.The attacks were the first in more than a decade at San Diego'sannual gay pride festival, which drew 150,000 people during the
"It\'s very alarming and very discouraging to hear this much hatredgoing on right in the core of Pride weekend," said Frank SabatiniJr., spokesman for the San Diego Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, TransgenderPride Festival.The incidents took place between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. after thefestival\'s park venue shut down on Saturday.Three of the victims said a fight broke out after their assailantstaunted them with anti-gay remarks. Two of the men were beaten withbats and the third said he felt a hard object stab him in the back,police said.All three victims were hospitalized with non-life-threateninginjuries, police said. One of the men had his skull fractured,according to officials, and suffered serious damage to his face.No arrests have been made, but San Diego Police Chief Bill Lansdownepromised that the attackers would be caught in a short amount oftime.The suspects will face attempted murder charges in connection withthe attacks, said officials. They will also face hate crime charges,which carry a five-year enhancement.Officials are offering a reward of up to $1,000 for informationabout the attacks. Call 619-531-2000 for more information.Copyright 2006 by NBCSandiego.com. The Associated Press contributedto this report. All rights reserved.-----------The last few paragraphs of this editorial were eerily prophetic.--Autumn--Editorial.e.2. What a difference a year makesGay & Lesbian Times - San Diego, CA, USA27-Jul-2006http://www.gaylesbiantimes.com/?id\u003d7803The news desk never seemed so quiet. Sure, there\'s the usualinsanity everyone in the gay biz experiences during Pride season,",1]
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weekend."It's very alarming and very discouraging to hear this much hatredgoing on right in the core of Pride weekend," said Frank SabatiniJr., spokesman for the San Diego Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, TransgenderPride Festival.The incidents took place between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. after thefestival's park venue shut down on Saturday.Three of the victims said a fight broke out after their assailantstaunted them with anti-gay remarks. Two of the men were beaten withbats and the third said he felt a hard object stab him in the back,police said.All three victims were hospitalized with non-life-threateninginjuries, police said. One of the men had his skull fractured,according to officials, and suffered serious damage to his face.No arrests have been made, but San Diego Police Chief Bill Lansdownepromised that the attackers would be caught in a short amount oftime.The suspects will face attempted murder charges in connection withthe attacks, said officials. They will also face hate crime charges,which carry a five-year enhancement.Officials are offering a reward of up to $1,000 for informationabout the attacks. Call 619-531-2000 for more information.