A Georgia homeowner says he “absolutely” experienced a hate crime after he found anti-gay slurs keyed into his car and his tires slashed.
Taner Bayram of Brookhaven, was home last Saturday night with a friend when “heard a hiss” and ran to the door, but was unable to catch the culprit in the act.
He found his tires had been slashed, the side of his car had been keyed, and someone had scratched: “He takes d**k” with a crude picture of male genitalia, and an unfinished message reading “he has A-.” His friend’s car was similarly vandalized.
Bayram, who immigrated 20 years ago from the Middle East where he knew of LGBTQ people who were harmed for their sexuality, says he believes the incident constitutes a hate crime, not just a property crime.
“It’s a hate crime, it’s absolutely a hate crime,” he told Atlanta area CBS affiliate WGCL-TV. “Whoever it was was trying to [write] I have AIDS.”
He believes the culprit or culprits were able to get away before Bayram and his friend could reach the window to see what the noise was.
What’s even more mysterious is that Bayram only recently moved into his home three weeks ago, so he doesn’t believe he’s been around long enough to make enemies or develop suspicions about his neighbors.
A report from the Brookhaven Police Department classified the crime as having no bias motivation — which can be tough to prove — meaning it is not currently classified as a hate crime. But that could change if police obtain more evidence or identify the vandals.
Brookhaven Police are asking neighbors with any information or possible security video footage to come forward. Tips can be submitted by calling the department at 404-637-0477, or submitted anonymously through the Crime Stoppers Greater Atlanta hotline at 404-577-TIPS(8477).
In the long scheme of things, Bayram says he’ll be able to move on with his life, but believes the vandals carry a lot of hatred in their hearts.
“This is a little scratch for me, it shook me a little bit, but at the end of the day it’s a financial hiccup. No biggie,” he said. “In a couple weeks it’s going to be fixed but that person should be fixed.
“Hate kills. I feel sorry for them,” he added. “I forgive them but I think they have a bigger issue than my forgiveness.”
Jared Polis created a stir on social media after he praised Donald Trump's nomination of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Polis, a two-term governor and former congressman whose name has been bandied about as a possible Democratic presidential nominee in 2028, appeared to back Kennedy's stated goals, saying in a post on X that he was "excited" by news of the appointment.
" helped us defeat vaccine mandates in Colorado in 2019 and will help make America healthy again by shaking up HHS and FDA," Polis, an out gay man, wrote. "I hope he leans into personal choice on vaccines rather than bans (which I think are terrible, just like mandates) but what I'm most optimistic about is taking on big pharma and the corporate ag oligopoly to improve our health."
In the wake of Donald Trump's win in the 2024 election, some voters have been receiving offensive text messages.
The FBI said in a statement that it is aware of a flood of texts aimed at LGBTQ people being told to report to a "re-education camp," an apparent reference to conversion therapy.
Diana Brier, a 41-year-old lesbian, told The New York Times that she received one of the texts referring to an executive order and instructing her to check in to be transported to an undisclosed location for an "LGB re-education camp." The message also mentioned Trump and the date of his inauguration.
A South Carolina man has been sentenced to life in prison for murdering a Black transgender woman with whom he was romantically involved.
Daqua Lameek Ritter was convicted on hate crime charges in February following a four-day trial for the murder of then-24-year-old Dime Doe, also known as Pebbles "LaDime" Doe, a Black transgender woman from Allendale, South Carolina.
Ritter's conviction was the first guilty verdict for violent acts committed against a transgender person under the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
Passed in 2009, the act expanded federal hate crime laws to include incidents of violence against people based on their gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability status.
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