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| Gay and Christian in KENYA, UGANDA, TANZANIA, RWANDA AND BURUNDI |
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Above photes:
Top Picture
The NTV tower. Nairobi,
Kenya
Bottom Picture
Steve at the lap top
Nairobi, Kenya
July, 2007
Top Picture
The NTV tower. Nairobi,
Kenya
Bottom Picture
Steve at the lap top
Nairobi, Kenya
July, 2007
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| Meet us under the acacia tree |
| This website was constructed in July of 2007 Visits made to this web page since September 2007 |
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BREAKING NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2007 at 4:
30 pm: SHOCKING HUDSON COUNTY INDICTMENT
INVOLVING BRUTAL ANTI-GAY HATE CRIME
BURGER KING BEATINGS
WHOPPER OF A HATE CRIME
Garden State Equality and Hudson Diversity Action
Council to hold rally against hate next Wednesday,
November 7, 2007 at 6:00 pm, Pride Connections Center
of New Jersey, 32 Jones Street, Jersey City
Steven Goldstein, chair of Garden State Equality, cell
(917) 449-8918
Friday, November 2, 2007 – A grand jury in Hudson
County has just handed down an indictment of two men,
then employees of the Burger King on 3501 Bergenline
Avenue in Union City, New Jersey (United States),
charging that the employees committed a vicious anti-
gay beating of a same-sex male couple on July 22,
2007.
The indictment, State of New Jersey v. Angel Caraballo
and Christopher Soto, charges the employees in six
counts, the most serious being a first-degree hate
crime. The other counts include second- and third-
degree aggravated assault.
When the couple asked for a refund for a menu item that
the counter person discovered was not available,
another counter person then asked who wanted the
refund – “The faggots over there?”
The couple left the restaurant. A group of Burger
King employees followed them to a side street and
beat them mercilessly, though not fatally.
The employees made repeated anti-gay slurs
during the beating.
Garden State Equality has also learned that the
defendants were named in a police report for an alleged
stabbing in November 2006, though the charges
emanating from that police report were ultimately
dismissed.
"Even in New Jersey, arguably the most progressive
state in the country, a state we call the state that doesn’t
hate, too many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
people live in fear,” said Steven Goldstein, chair of
Garden State Equality.
“Part of the problem is the law,” said Goldstein, “for even
though New Jersey’s hate crimes law is one of the oldest
in the country, it’s now been surpassed in its scope,” said
Goldstein. "We expect that state legislators, with whom
Garden State Equality has been working closely, will
shortly introduce a bill to remedy the problem.”
Walt Boraczek, co-chair of Hudson Diversity Action
Council, said: “Hudson Diversity Action Council is
shocked that a tragedy such as this could happen in
Hudson County, where the embrace of diverse
communities has always been a hallmark of what makes
our county great."
“We look forward to working with the people of Union City
and across Hudson County," Boraczek said, "to
demonstrate that we won’t tolerate this type of criminal
behavior.”
30 pm: SHOCKING HUDSON COUNTY INDICTMENT
INVOLVING BRUTAL ANTI-GAY HATE CRIME
BURGER KING BEATINGS
WHOPPER OF A HATE CRIME
Garden State Equality and Hudson Diversity Action
Council to hold rally against hate next Wednesday,
November 7, 2007 at 6:00 pm, Pride Connections Center
of New Jersey, 32 Jones Street, Jersey City
Steven Goldstein, chair of Garden State Equality, cell
(917) 449-8918
Friday, November 2, 2007 – A grand jury in Hudson
County has just handed down an indictment of two men,
then employees of the Burger King on 3501 Bergenline
Avenue in Union City, New Jersey (United States),
charging that the employees committed a vicious anti-
gay beating of a same-sex male couple on July 22,
2007.
The indictment, State of New Jersey v. Angel Caraballo
and Christopher Soto, charges the employees in six
counts, the most serious being a first-degree hate
crime. The other counts include second- and third-
degree aggravated assault.
When the couple asked for a refund for a menu item that
the counter person discovered was not available,
another counter person then asked who wanted the
refund – “The faggots over there?”
The couple left the restaurant. A group of Burger
King employees followed them to a side street and
beat them mercilessly, though not fatally.
The employees made repeated anti-gay slurs
during the beating.
Garden State Equality has also learned that the
defendants were named in a police report for an alleged
stabbing in November 2006, though the charges
emanating from that police report were ultimately
dismissed.
"Even in New Jersey, arguably the most progressive
state in the country, a state we call the state that doesn’t
hate, too many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
people live in fear,” said Steven Goldstein, chair of
Garden State Equality.
“Part of the problem is the law,” said Goldstein, “for even
though New Jersey’s hate crimes law is one of the oldest
in the country, it’s now been surpassed in its scope,” said
Goldstein. "We expect that state legislators, with whom
Garden State Equality has been working closely, will
shortly introduce a bill to remedy the problem.”
Walt Boraczek, co-chair of Hudson Diversity Action
Council, said: “Hudson Diversity Action Council is
shocked that a tragedy such as this could happen in
Hudson County, where the embrace of diverse
communities has always been a hallmark of what makes
our county great."
“We look forward to working with the people of Union City
and across Hudson County," Boraczek said, "to
demonstrate that we won’t tolerate this type of criminal
behavior.”
| Why we placed this article here on the Other Sheep East Africa web site: We were shocked to read this article (after we came home from Kenya) about "a first-degree hate crime" right here in the greater New York City area where we live. Imagine, a gay couple beaten by Burger King employees in New Jersey. It happened on July 22, 2007 while we were in Kenya, East Africa, working for the human rights of LGBTs. Many friends in the United States spoke to us before our trip to Kenya about being very careful. Sound advice, of course. Yet here in our own United States, in the shadow of where we live, while we were in Kenya "being careful", a gay couple were beaten "mercilessly" and not by some back street gang of boys, but by Burger King employess who took offence of "the faggots over there" who had merely asked for a refund for a menu item that they had been charged for but was not available. We are shocked to read about this hate crime here in New Jersey. It is a sober reminder that our work is not yet completed -- not here in America -- nor in any other part of the world where discrimination and hate take hold and victimize the innocent. |
| Burger King is a fast food reasturant. It has locations throughout the US and other parts of the world. |