News
2006-04-13
St. Martin police
condemned for lack of action in gay bashing
St. Martin police
criticized for slow response to gay bashing
A U.S. gay rights
group
A U.S. gay rights
group criticized what it called a slow response by St.
Martin police to an attack on two gay tourists from New York
who were beaten with tire irons outside a bar in
Philipsburg. Human Rights Campaign urged St. Martin
authorities to launch a complete investigation into
the attack, which one of the victims described as a hate crime.
"A failure to conduct a full and complete
investigation to apprehend a hate-crime perpetrator
not only allows prejudice to fester but keeps citizens
and tourists at risk," Human Rights Campaign president Joe
Solmonese wrote in a letter to the Dutch ambassador in
Washington, D.C. The attack happened on the Dutch side
of the Caribbean island.
Journalists Dick Jefferson, 51, and Ryan Smith,
25, were outside a bar with several friends early
April 6 when three men started hitting them with tire
irons. They were airlifted to Miami for medical treatment.
Jefferson has been released from the hospital.
He said that Smith was severely beaten, and his
doctors believe he may have suffered brain damage.
Jefferson, a senior broadcast producer for CBS's
national evening news, said the attackers yelled
antigay slurs at his friends earlier in the evening.
He faulted St. Martin authorities for not collecting witness
testimony on the night of the crime or pursuing other leads.
"The police were and are still trying to ignore
this situation," Jefferson said Monday in a telephone
interview from Miami.
Solmonese said reports of a sluggish
investigation into the attack will "most certainly
give pause to members of our community who are
planning any future travels to the area." The island, a
popular tourist destination, is shared by France and
the Netherlands.
Police, who have appealed to the public for
help, held a press conference Monday to dispel
allegations that they have done little to advance the
case. Officials would not reveal details of the
investigation. (AP)
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