And it was committed by white people.

It involved cyclists you might know at a bar you might frequent.

It is not as exciting as "Happy Slapping" and getting tickets for running stop signs.
But the beauty of it is you do not have to actually be queer.
You just have to look queer enough through beer goggles.
So butch up folks.

That really stinks. I've never been there and probably never will. I hope the police get the people involved.

None of the TV channels or print media picked up on this?

From link:

It disappoints me that these sorts of crimes can still happen in a city as progressive as Minneapolis.

the north side of Minneapolis isn't actually very progressive. for longer than me or my parents have been alive North and NE have been Minneapolis' racially segregated ghettos. NE is going through growing pains so there is still some clash between old and new NE. what happened at the otter bar is totally unacceptable. but unfortunately not that surprising to me.

FWIW, I used to bounce at a nightclub (not too far from there) and policy was that we could not step off club property to get involved in anything. We could (and should) call the police, but if we were working, we could not get involved in what happened outside the club until/unless it moved onto club property.

Allegedly this was for legal reasons.

I got a nice personal taste of that policy when two guys were going after a friend of mine in the street outside the club. I was grabbed and held by my own coworkers when I tried to run out to help him.

The manager wouldn't permit me to go out even when I pulled my staff shirt off and said I was leaving work for the evening.

I was saved from quitting to get out there when I noted that my friend was clearly winning the fight and was not in danger of injury.

Anyway, it REALLY sucks that this happened, and if it had been at the club I worked at, you can bet that door staff would have called the police and had photos of the people who did it to give them along with their reports.

Frankly, I have a hard time imagining that the club's _patrons_ wouldn't have broken it up had it happened where I used to work.

This sucks - should not happen to anyone for any reason. I have known people who did this kind of thing until others started pointing out that they could also get rattled around for whatever perceived wrong or difference they might pose. If anyone sees this type of sh** going on, call the cops - or do something else (this one is up to you).

We gotta stick up for one and other around here - I get called "fag" on occasion when I'm riding - I'm not, but it's not really anyone's business but mine. Since when did it matter, and how in the world can we get this kind of crap to stop. We need less bigots in this world - let's not go back to the 50's.

That also surprised me, especially with the racial slur that was (allegedly) involved.

Can't really imagine that would go over well.

I'm a reporter with Minnesota Public Radio and am looking for contact information for the people injured in the incident and/or any witnesses. I can be reached at: 651-290-1021.

Thank you,

Madeleine Baran

http://www.mndaily.com/2009/12/08/stree ... t-hospital

a little love for mplsbikelove

google
"UThink: Blogs at the University of Minnesota
According to a mplsbikelove posting, the U Otter Stop Inn, on Central Avenue, was the scene of a hate crime this weekend when three people were attacked ..."

http://www.secretsofthecity.com/mnspeak ... r-stop-inn

http://www.yelp.com/biz/u-otter-stop-inn-minneapolis

If I read correctly, at some point in this "u-lock justice" was proven ineffective. Must have been a defective lock.

Does anyone know how to get a hold of Molly Kroeten? The one who is referenced in the secrets of the city page?

You could try queerbikegang@gmail.com, They have a facebook and myspace. A little fairy sent me a PM.

It is interesting that the one article left out the slurs.

Hi all:

I'm not sure what I want to post about this just yet. I appreciate the point I believe the initial post is trying to make; as one of the [very Queerly identified] victims so eloquently pointed out this evening in retelling Sunday morning's events, "a hate crime has nothing to do with the person being attacked, it has to do with the intent of the attacker". But at the request of many at tonight's discussion, I have been asked to remind everyone here that being in an opposite-sexed or gendered partnership does not mean that one is not Queer. Please, let's not forget the inclusion of our B/T/Q brethren.

At the same time, while I'm sure the intended reason for drawing attention to the fact that the assailants were white was to remind people that "Hey [insert racist media here]! not all criminals are people of color!" it also could be seen as sensationalizing the race of these criminals. Whitey does shitty stuff all the time; this is not an isolated event. This act of hate was also one of racism, as racial slurs were also shouted at the victims.

I am deeply saddened about these events. I feel for the victims, for my friends who are closer to them than I am, and for my community in general. It is a shame that I have to wonder if my safety of that of people I care about will be jeopardized (again). Whether or not someone looks queer, acts queer, or whatever, THIS SHIT SHOULD NOT HAPPEN. It should not happen based on race, sex, gender, ability, religion and a laundry list of other identities. I empathize with Joe, Lauren, Pam and their friends. In 2005, I too was attacked, albeit under different circumstances and in a different community and with different outcomes. Nevertheless, it took me some time before I felt safe again. I hope that by building community and stressing the idea that violence of any kind should not be tolerated will be enough to comfort the victims, their friends, and their families until that time comes for them.

Revolting Queers has planned a direct action response for December 19th. I will post the specific details when I have them. If you would like to join us in solidarity, please stay tuned for further details. Inquiries can be sent to revolting.queers@gmail.com.

Thank you everyone for your support and concern.

check your pmz.

I'm surprised the Daily article made no mention of a hate crime.

I had a class with Lauren DeLand in 6th grade.