Published December 29, 2008 | 
She had a rainbow bumper sticker on her car. So four thugs battered, robbed, and raped her. In the San Francisco Bay Area. Richmond police Lt. Mark Gagan said, “The level of trauma — physical and emotional — this victim has suffered is extreme.”
Now she, her partner, and their 8-year-old daughter need a car and help to move house. I can completely understand why she would want to move. The rapists have her wallet and address.
You can help. Some good people set up a PayPal fund to help her. The PayPal button is at the top of the right-hand column. You can also make checks payable to “Community Violence Solutions.” In the memo portion of the check, please write “Richmond Jane Doe.” Mail checks to:
Attention: Ms. Jo Ann Douglas
Community Violence Solutions
2101 Van Ness Street
San Pablo, CA 94806
Local SF People: The areas they are looking in are El Cerrito, El Sobrante, Hercules, Pinole, and San Pablo, if anyone has a 2 bedroom rental (maximum $1000/ mo) or knows someone who does please leave a comment at this link.
ALSO:
The Richmond Police Department are reporting that according to a witness, there were two cars parked in the area at the time our sister was attacked, the information is as follows:
A Red (or maroon) General Motors (possibly a Buick) Car with 4BBN ??? license plate
A Gray Mazda or Honda Car with 2wd ??? license plate
If you see either of these vehicles, please notify Lt. Mark Gagen at (510) 621-1212 X 7012 or Detective Yesenia Rogers at (510) 672-1718.
It has been a bad year for hate crimes:
FBI statistics show there were 1,265 hate crimes based on sexual orientation in 2007, up from 1,017 two years earlier and 1,239 in 2003. That compares to 3,820 racially motivated incidents in 2007 and 1,400 in which the victim’s religion was a factor.
Because not all states allow attacks motivated by anti-gay bias to be charged as hate crimes and because some victims are reluctant to reveal their sexual orientations to police, gay and transgender rights advocates suspect the numbers to be much higher.
But what do you expect? After a long and nasty ad campaign, we were voted officially, legally second-class citizens in a number of states. The Catholic Church has declared we’re right up there with the destruction of the rain forest as a threat to the world.
Because some kinds of love are just too dangerous to be allowed to exist.
Thanks for alerting me to this. I just asked my partner to make a PayPal donation. I hope the lesbian couple find a place soon!
Horrifying. I haven’t the words.
Thanks for posting the Paypal link. One of my goals this year is to give more in places where it counts – to actual people in actual situations. This definitely counts.
Seems like we should be playing Bruce Cockburn more…
My God, that’s horrific…you’d think that with our society so “advanced” we’d be past all this, but in many ways we might as well be back in medieval times.
Oh my god.
I feel physically ill.
I would be more than happy to help them out, and will do so when I get paid tomorrow. Best of luck to them.
This is so sad.
And you know, I’ve seen straight women harassed by men as lesbians as well for turning down their advances. “What’s your deal, bitch? You a lesbian? You’re not interested in talking to me? You must be a goddamn dyke!”
To some men, every single woman must not only be straight, but interested in him as well.
thanks for the alert and the link.
Donation made.
So Sorry
to see the pain you guys have been experiencing the last few months. I’m a straight woman who celebrates the love of any consenting adults and cannot see why anyone would feel otherwise.
This is a horrible thing that happened, and contributing is the least we can do.
Great. We’re illegal everywhere, and they are killing us in Memphis and attacking us everywhere else. Triggering, yes, but angering even more. We contribute and keep fighting…
We aren’t advanced, we just have more rhetoric for hatred.
Contribution made.
Thanks, I have made a donation. I hope it helps.