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Man throws brick at window of Manhattan gay bar – Spectrum News NY1

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A man threw a brick at the window of VERS, a gay bar in Manhattan, Saturday night, vandalizing the building. It was the third time in one week the man has targeted the establishment.

In fact, attacks have become so expected, that the owner of the bar installed shatterproof glass. The incident comes the same weekend as a deadly shooting at a gay bar in Colorado.

“When there are these attacks on LGBTQ-specific venues, we all feel targeted whether we were there or not,” Catherine Shugrue dos Santos, deputy executive director of programs for the Anti-Violence Project, said.

The organization empowers LGBTQ individuals to end violence in all forms — a goal illuminated after five people were killed and many others were injured in Colorado Springs after a shooting in a gay nightclub on Saturday night.

“I think we’re all reeling in communities across the country,” Shugrue dos Santos said. “I think people woke up this morning and read the news about Colorado and everyone’s minds went back to Pulse.”

The Colorado shooting happened on the same night as the attack on the Hell’s Kitchen gay bar, which a surveillance video captured. The owner of the bar, David DeParolesa, says this is the third time the man has attacked the property in a single week.

“We’ve always been targeted in the places that we come together for community,” Shugrue dos Santos said. “The Stonewall Riot was at the Stonewall Inn because that’s where we were.”

Police say the attack happened at around 10 p.m. on Saturday night while people were inside. There were no injuries — the exact reason why shatterproof glass was installed, according to DeParolesa.

“An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us, and we want to do everything in our power — right now — to keep other bars and queer spaces in the neighborhood safe,” DeParolesa said in a statement.

Shugrue dos Santos says this type of violence is devastating but not surprising.

“Recognizing that the places that we go to share community and be together and expect to find safety are not always safe for us. And so it’s important for us to be aware of that, to come together, to stand up for one another,” Shugrue dos Santos said.

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that state police officers will increase surveillance and protection for groups at risk of hate crimes. She says the New York State Police Office of Counter Terrorism is also conducting outreach to LGBTQ communities across New York.

If you have experienced violence, call the Anti-Violent Project hotline at (212) 714-1141 or visit AVP.org/get-help for more information.