Community responds to hate crime with assurance of support, safety

Tacoma, WA – Community leaders, Oasis Youth Center, and Rainbow Center are co-hosting a forum in response to an anti-LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) hate crime that left one person hospitalized on Feb. 8, 2015. The community forum will be held at the Oasis and Rainbow Center building, 2215 Pacific Avenue, on Saturday Feb. 14 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. The whole community is invited to participate.

The forum is co-hosted by State Representative Laurie Jinkins (27th LD), Tacoma City Councilmembers Marty Campbell and Ryan Mello, and Tacoma School Board Director Catherine Ushka.

The forum will provide a safe place for community members to offer messages of support to the person affected, engage in healing dialogue, and hear information from local leaders and resource providers.

"Our community cannot tolerate this type of violence. Law enforcement and the community must stand together in support of the person who survived this attack. A hate crime perpetrated against one individual impacts our entire LGBTQ community " said Michelle Douglas, Rainbow Center Executive Director.

The hate crime occurred at approximately 2:45 a.m. when an unknown male attacked a person looking for their dog. Demeaning words were written on the victim’s forehead and body. The victim survived multiple stabbing wounds. The attacker allegedly repeatedly said, “God hates fags” during the attack.

"We need to stand together in response to this horrific event," said Tacoma City Councilmember Marty Campbell. "Hate crimes affect our whole city. We need to make sure there is understanding across all communities to support, educate and heal."

The forum will include comments from several community leaders, updates from law enforcement about this crime, an opportunity to support the person affected, and smaller group work on actions the broader community can take to help prevent hate crimes in the future.

Oasis and the Rainbow Center are located at 2215 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, WA 98402. Oasis was founded in 1985 and creates a safe place for queer youth ages 14-24 to learn, connect, and grow. Rainbow Center was established in 1997 and expands resources and safe space for the LGBTQA community through education, advocacy, and celebration. Both organizations are part of the Pierce County Crime Victim Service Center and offer specialized support to victims and survivors of assault, hate crimes, attempted homicide, and other violent crimes. For more information, visit oasisyouthcenter.org and rainbowcntr.org.