Coney Island man speaks out after anti-gay attack
BY MATT TRACY
With tears welling up in
his eyes, Jawhar Edwards
paused to collect himself before
describing a traumatic
moment last month when he
said he was attacked in a brutal,
homophobic assault on the
Riegelmann Boardwalk.
It was around midnight on
Nov. 4 when Edwards, an out
gay man, said he departed a
birthday celebration honoring
his late godmother, who
recently died of complications
stemming from COVID-19.
Edwards went to the part of
the boardwalk between 19th
Street and 21st Street to feed
homeless individuals — something
he has done for years
— but this time his good deed
was met with a serving of hate
and a trip to the hospital.
“I got assaulted for being
gay. They robbed me of my
walker, my coat, and money
in my pocket,” Edwards said
during a Dec. 10 rally and
press conference organized by
Assemblymember Mathylde
Frontus outside of her district
offi ce at 2002 Mermaid Ave.
Edwards said he usually
sets up tables of food for those
in need and allows folks to help
themselves. This time, though,
he said two attackers called
him a “f--got” and hit him in
the eye with a metal pole, causing
three broken bones in his
eye socket and vision loss in
that eye. Bystanders who were
on the boardwalk ignored him
before responders arrived and
brought him to Kings County
Hospital.
Edwards subsequently underwent
COURIER LIFE, D 14 ECEMBER 17-23, 2021
multiple surgeries
on his eye — and now he’s left
with a stack of medical bills
and constant anxiety.
An NYPD spokesperson
told Brooklyn Paper’s sister
publication Gay City News
that 21-year-old Infenet Millington,
a homeless individual,
was arrested and charged
with second-degree robbery
— the only arrest made so far
in the case. Edwards said he
told authorities that the attackers
voiced anti-LGBTQ remarks,
but police did not say
the case is being investigated
as a hate crime. A law enforcement
source said nothing in
the case notes indicate antigay
comments.
It was the third time Edwards
said he faced homophobia
in public. He was on a subway
train at 34th Street in
Manhattan three years ago
when he mistakenly bumped
into a straphanger, prompting
that person to physically assault
him in a fi t of homophobic
rage. Edwards also recalled
facing homophobia in
a building he previously lived
in.
The latest attack was especially
hurtful for Edwards because
he had recently returned
to live in his hometown area of
Coney Island after leaving the
area for several years.
“I came back out to Coney
Island to my home, to my family,”
he said. “For this to happen
to me is not right.”
Edwards’ deep ties to the
area were evident through
the strong support he received
from different community
groups at the press conference,
including two anti-violence
organizations — Operation
HOOD and the Coney
Island Anti-Violence Collaborative
— as well as additional
members of the local community.
Others on hand included
Jeffrey Severe from Public
Advocate Jumaane Williams’
offi ce and MK Okma of Advocacy
& Services for LGBT Elders
(SAGE).
“Edwards is not hurting
anyone,” said Ann Valdez,
a community organizer
who lives in Coney Island.
“He’s not bothering anyone.
He went out there to feed the
homeless. He’s not being paid
for that. He’s doing that out of
the kindness of his heart… My
question for Coney Island is,
‘where is your heart?’”
Frontus, a Democrat, convened
the press conference because
she wanted to shed light
on Edwards’ experience and
emphasize recent statistics released
by the NYPD showing a
three-fold increase this year
in hate crimes targeting individuals
on the basis of sexual
orientation. There is also a
slight increase in hate crimes
targeting people on the basis
of gender identity.
“I stand here today ashamed
that more than 50 years after
the Stonewall riots, members
of the LGBT community are
still at risk and have to watch
their backs as they are walking
down the street,” Frontus
said. “We will not tolerate hate
or discrimination or violence
of any kind right here in our
backyard.”
Edwards told Gay City
News he yearns for a future in
which members of the community
are able to come together
without turning to bigotry.
“I hope to see that the
world will get better — that we
will be able to live together as
unifi ed people,” he said. “Gay,
Chinese, or Jewish — that we
will all be able to live together
as unifi ed people.”
Jawhar Edwards shows a picture of
his face after he was attacked.
Photo by Matt Tracy
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