CRIME
Staten Island Man Busted for Harassing Gay Couple
Late-night attack yields multiple charges after victims complain of slow response
BY MATT TRACY
The NYPD arrested a
man who marched onto
a gay couple’s property
in Staten Island last
month and spewed anti-LGBTQ
slurs, kicked their door, and issued
direct threats.
Clifford Hammel, 43, was taken
into custody at 8:45 a.m. on
February 3 and charged with harassment
in the fi rst degree and
criminal trespass, according to
authorities. No hate crime-related
charges have been issued, though
Staten Island District Attorney
Michael E. McMahon said on February
2 that his offi ce was still
probing the case. His offi ce did not
immediately return a request for
comment following the arrest.
Hammel’s arrest came just days
after Gay City News published an
exclusive story detailing the horrifi
c scene that unfolded at Willow
Road after midnight on January
24. Late in the evening on January
23, couple Joe Canale and Raymond
Gamarra said they asked
neighbors to keep it down because
their party was too loud. That simple
request outraged Hammel, who
went on to make several trips over
to Canale and Gamarra’s home,
according to the couple.
The scene escalated after midnight
when Hammel walked over to
the couple’s home and unleashed a
barrage of blatant homophobia.
“I see you, fucking faggot,” Hammel
said in the video obtained by
Gay City News. “You little bitch.
Fuck you. You fucking faggot.”
Hammel continued voicing slurs
before he went on to threaten the
couple at their workplaces and at
their gym, saying that he would
“get you wherever you go.” He also
kicked the couple’s door in the middle
of his early-morning rampage
— which was all caught on camera.
An unidentifi ed man accompanied
Hammel throughout the incident.
“We’re happy that he’s being
held accountable for his actions,”
Gamarra told Gay City News.
“We’re sad it had to come to this
unfortunate event, but honestly,
Clifford Hammel — pictured here during his attack on a gay couple’s home — was arrested on February
3.
Raymond Gamarra and Joe Canale of Staten Island.
the story doesn’t end here.”
Gamarra and Canale initially
expressed frustration in response
to what they felt was a casual response
to the case by law enforcement.
Police offi cers who fl ocked
to the scene seemed to brush off
their side of the story, Canale explained,
and those issues only
intensifi ed in the following days
when Canale said police appeared
to mix up Hammel’s name in their
reports.
When Canale talked to the NYPD
one day before Gay City News published
a story about the case, he
said he was told that “nothing can
be done.” Following Gay City News’
reporting, however, the couple said
they received an outpouring of support
from the community — and
they feel that the publicity helped
push the police into action.
“People we don’t even know have
JOE CANALE
JOE CANALE
been reaching out,” Gamarra said.
Gamarra and Canale are planning
on voicing their support for
improved LGBTQ protections and
police training so law enforcement
offi cers are better equipped to respond
to cases like their own.
“As Canale said, the police were
not showing compassion,” Gamarra
said. “We’re looking to advocate
for and to change the laws and
training that police go through.”
Canale echoed Gamarra’s points
and expressed his desire to see
lawmakers step up with bolder
laws that would do more to assist
victims of hate.
“I think the legislature and the
governor need to show some leadership
here, offer some greater
level of protection, and put some
greater teeth in the law and statute,
especially when it comes to
those groups that are so frequently
targeted… the LGBTQ community
has been historically targeted by
the police” Canale said.
Meanwhile, the couple said they
are pleased with the district attorney’s
approach to the case.
“We’ve felt supported and we feel
that the party is being held accountable,”
Gamarra said. “It is possible
that there will be additional charges,
but we don’t know yet.”
Canale also said he received a
phone call from the 121st Precinct,
which fi rst responded to the case,
and they apologized for the way he
and his partner were treated.
Folks near and far have expressed
their collective disgust in
response to the attack. Carol Bullock,
the executive director of the
Staten Island Pride Center, told
Gay City News that the incident
“has shaken Staten Island’s LGBTQ
and allied community.”
“The Pride Center of Staten Island
is deeply disturbed by this
incident,” Bullock said in a written
statement. “This hateful behavior
is unacceptable and has no place
on Staten Island… The Pride Center
stands fi rmly against any form
of hate, discrimination and racism.
If you need someone to talk to, the
Pride Center of Staten Island is here
for you. Free counseling is available.
For more information, contact Tommy
Susinno, counseling services
manager, at 718.808.1361, or visit
the Pride Center of Staten Island’s
website. ... This incident does not deter
the Pride Center from working to
realize this vision, but rather fuels
us to continue.”
The couple thanked those who
have stepped up in recent days to
denounce the attack.
“It makes me very happy to know
that people on social media have
been largely supportive,” Canale
said. “It hasn’t been complete, but
for the most part, including from
Staten Island’s community, the
Hate Crimes Task Force, the Staten
Island Pride Center, Elvis Duran,
(who hosts the national show
dubbed the “Elvis Duran and the
Morning Show”).
Canale added, “It all started with
Gay City News.”
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