Coney Island Man Speaks Out After Anti-Gay Attack
Jawhar Edwards says he suffered homophobic assault on boardwalk; man arrested
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
in the Coney Island section of
Brooklyn.
It was around midnight on
November 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 December
10 rally and press conference organized
by Assemblymember Mathylde
Frontus. The rally took place
outside of her district offi ce at 2002
Mermaid Avenue.
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 “faggot” 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
multiple surgeries on his eye
— and now he’s left with a stack
of medical bills and constant anxiety.
An NYPD spokesperson told 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
Jawhar Edwards shows a picture of his face after he was attacked last month.
MATT TRACY
Local Coney Island resident Ann Valdez is calling
on her community to denounce bigotry.
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
anti-gay 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
MATT TRACY
MATT TRACY
Assemblymember Mathydle Frontus leads the
rally outside of her offi ce.
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.
CRIME
“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.”
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