CRIME
Gay Man Suffers Homophobic Attack in Queens
Ecuadoran immigrant says cops, docs failed to help him after six men ssaulted him
BY MATT TRACY
A man is shaken up and
ready to bolt the Big Apple
out of fear for his safety,
he said, after he suffered
a homophobic attack in Queens on
December 8 and received no help
from police offi cers.
Ronald Albarracin, a 24-year-old
gay man who hails from Ecuador,
said he was on his way back from
a bar when he was attacked, unprovoked,
at Northern Boulevard
and 99th Street in North Corona at
around 3:30 a.m. The alleged assailants
started calling him names
and homophobic slurs before the
attack turned physical. Albarracin
was punched and kicked, leaving
him with a broken nose, bruises,
and several visible marks on his
hands and face.
He escaped from the scene and
called police as soon as he could.
An ambulance and police offi cers
both arrived shortly thereafter.
“The police did not do anything
even though they saw me with
blood,” Albarracin told Gay City
News in Spanish through a translator.
“They did not even say anything
or explain anything. They
did not speak Spanish and did not
try at all to understand what was
going on.”
NYPD spokesperson Denise
Moroney, a detective, did not comment
on Albarracin’s complaints
about police but confi rmed to Gay
City News that cops responded to
Albarracin’s 911 call. She said the
NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force is
investigating the case, though she
did not describe it as an anti-gay
attack. Police said they have no description
of the alleged attackers.
After cops apparently blew him
off, medics transferred Albarracin
to Elmhurst Hospital — but he
RONALD ALBARRACIN
Ronald Albarracin suffered a black eye and
bruises on his face from being beaten.
said he also had a poor experience
there. He was not provided anything
for pain relief and has since
endured pain and nosebleeds.
It was not the fi rst time Albarracin
suffered an anti-LGBTQ attack
or discrimination due to his sexual
orientation, but he wants it to be
his last. He is now planning on
moving upstate to an area roughly
three hours north of the city — and
in the meantime he is too afraid to
even leave his home.
“I do not dare to go out into the
street with the way I am, with the
broken nose,” he said. “I cannot
even take off my hat because of
how my face looks. I have not even
gone to work.”
There have been a series of recent
homophobic and transphobic attacks
in Queens. A gay couple said
they were attacked while eating at
Pollos Mario at 81-01 Roosevelt Avenue
on September 13 and trans
women Bianey Garcia and Norma
Ureiro were hit with anti-LGBTQ
slurs and pepper spray at Roosevelt
Avenue and 82nd Street in Jackson
Heights in on June 29.
“I am not going to let it go,” Albarracin
said. “I want to look for
justice.”
They count on you,
So count on us to
keep you going.
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December 19, 2019 - January 1, 2 18 020 | GayCityNews.com
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