I write this on an evening of somber solidarity and remorse. Tonight I attended a rally In West Hollywood against two brutal murders of LGBT people, Jorge Steven Lopez, & Jason Mattison Jr.
One a resident of Puerto Rico, the other a resident of the US in the state Maryland.
Jorge, was a prominent figure in the LGBT community, and Jason rather was an outgoing and talented 15 year old student. Both suffered terribly at the hands of their attackers.
I quote the information provided by Towleroad:
From Towleroad:
"Over the weekend the brutalized body of gay teen George Steven Lopez Mercado was found by the side of a road in Puerto Rico. The police investigator suggested that he deserved what he got because of the "type of lifestyle" he was leading.
According to an iReport by Chrisopher Pagan: "On November 14 the body of a gay 19 year old was found a few miles away from the town in which he was residing in called Caguas. He was a very well known person in the gay community of Puerto Rico, and very loved. He was found on the site of an isolated road in the city of Cayey, he was partially burned, decapitated, and dismembered, both arms, both legs, and the torso. This has caused a huge reaction from the gay community here, but its a difficult situation. Never in the history of Puerto Rico has a murder been classified as a hate crime. Even though we have to follow federal mandates and laws, many of the laws in which are passed in the USA such as Obama’s new bill, do not always directly get practiced in Puerto Rico. The police agent that is handling this case said on a public televised statement that 'people who lead this type of lifestyle need to be aware that this will happen'. As If the boy murdered Jorge Steven Lopez was asking to get killed..."
Vigil For Slain Teen
Jason Mattison
Jason Mattison
A teenager from Baltimore who was murdered last week will be laid to rest on Wedneaday.
Fifteen-year-old Jason Mattison was raped, stabbed to death and stuffed into a closet Inside of a home in East Baltimore.
People who knew him say Mattison was a young man with a bright future. He attended the Vivien Thomas Medical Arts Academy in West Baltimore, which is a high school that prepares kids for careers in the medical field. Mattison dreamed of becoming a pediatrician.
About 100 friends and loved ones gathered outside the school for a vigil Tuesday night. ‘He made everybody laugh. When he came in the room everybody smiled. It's just, he didn't deserve it at all,’ said a friend, Keshaun Madison.
His English teacher, Ryan Jones, said as a student, Mattison was very focused,, kept his grades above average, and was well on his way to college. ‘He was not involved in any gangs, any violence, any weapons, it just wasn't him. He wanted no part of it,’ Jones said. ‘Take every negative stereotype you have about Baltimore City and the crime and throw it out the window.’
Police say Mattison was raped and killed last week by Dante Parrish -- who had been released from prison after appealing a murder conviction.
‘Jason didn't deserve this and there's nothing that he could have done that made somebody that mad that they had to do that to him,’ said a friend, Sashae Baker.
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In memory of Jason ...
The tragic stabbing death of 15-year-old Jason Madison Jr. last week, allegedly at the hands of a convicted murderer who had a forced sexual relationship with the boy in his aunt's home, brough a tearful letter from the victim's teacher.
The boy was found in his aunt's upstairs closet, gagged with a pillowcase and stabbed in the head and throat. A suspect, Donte Parrish, was arrested a few days later at a convenience store in Northeast Baltimore.
A spate of other killings this week has brought Baltimore's homicide total to more than 200 for the year, a grim statistic as we end the year. A map of city murder is here.
Here is the note from Jason's teacher, Ryan C. Jones (note, he uses a different spelling for the victim's last name):
Hi friends and family,
I am writing you this in hope you can do me a large favor. As some of you know, I lost someone very close to me this week. A student of mine was taken from us in a violent manner. His name was Jason Mattison and he was a 15-year old student, whom I have had the privilege to teach through his 9th and 10th-grade years, since he arrived on our campus during the summer of 2008.
There has been extensive news coverage of Jason’s death over the past few days. He was brutally attacked, abused, fatally injured and left for dead. His attacker, a 35-year old previously convicted murderer, has been arrested, and will meet his doom in one way or another.
However, I am writing because not enough positive things have been shown about Jason. As is often the case, the majority of news has revolved around the graphic nature of his death and the circumstances relating to his attacker. Too often, we hear news that a young, black male from Baltimore City was killed and we think nothing of it.
Jason was not just another statistic! He was a lively, unique individual who brought smiles to the faces of countless people every day. Jason was an above-average student, who excelled in many areas of academics and social life. He dreamed of finishing his career here and moving on to college, medical school and then to his own pediatric office. God, how kids would have loved his big smile and booming voice! You need to simply look at his exotic dress, flare for the dramatic in class and with friends and talk to those who knew him to understand what a loss we have all been dealt.
Jason was in no way involved with gangs, drugs or weapons. He spent his time after school doing homework in teachers’ classrooms and hanging out with friends. His nightly routine of chatting on MySpace is the same one any of our kids have, and the same one as kids all across America. But for as “typical” as Jason seemed, he was so unique. He hated normal! He was different because he could be. He wore his skinny jeans and fashionable sweaters and blazers because it made him stand out.
I’ve included a few pictures of Jason as a way to expose what a great child he was, and to allow those who didn’t know him to see more than the news coverage allows. In my eyes, this tragedy has focused so much on the negative and what is truly being lost is what a great child we had the pleasure of being around. It hurts me to watch the news and see a murderer’s face and story being told and not that of Jason!!!!!
Please do me a favor and honor Jason! I am asking that you simply forward this e-mail and pictures to everyone you know. I want Jason’s story to be told and I want everyone to see that we have lost an innocent child! And maybe more importantly, I want everyone to see how beautifully wonderful this child was!!!
Ryan C. Jones, M.A.T.
English II Instructor
While attending the vigil, many candles were lit, and a decent sized crowd gathered around two white chairs, flowers beneath them as well as two photos of each of the victims. Several leaders of Equality Network spoke, but I felt a sense of rather soft silence put forth by grief rather than that of anger or outrage.
I write this because I fear that such attacks may continue and even increase. As we of the LGBT community put forth our efforts, and as our voices remain loud and clear to those around us, our cause, and our courage stirs in some rage and disgust, tainted with bitter prejudice and scorn.
We have seen other attacks like these before such as that of Matthew Sheppard, August Provost, and many many others who's name we may not know. What is sickening and most alarming is the lack of outcry, the lack of disgust, the lack of even a caring thought toward these victims of unjust and cruel hatred.
Earlier we saw the passing of the Federal Hate Crimes Act also known as the Matthew Sheppard Bill. A federal law that now includes sexual orientation and gender identity in crimes motivated by hate. It has taken nearly eleven years for such a bill to be passed, and only then passed as part of a defense budget...
How many more of our community need to suffer? How many more homeless LGBT youth need to die or starve or waste away in drug addiction due to their families, their churches, their peers, all in rejecting them for whom they are..
How much more does the statistic need to rise before people see the issues we face? How many more churches professing to be a church that follows Christ and His teaching need turn a blind eye to these people?
Where is the heart? Where is the people of this nation? where are those of compassion and action? These are not just queers, or so called "heathens" as some would put us, or "abominations". They are people. They are someones son. Their daughter, their brother, a friend, a cousin, a student, an acquaintance, a life.
A life worth fighting for. A soul in need of saving. A mind in need of rescuing. A person that needs to know that they are not sick, they are not wrong, and that God Himself does not hate them.. It is the society and that which is basic in all humans, the ability to scapegoat, the ability to blame, the ability to hate or put up walls out of fear or ignorance.
This is what we NEED to fight against. We need to fight against the violence and the hatred. We need to save these people if not from certain death, then from themselves. They need to be told and they need to hear that they are loved! Oh how many would have begged for such a message!!
It is way past due for us to act. Everyone needs to put forth themselves to save a life. Save a person. Save someone from being another statistic and sadly another forgotten memory on all our consciences.
