Just after midnight on Sept. 24, a West Seattle couple living on the 4400 block of 50th Ave S.W. in the Genesee Hill neighborhood awoke to commotion outside their home.
Both of their cars had been vandalized - all the tires slashed and rocks thrown through the rear windshields, according to police.
Attached to one of the rocks was a note that read, “ “God hates Fags, get the f**k out of our neighborhood. The Bible says, ‘God forbids men committing indecent act(s) with other men.’ Pack up your s**t and get your gay s**t out! KKK.”
While the physical damage is considered a property damage crime, the anti-gay note adds malicious harassment to the charge if suspects are apprehended.
Malicious harassment is Washington State's hate crime statute, and a "person is guilty of malicious harassment if he or she maliciously and intentionally commits one of the following acts because of his or her perception of the victim's race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or mental, physical, or sensory handicap.”
Those acts include destruction of property and threats to “a specific person or group of persons and places that person, or members of the specific group of persons, in reasonable fear of harm to person or property.”
While a neighbor said he saw two white males walking down a nearby alley around the time of the crime, SPD Det. Mark Jamieson said they have no known suspects at this time.
Q13fox.com did an interview with the victims, Chris Ilovar and Lyle Evans, that you can watch here. In that report, Ilovar and Evans said while they were shocked by the crime, especially in the accepting community of West Seattle, they believe the unknown suspects’ actions will have an opposite effect as support for gay couples grows stronger in the face of intolerant acts.
To that point, Outwest Bar, West Seattle’s GLBTQA establishment on California Ave, is calling for solidarity and support in response to the crime.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Southwest Precinct at 206-733-9800.
