Cincinnati, OH FOX news affiliate FOX19 is reporting that police are searching for three suspects accused of knocking a man unconscious with an iron before robbing him. But what they are not reporting that this is potentially a gay hate crime.
“According to authorities, the victim met the three men at Shooters, a bar located on Race Street downtown, on February 11th. From the bar, they all went back to the victim’s home to hang out and drink, sometime after 8 p.m.
That’s when the three suspects reportedly hit the victim in the back of the head several times with an iron. Police say the he attempted to fight them off but was knocked unconscious.
The three men then ransacked his apartment and took several items.”
The bar in question Shooters is a gay country and western bar, one of the few gay bars located in downtown Cininnati and one of the best known.
While it should be any surprise to no one that a FOX affiliate would straight-wash a news story the fact is that its a common problem in Cinci-nasty and other parts of the midwest.
If you don’t talk about gay people, they don’t exist.
Ed Mullen lawyer, political activist and Executive Director of Equality Ohio since early 2011 was arrested on June 16th, 2012 for Menacing and Disorderly Conduct in Columbus, Ohio.
Mullen was taken into custody and held in jail overnight and later released on his own recognizance pending a pretrial on June 28 at 9am in Franklin County Judge William Pollitt, Jr’s court.
Back2Stonewall.comcontacted the Columbus Police Department for further information and while details are sketchy it appears that on June 16 at 7:21 PM CPD were called to 231 Buttles Avenue in Columbus responding to a call of a disturbance. Upon arrival Mullen was arguing with the victim whose name is unkown. Columbus Police questioned Mullen but were wary of the answers that they were being given. Including the fact that Mullen told the Police Officers that “he was from Chicago and was in town temporarily”. Columbus Police decided to take Mullen downtown for further questioning at which point Mullen’s turned to the victim calling him a “fucking asshole” and telling him that “the war was on” at which time Mr. Mullen was placed under arrest.
Mullens relationship to the victim is not known at this time.
To be arrested for Disorderly Conduct is bad enough, but Menacing? For the leader of Equality Ohio — an organization that works for LGBT Equality and has a focus on working to end bullying, to be released from jail under Court Order that reads “No further acts of violence as a condition of bond,” and to be further ordered stay away from the prosecutor’s witness, is incredibly troubling.
Mullen who was previously the Managing Attorney for Community Integration at Access Living, a Chicago nonprofit that advocates for the rights of people with disabilities. Since talking the reigns of the failing Equality Ohio. Mullen has tried to energize the organization but been the subject of some controversy in Ohio LGBT’s community especially for his waffling on Ohio’s Same Sex Marriage amendment petition which he originally supported but then pulled back his support after finding out that some national LGBT organizations such as Freedom To Marry would not back the Amendment at which time Mullen switched his position to that of FTM and other national LGBT organizations.
Mullen will be represented by a public defender and his trial is set for June 28th, 2012.
June 28th marks the 43rd Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots.
**UPDATE: 6.21.2012 – Mullens picture and bio were removed from Equality Ohio’s website last night after we first reported his arrest.
A statement from Equality Ohio is due sometime today to “officially” announce Mullen’s resignation.
