My Violent Attack by Yes on 8 Demonstrators

Submitted by lezgetreal on Tue, 11/04/2008 - 3:07pm

I am one of the women involved in a horrible and hateful attack, which occurred on Oct. 31 around 5pm on the corner of Fruitvale in Oakland, underneath the 580 freeway in the parking lot there.

The motive was hate... against me, an opposer to Proposition 8 and a Latina lesbian. I had just gotten off of work from that same block, crossed the street to get to my car and had to pass by a crowd of Samoan or Pacific Islander women, who seemed to be family and part of some church. There were about 8-12 of them, including 2 children. Everyday around 3pm, they get dropped off by what seems to be a church van. They were shouting at the top of their lungs, in support of Prop.8. and screaming at cars, urging them to run us, 3-4 women over.

Making my way to my car, I asked them a question... How can you call yourself religious when you are inflamed with hate?

We exchanged some verbal disagreement and this escalated to an unbelievable extent and then I was told I would burn in hell and that I was jealous that I couldn’t get married because I don't have a d*ck. After getting in my car, one of them, a pregnant woman, hit my car with her sign. I stepped out to look at the damage and found that she was still standing there waiting for my reaction. I guess she thought I was going to hit her, but I didn't get a chance because before I knew it, she had lunged at me with all her might and her family joined in on the fun. As I was pinned up against my car, with 4-5 women taking swings at me, pulling my hair, biting me, yes biting me like a dog with rabies, a woman came to my rescue. She was a prop 8 opposer and total stranger to me. She made her way between these women and shielded me with her own body. If you are out there, many thanks, I owe you my life! You are truly an angel!

Unfortunately, they yanked her off and beat her as well, while she was on the floor.

They finally stopped after one of their own begged them to stop, because they sure didn't listen to my plea to let me go. Two of the 4-5 were arrested because I couldn't identify the rest of them since my head was down most of the time. I suffered chipped teeth, scratches and bruises on my head, face, and arms, and one nasty bite on my hand which I did get tested for rabies!
Two things that bothered me the most were that, one, after they were done they went right back to their corner and held up their signs as if nothing had happened and two, this happened in the presence of 2 minors, a boy and a girl between the ages of 10 to 13. It’s alarming to see what kind of example their family is setting for them and how they are promoting violence to resolve differences of opinions. Hmm, but they are scarred to “supposedly” talk about gay marriage in school? (Which isn’t part of the proposition anyways)??!!

To set the record straight, this all happened because of hatred and ignorance from a group of people who don't understand that no matter how you feel about prop. 8, promoting violence and hate, while pretending to defend the sanctity of marriage through whatever religion they belong to, seems, I don't know, contradictory and hypocritical... but hey that's just me! These people acted more like animals, with no shame and no remorse. Vote no on Prop. 8! Don't support this type of hatred...

I would love to chat with any others that have any similar stories in this neighborhood or sustained the same type of violence, or have any legal advice, we should join forces.

Please spread the word to all of your social circles and lets all come together and prevent this from happening again. I am pressing charges and will be prosecuting to the fullest extent of the law. So if you know any lawyers, I don’t have much money, but I know this is a strong case because it is a hate crime. Please feel free to email me at queca98@aim.com. They don't know it yet… but they barked up the wrong tree.

With much appreciation in advance…

In Solidarity,
Francesca

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Comments

sorry that this is happening

Submitted by anonymous on Tue, 11/04/2008 - 4:25pm.

i'm voting Yes on 8, but regardless of that...I am so sorry that you were attacked. anger seems to be flaring on both sides...with you and others being physically attacked by supporters on both sides. it's uncalled for and completely insane that people feel they have are a right to assualt anyone else...regardless of personal, lifestyle, or religious beliefs.

the rhetoric on both sides is really out of hand.

it is a passionate issue, but we're all still people and need to respect that we are all individuals and have our own opinions.....no one should be harrassed, critized, attacked or persecuted for expressing their own opinion.

it probably wasn't the best idea to confront this group...and it sounds like your words insulted them. regardless...there is NO reason they should have attacked you physically.

i hope you will be okay. i can only offer my apologies for the actions of these people. I hope that you keep on going with your convictions and get out to vote. good luck and please be safe.

brian

you hate if you voted yes on 8

Submitted by anonymous on Wed, 11/05/2008 - 1:44pm.

if you put your religion into law and banned gay marriage, then you would no sooner see us lynched in the streen. prop 8 was a vengeful hateful creation of the mormom machine... i will fight for our rights as EQUALS until the end. May all bigots BURN.

Carlsbad Man Arrested today for Punching Yes on 8 Elderly couple

Submitted by anonymous on Tue, 11/04/2008 - 6:25pm.

It's interesting that NO on 8 Supporters want tolerance for rights but all I see is Hate and violence coming from No on 8 supporters and the opposite of tolerance. Regardless of how you feel on Prop 8, its obvious that many No on 8 supporters are actually the ones with hate deep down shown by the violence in the news with destruction of signs, physical abuse, and hate speech.

Looks like the Yes on 8 supporters will win just on sheer example on how to love your neighbor...

Yes on 8!!

Feel bad for ya

Submitted by anonymous on Wed, 11/05/2008 - 3:57am.

sorry to see what happened to ya. hope u get better.

our tires were slashed

Submitted by anonymous on Wed, 11/05/2008 - 11:23am.

We had parked our No on 8 car in front of a Yes on 8 house in our neighborhood. Somebody slashed our right-fron tire.

I know it is nothing like your physical attack, but I think we can connect the dots between attacking people in the anonymous voting booth, to dark of night, to what did happen to you ... to shootings in churches and bombing in gay bars.

I am so disappointed in my neighbors, that they couldn't rise above their prejudice. "Jesus" has turned into a code word for "I HATE GAYS"

as if we didnt know

Submitted by anonymous on Thu, 11/06/2008 - 5:03am.

its a neverending cycle that is no different than when people segregated blacks from whites. people always have to hide behind something to allow themselves to push their message across to people without sounding outrageous. im a 6 foot 1 dude who woulda kicked their asses regardless. i know that sounds wrong but they were BITING u and beating u because you were a lesbian. i have to say that i cannot follow the "be the better person" or "dont stoop to their level". why? because the other side will always stoop to that level since they know we wont or try not too. if i ever see a religious group of zealots going farther than showing signs and yelling i will beat them with such a passion they will remember for the rest of their lives; they will know that hatred is wrong and inturn they will receive no mercy for theyre hatred. i know im very forward but i have seen it and lived it as a gay man in his 20's. i want the hate to end and i will not accept being beaten down ever.

how could you read her story

Submitted by anonymous on Thu, 11/06/2008 - 5:29am.

how could you read her story and say "i'm voting yes on 8.." you are ignorant. If you feel gay marriage threatens your straight marriage, you are uneducated.
Is it our job to educate you. I don't want your relationship, your family, I want my own, and I don't think your god should tell me how to live. Do you want me to tell you how to live? Stokely Charmichael, in the mid 60's, declared civil rights to be a white person problem because it was the white person who had the problem. I say, gay rights is a straight person problem, get over it. We don't want to take what you have, we just want to share in your benefits. If you are uncomfortable with that, look within.

Missed one thing....

Submitted by anonymous on Thu, 11/13/2008 - 8:28pm.

"Stokely Charmichael, in the mid 60's, declared civil rights to be a white person problem because it was the white person who had the problem. I say, gay rights is a straight person problem, get over it. We don't want to take what you have, we just want to share in your benefits. If you are uncomfortable with that, look within."

(A) You missed the cavet....one is biological (being black, lattin, or a woman), the other is a lifestyle/behavior (being gay). Big difference.

If these were the same tell me: Two black men are standing on the sidewalk with a t-shirt, shorts, and tennis shoes. Without anyfurther detail, who is gay.

Though so. You can HIDE being gay. You cannot HIDE being black, latin, white, or a woman. These are biological traits.

There is no "gay" trait". These are decadent behaviors gone wild. You arent hosed because you are gay, you arent pulled over because you are gay, you cant reproduce because you are gay, and you can hide the fact you are gay if you so choose.

But yet you want to be considered a "minority" and call this a "civil" rights issue......puuuh-leease.

To be honest.....

Submitted by anonymous on Thu, 11/13/2008 - 8:22pm.

Sounds fabricated as this is a highly trafficked area. Anyways, the "No on 8" crowd are dropping "N" bombs on black folks, after finding out that 70% of black Californians voted "Yes" on 8.

This is a diversion tactic to create violence elsewhere, and yet I really dont care now that I am hearing of how these (yes, "these") gay people are acting, including the "No on 8" dude beating up on an 80-somthing year old woman.

Crazy. You reap what you sow. This will not happen.