Community groups held a moment of silence Wednesday at the scene of a downtown Santa Barbara beating early on New Year’s Day believed to be a hate crime against two young men who police say were perceived by their attackers to be gay.
In a news conference before the moment of silence, David Selberg, executive director of Pacific Pride Foundation, said it’s important to support the victims and show that the community will not tolerate hate.
“We’re here to say we’re not afraid and we’re standing by these victims and the community,” he said, flanked by community members and elected officials.
“The City of Santa Barbara, this community does not tolerate hate crime. Period,” Santa Barbara Mayor Helene Schneider said.
The group of about 150 people marched from City Hall to the intersection of Ortega and Chapala streets, where two young men were beaten reportedly without provocation around 1:42 a.m. Sunday.
“Two men were assaulted because of nothing that they did, nothing that they did wrong, but because of who they were,” Deputy Police Chief Frank Mannix said.
During the moment of silence at the scene of the beating, Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara Assistant Minister Julia Hamilton urged everyone to do their part to make the community a more compassionate, accepting place.
“No one should be afraid to hold hands walking down the street,” she said. “No one should be afraid to be who they are.”
Police released a bystander’s video of the incident and asked community members to come forward with any information that could lead to the suspects. The three men are described as white males in their 20s with shaved heads. The victims had never met them, and one of the three attackers made a derogatory comment to one of the victims.
“The suspects then violently attacked the victims, resulting in one victim suffering a broken jaw and a head injury requiring staples to close,” according to a police statement, while the other victim suffered minor injuries that did not require medical attention. “Based on the ongoing investigation, it appears that the suspects perceived the victims to be gay, which is believed to be the motivation for the attack.”
The first suspect is described as 5 feet 4 inches tall, 160 pounds and wearing a white and black plaid long-sleeve shirt. The second suspect is believed to be 6 foot 1 with dark clothing, while the third is described only as wearing dark clothing.
“We are very determined to make an arrest in this case, and the investigation is ongoing,” Mannix said. Police wouldn’t elaborate on whether the victims or suspects are local residents.
Police Capt. Alex Altavilla said the department is working with as many other agencies as it can to look for the suspects, adding that he and other officials “just don’t get” such a cowardly act.
Information related to this case can be provided anonymously to Detective Ken Kushner at 805.897.2345.
— Noozhawk staff writer Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.