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New York City has officially renamed the Queensboro/59th Street Bridge after its most famous closet case, former Mayor Ed Koch, who still coyly refuses to come out at the age of 86. I really hate the renaming of iconic century-old landmarks, particularly when that person had nothing to do with its construction. Coming up next, the Bloomberg Midtown Tunnel?
Four New York City teenagers have been charged with manslaughter after they crashed a party in Queens and stomped 18 year-old Anthony Colloa to death while shouting anti-gay epithets. One of Colloa's attackers also beat him with a metal pipe.
It's not clear why Collao was targeted. Friends said he had a girlfriend and was not gay - though the two men who threw the party are openly gay. Four suspects - Alex Velez, 16, of the Bronx, and Nolis Ogando, Christopher Lozada and Luis Tabales, all 17 and from Queens - were arrested soon after the Saturday incident. Lozada was wearing the victim's Atlanta Braves baseball cap, and the others were covered in blood, sources said. They were arraigned Monday night on charges of manslaughter and assault in Queens Criminal Court and were each held on bail of $100,000 to $200,000. They came uninvited to the Woodhaven party - advertised on Facebook - and refused to pay a $7 cover charge. They stormed the 90th St. home, busting windows and picking fights, witnesses said. The party was held in an abandoned home without electricity, lawyers for the suspects said. The crashers flashed gang signs, yelled anti-gay slurs and scrawled epithets in red marker on the walls, the two party hosts said.This morning NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn issued this statement: "We condemn this violent act of intolerance and ignorance in the strongest possible terms. The Council is in communication with the NYPD Hate Crimes Unit about this incident and we thank the NYPD for their swift action making four arrests over the weekend. I am confident that law enforcement officials will aggressively prosecute those responsible for this hateful act."
Daniel Rodriguez, 22, was yesterday sentenced to twelve years in prison for the brutal October 2009 gay bashing of Queens resident Jack Price, who spent days in a medically-induced coma after suffering two collapsed lungs, multiple broken ribs, spleen and liver damage. Rodriguez and his accomplice Daniel Aleman, 27, were captured on security cameras as they beat and kicked Price while shouting anti-gay slurs. Last month Aleman was sentenced to eight years in prison. Both men were convicted on hate crimes charges.
