Yet another hate crime in New York City. A straight interracial couple and a friend who is gay were verbally and physically assaulted as they left a Long Island City neighborhood restaurant in Queens, New York. Billie and Jacob James-Vogel and their friend were celebrating her 4oth birthday at Shi Restaurant. Three men reportedly hurled fists along with racial and homophobic slurs as the couple and their friend were leaving at around 1:30 AM Saturday morning. “When I think about the slurs, the N-word and the F-word, it hurts. It hurts. It hurts…It breaks my heart,” Billie James-Vogel told NY1 News:
Jacob said he was repeatedly bashed, hit in the face and tossed to the ground. “I fell down. I was on my right side, so I was protecting my face with my arm,” he said. “I’m sore here, and my face was pummeled on the left side.” Billie said that she, too, was thrown to the ground, broke her toe and banged her head. “I see these guys rushing my husband, on top of my husband,” she said. “I try to get them off of my husband. One of them grabs me and throws me to the ground. The back of my head bounces off the concrete sidewalk, and I black out.” The couple said that while it was all going on, they went back to Shi for help, but were turned away at the door.
Shih Lee, the co-owner of the restaurant, said police were called, and said they couldn’t let anyone back in out of fear for their other patrons.
NYC Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, who is running for mayor of NYC, shared this statement with The New Civil Rights Movement today:
“These attacks are hateful, ugly and un-New York. We won’t let homophobia set back the LGBT community’s progress. We won’t let racism take hold where we’ve fought so hard to stamp it out. Whatever has spurred on these acts of violence, we’ll protect our people. New Yorkers have a right to live free from violence and fear. We must do more to affirm that right, by bringing more security cameras into the NYPD network so we can find perpetrators more quickly, and by joining police and communities in closer cooperation. Anyone with more information on this latest attack should come forward and report it to 1-800-577-TIPS.â€
Last week, a same-sex couple were verbally and physically assaulted in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan as they were walking home from a late-night movie. Â
www.youtube.com/embed/_T4uwGzcPvs
 You can watch the original video version at NBC NY: Related: NYC: City Council Candidate Yetta Kurland Speaks Out Against Chelsea Anti-Gay Hate Crime Have You Seen These Men? NYPD Releases Sketch Of Anti-Gay Hate Crime Attackers UPDATED: Same-Sex Couple Target Of Anti-Gay Attack In NYC’s Chelsea Neighborhood Â