At two least gay couples had their homes in the Louisville, Kentucky, area burglarized — leading some to suspect the spat of home break-ins are hate crimes. This isn’t pretty.
Keith McGill and Jim Reeves say they lost a TV, cash, and prescription meds — and had their clothes doused with bleach and walls and floors slimed with ketchup soda, and juice — when their home was targeted in September. Later that month, Bob Cundiff (pictured, top) and his partner John say they also had prescription drugs stolen, as well as the same round of food- and laundry-based vandalism with their carpets and clothes. Cundiff also says they “found a shovel and a cane, a big metal cane upstairs. If we’d a came home they would’ve had the shovel and this piece to try to hurt us.” Moreover, according to the news report below, a private love letter was placed out in the open, indicating the burglar knew he or she was targeting a gay couple.
And while police have yet to link the events, The Gays have.
Members of the Fairness Campaign are questioning two burglaries that happened less than a mile from each other. Chris Hartman, director of the Fairness Campaign, believes the homeowners may have been targeted because they are gay. Hartman said the burglaries were similar. One of the homeowners, Bob Cundiff, said he feels uneasy since it happened. He said his home was ransacked. His carpet and some of his furniture were bleached. “It’s hard to even leave home ’cause you hate to think what you might come back to,” Cundiff said.
In effect, these burglaries could be classified as federal hate crimes if the perpetrators targeted the homes because of the sexuality of their residents. Which would be an interesting application of the Matthew Shepard Act.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
But I can understand the obvious appeal of robbing gay houses if you’re into that sort of thing: There’s a good chance we’re going to have half the Pottery Barn catalog and 3-D plasma TVs before anyone else. So, warning to gays: It’s time to swap out that welcome mat reading “Hey, guuuurlllll.” It’s a dead giveaway.
Hyhybt
A “real” burglar would have taken the computer, not poured ketchup over it.
Ran
I agree with Hyhybt. Seems pretty obvious. Sounds like they might have gotten spooked and got out quick leaving the cane. It’s an expense but perhaps invest in a security system and surveillance cameras. If you can see who it is it will help.
Steve
Real burglars also don’t vandalize just for the sake of vandalism. That takes time away from searching for the things they want. Each minute spent in the house increases the chance of getting caught. They often do some damage during the course of searching for valuables, but that damage is incidental, not intentional. Pouring bleach on things has to be intentional.
After our house was burgled by a neighbors teenager, many years ago, I installed an alarm system. A few years ago, three vehicles were vandalized. So I added a video security system that includes cameras watching the parking spaces. Haven’t had any trouble since. Several neighbors have been burgled, one of them twice, but they leave us alone.
If you are handy and technically inclined, you can install these things yourself. The parts for a full-featured alarm system cost less than a single burglary, and a video system costs less than a vandalism.
MikenStL
Wow, I guess I better rethink my “choice” about being a homosexual… I thought it was all circuit parties and fabulous clothing; when the gay recruiter signed me up they never said anything about people hating you because of your “choice”…