It’s not just heterosexual jerks who get charged with hate crimes. Sometimes homosexuals do too. Kevin “Jaden” Perry, the 35-year-old member of the pink posse Radical Faeries, was initially charged with assault, possession of a prohibited weapon (he was carrying a chain), and threats to inflict bodily harm — all with a hate crime elevation — after a dust up with a panhandler in Washington D.C. (Perry and his friends maintain the panhandler started it, calling Perry a “faggot” and adopting a threatening stance with fists raised when Perry refused to give him money). The hate crime attachment has since been dropped by prosecutors. How come? From the Washington Blade‘s report, to me it sounds like the police officer who took the report may have scribbled down the wrong person who was screaming which names.
“I never assaulted the guy,” Perry told the Blade at the courthouse after his arraignment. “I called him out for calling me a faggot,” he said. “I was on 17th Street on a gay street and I just wasn’t going to take that.”
A police report filed in court, based on accounts by the panhandler and an unidentified witness, quotes Perry as calling the panhandler a “faggot” at the time Perry allegedly assaulted him. “I will kill you. You’re a faggot,” the report quotes Perry as saying. “I’m a real faggot, bitch. You don’t want to fuck with a real faggot, bitch. I will fucking kill you.” The Blade obtained a copy of the police report and charging documents several hours after the arraignment and couldn’t immediately reach Perry for comment on the report.
Roy Alexander, one of two friends who were with Perry at the time of the incident, backed up Perry’s version of what happened. He said that while Perry did call the panhandler names as the two “cussed at each other,” he never heard Perry threaten to harm the man. “I was right there,” Alexander said. “The police talked to me. I told them what happened … The fact that I’m not even mentioned in the police report says something.” He added, “There’s been a lot of gay bashings in this city, and we seem to get attacked because we come across as weak. And now when someone stands up for himself he gets accused of a crime. This is just insane.”
So how come Perry had a chain on him? It was just part of his leather-themed wardrobe. Noted!
[photo: Blade/Michael Key]
Jess
I was actually at the scene 2 minutes after it happened, did not witness however. Good for Perry, I’d do the exact same thing. Unacceptable panhandler behavior anywhere let alone in one of the gayest neighborhoods in one of the gayest cities in the world. Homophobes who don’t know how to behave in public need to be taught lessons…
JUSTICEONTHEROCKS
@Jess: Yes, you should only call people faggot in settings that are super-straight.
Ferrin
He’s not a Radical Faerie.
Some of the members of the DC faerie community of which he claims to be a part all say he’s a troll they’ve only seen once, in a negative light.
Faeries are about love, light, acceptance… Giving him that descriptor is a misrepresentation of a community.
CK
The Circle Keepers of the DC Radical Faeries would like to express our concern over the incident that occurred outside of JR.’s involving one of our newest members. While none of us knows exactly what happened in the heat of that moment, we are concerned over how this incident may be misconstrued to represent the DC Radical Faeries.
We would like to make it known that violence in any form is contrary to Radical Faerie beliefs and practices. We strive to resolve conflicts through building understanding and heartfelt empathy between people. Violent acts, especially hate crimes, often stem from an illusion that another class of people are fundamentally different from the aggressor. When violence is responded to with violence it only serves to strengthen that illusion. It is our belief that by sharing ourselves, who we are and where we come from, we can reach through to the human being on the other side of the conflict.
Hate crimes are a systemic problem in the District. The lives of Principal Brian Betts, Wanda Alston, and countless transgender men and women were irreplaceable. Their loss has left a lasting impact on our community. We must strive to find solutions to these crimes that address the root of the problem, not just the individual incidents.
With love from heartspace,
The Circle Keepers of the DC Radical Faeries