Last Sunday, Tim Miller and his partner David were were headed to the Mississippi river for an evening stroll in New Orleans’ French Quarter, as they often do. This time, they were interrupted by 23-year-old Jeffrey Lee and a group of young men, who beat them up “for no apparent reason,” Fox 8 reports.
Only Lee was arrested and booked on simple battery, but now the Orleans Parish District Attorney is investigating whether to prosecute it as a hate crime.
Miller told Fox 8:
“It all happened at the same time, they were yelling and punching us and we were on the ground very quickly. David said they were trying to get into my pockets and I was just fighting them off. They got nothing from us.”
He also said that the couple is planning on leaving New Orleans and going back to Oklahoma (it’s better there?) because of the incident:
“I love New Orleans. I love this city but it’s just become too much. It’s out of control and there just doesn’t seem to be any remedies to the problem.”
CBRad
When he says New Orleans is out of control, I wonder if he means…the crime rate in general ?? Because it sounds like he means something…beyond…his own assault.
linc52
that is so bad
[email protected]
Doesn’t Louisiana have a ‘open-carry’ law? Just pack your rod when visiting the French Quarter. Of course, the cops will probably shoot first then ask questions.
Timmmeeeyyy
From the details here, it sounds like a mugging, which could happen anywhere, not a hate crime.
Farquart
I have read that the crime in NO is really bad and out of control, especially since Katrina. When I visit, I never stray from a few blocks in the quarter.
J Stratford
Gay bashing in New Orleans is rampant. The so-called “Christian Conservatives” have been patrolling/parading the French Quarters and telling people off every night.
They are in all intersections of bourbon street during mardi gras too. I mean, couldnt the police give them one block and not all blocks? or maybe a whole street parallel to Bourbon? Royal perhaps?
I’m surprised it took this long until some of these “crusaders” have started to turn violent.
James
He got bashed for having gay face. Crime has always been bad in NOLA both before and after Katrina.
CBRad
@J Stratford: I can’t stand those preacher types, but I doubt it was a Christian conservative who tried to rob him too.
Eric in Chicago
The French Quarter is the only place I have ever been where someone called me a FAG. (well since being an adult)
Jim Hlavac
New Orleans, where I spend a lot of time, and am buying a house, is a very crime ridden city — the most likely place to be mugged is at the edges of the French Quarter — it’s where rich drunk tourists go. The likely perps are 99.9% probable to be African-American hetero males (Democratic voters if they vote at all.) Many other parts of the city are not dangerous at all. A quick view of the NOPD crime stats map online will bear this out.
Christians have been parading Bourbon Street for decades — they are laughed at — they stay on the hetero side, and rarely if ever cross the St. Ann Street gay-straight divide. (The Quarter is half hetero, half gay.)
Crime is lower since Katrina, since the criminal population did not move back.
The police force is among the lowest paid of any medium-big city police force in the nation; it is notoriously corrupt.
New Orleans “open carry” law refers to booze, not guns. One can drink 24 hours a day, and saunter around with a cocktail in the hand all the live long day, Sunday church time included.
And, as a sad side note, the world’s largest (and this nations too, then,) unsolved mass murder of gay men occurred in New Orleans at the Upstairs Lounge, when it was firebombed and 32 gay men died.
Other than that, it’s a great city, and I plan on living there.
Danny
New Orleans’ new slogan “come for the food, stay for the punch!” or “The Big Easy… easy to get mugged!” or “New Orleans… what are you doin’ here? No seriously what are you doin’ here? Run away!” or “New Orleans… call the cops… if they show up you can get robbed again!”
jason
That is why we have great Concealed Weapons laws in the south. Bad idea to do that with me; probably end up with a hunk of lead in your skull. I also believe in a properly executed “no retreat law”.
Angela Brown
I have seen the news and according to the news fox 8 it states that surveillance cameras shows a beating of two men in the French Quarter while taking a stroll. When the victim states what took place with his partner and himself he never tells the news the perpetrators identity. I’m asking because was the young male just singled out because he was in the area. I am familiar with the area and have walked the area several nights and years and haven’t seen not one camera. Also from my understanding the perpetrator has never been in any trouble with the law. How did this incident go from simply robbery and battery to a hate crimes. The perpetrator had no evidence of bruises to hand blood on cloths or any evidence of a crime being committed. I simply believe this may be a case of mistaken identity. I tell you this according to the perpetrator he was in the area he’s not denying that when he saw the victim down he went over to help him and police came during that time and began to arrest him simply because he fit the description of the perpetrators. I believe someone should look at this carefully.
David
I don’t know if “Angela Brown” is just one more internet wacko, but her statements above are false. The suspect was not arrested at the scene of the assault.