Tony Dunlap could barely stand up straight and slowly attempted to swallow painkillers as he recalled what happened in a Sept. 10th attack that the police department’s Hate Crimes Unit is now investigating.
No arrests have been made and Dunlap, a 42-year-old actor, is recovering from surgery for groin injuries that he sustained in the attack.
Inspector Moore, the lead investigator on the case, said that Dunlap has been questioned but the department does not release details in an ongoing investigation.
The incident is the third hate crime that has occurred in the Mission-Castro area in the last five months. Suspects have been arrested in all of the other cases. In the last year there have been four cases of hate crime in the Mission District, according to the San Francisco Police Department.
In the first four months of 2010, hate crimes in San Francisco dropped to 20 compared to 24 in 2009, according to the SFPD.
Of the three anti-gay incidents in the Mission-Castro neighborhood one occured during Pride Weekend’s Pink Saturday, June 27th, Sergeant Limbert, said Chuck Limbert, the officer in charge of the case when it was first reported.
“One is too many,” said Limbert. Hate crimes are among the hardest to convict because the crime is very subjective. “It is up to victim’s perception of the crime,” he said.
Dunlap, who uses the name Tony Vaguely as a performer and leader of The Sick and Twisted Players theater group, was walking home from a party at 2:30 am on 18th and Dolores when the crime occurred, he said. He heard some noise by the park and, assuming gang members might be in the park, he decided to avoid the crowd and walk towards the 19th street Muni tracks.
He heard footsteps behind him. Worried that someone might be following him, he hid behind the wall at 19th street tracks.
“‘Hey faggot, looks like a queer to me,’” Dunlap recalled one of the men taunting as he stood under the overpass. Dunlap said the suspects were two back-lit silhouettes, but one of them appeared to be a male with blond hair.
“Everything happened so quickly,” Dunlap said. The men kicked him, swung at him with a bat and aimed at his groin area, he said.
Dunlap tried to to dial 911, but police said they received no call and Dunlap thinks now that he probably called 411 instead. (Dunlap adds that during the attack his phone was damaged and that might have been the reason why his calls did not go through.)
When police failed to arrive that night, Dunlap walked home, threw away his bloodied clothes and took a bath. “I wasn’t going to report it that night because I wanted my safe space,” he said.
Dunlap said he went to the doctor the next day on Friday afternoon, but waited until Saturday to go to the Mission Police Station.
There, police asked why he had failed to report the crime earlier. “There was something in the tone in which the question was asked,” said Dunlap. He was upset and left with out completing the report.
Sergeant Limbert, who is the Gay, Bisexual, Lesbian and Transgendered Liaison at Mission Station said he was at a general membership meeting for Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence when someone told him about the incident. Limbert contacted Dunlap. “He was more relaxed because I am a gay man,” Limbert said.
“Sergeant Limbert was a sweetheart,” Dunlap said adding that he returned to the station to complete the report.
Limbert said, ideally, victims should report a crime immediately and keep all the evidence. Dunlap’s case, he said, has been compromised because he got rid of his clothes.
To Dunlap, however, the evidence is his injury. “The crime scene is in my pants,” he said. However, he acknowledged, he would have difficulty identifying the suspects.
Hate Crime in San Francisco
The Mission’s first victim this year was Ray Tilton who was injured outside the 440 Bar in the Castro. On August 14th, a second attack by a group of young men assaulted Zachary Davenport at the Market/Church Street Muni station, police said.
Police send investigations to the Hate Crimes Unit after a preliminary investigation concludes that the allegations fall within the department’s definition of a hate crime — acts committed against an individual because of who the victim is/or who they are perceived to be.
After recovering from surgery, Dunlap will continue his theatrical work and might get involved with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.
Inspector Debra Moore, who has been assigned to the case in the Hate Crime Unit, said no further details can be given out, but Dunlap’s inability to identify the suspects makes an arrest more difficult.
“I am not a hero, it was something that needed to be reported. I was a little chicken at first because I tend to shy away from extremely embarrassing incident,” Dunlap said.
Mr. Dunlop, I am so sorry this happened to you. It breaks my heart, that there are people who would hurt someone because of who they love. I know I sound naive – but I don’t think it will ever not make my heart hurt.
I took a great self defense class, that was designed after a black belt female was raped. I know it won’t take away what happened to you but it might make you feel more grounded. It was called BAMM. Best wishes, may you heal quickly and completely.
@Fay: Please make those corrections, or retractions, the article is still the same. This article (as anubia pointed out) really deviated from some crucial facts, and I am even more traumatized from reading it. Please re-read my post or email me.. to make the needed corrections. Please.
Regards, Tony V
@ Fay: In all do regards, I don’t see anything corrected or retracted. this article has traumatized me even more.. Please please read my post again, or email me so the correct facts, wording and truth can be told.. at least here on the online edition.
Thank You, Tony V
@spinkisulks
As a transsexual women who has lived in San Francisco for many years, I wanted to respond to your post. While I have no knowledge of the incident described, Mr. Dunlap’s story is not as implausible as you suggest.
The attitude of some SFPD police officers toward victims of anti-LGBT violence remains so hostile that a large percentage of incidents are either not reported or quickly dropped by the victim due to the hostility of the officer(s) involved. People do not want to deal with a police force that may, or may not, just add to the abuse, at least verbally. A police officer might investigate the crime, or they may obsess about the victim’s “real” gender while telling them that they would not have gotten attacked if they “stop[ped] acting like a [anti-gay slur].”
While the SFPD has a few officers, such as Chuck Limbert or Lea Militello (sp?), whose job descriptions seem to include mollifying the LGBT community, some beat officers seem to think it still the 1950s.
Spinkisulks: I sat on a jury for a murder trial. We were forbidden to read anything or search any information about it. When it was finally over, I read all of the news articles I could find. I was amazed by how radically different the stories were, and how they really deviated greatly from the actual events. There were glaring factual inaccuracies and sometimes information that made the victim look like he had a hand in his demise, which was patently untrue. I never fully grasped until after that trial how flawed reporting is. Journalism is no different from any other profession; some are going to be better and more thorough, some are lazy, some are just trying to meet their deadline. Rather than denigrate the victim, ask yourself this: if it’s this easy for you to say that other victims’ stories merit more press, how easy would it be for society at large to dismiss your desire for fair treatment? You can’t ask from the larger community for something (compassion, protection) you can’t give.
Dear Spinkisulks
First let me say how totally insulting, and quite hurtful it is to hear your insinuation that this story is not “believable”. It certainly happened and there are numerous medical records more than offering “proof” if that is what you seek by the negative tone. If you’re a doubting Thomas , remember that the Bay Times got many facts wrong, in fact I’ve stated repeatedly the corrections that needed to be made and asked for a retraction and also corrections to be made for the online Bay Tines that went ignored.
And here again, is a report on this hate crime (which is old news by now and odd that it is coming out a month later) that misses the facts that I so hoped would correct those made by the Bay Times. First of all, my cell was battered and banged up as I fell and was not receiving reception at all. I could not reach the police, or anyone (calling a cab? that’s lifted right from the Bay Times story. I did actually try dialing for both. but since my phone wasn’t working at that moment, no calls were made. I let Sgt. Limbert know this and he verified that no 911 calls were made at that time from the area.. duh. I couldn’t get a signal. as for the time difference in this story, it has me coming home from a party? at 12:30? not true, It was 2:30 am early on Friday I was bypassing the park from what sounded like a gang brawl, I did NOT duck under a tunnel, I went into the muni through way at 19th and Church and stopped flat against the wall to hear if the approching footsteps were still gaining on me. when I heard nothing, I turned around and two men were standing right behind me, immediately calling me fucking queer faggot, and the other said looks like one to me, next thing I was knocked to the ground by the force of the first blow of a baseball bat to my crotch, then another, and then the second suspect grabbed the bat and hit me a third time. this happened all within about 10 seconds or less.. they ran, I was still on the ground in shock, horrible pain, and disbelief that something so cruel and hateful had just happened. The press wants to sell a story (even if its free and embellished) and once again this has missed some important facts, and got other facts wrong. that is the press for you. I;ve suffered enough from this and still trying to heal, and people like you who read things at face value and believe exactly what is printed need to keep in mind not only have I experienced something no one should ever have to, but also if there’s space to fill, papers will and usually expand and add dramatizations to fill space. I’m very disappointed this did not right all the wrong facts the Bay Times made, as I made it very clear that was why I was even agreeing to this. Also someone who just had a horrible and traumatic thing such as this happen and who is in shock and not thinking clearly, and who was also scared to death, and could not place a call to 911 because of reception trouble, probably would want to get back home as fast as possible and bolt the door where one feels safe. next thing would be to bath and wash and tend to your wounds, and go to the hospital after a few hours of calming down. Yes my fave pair of jeans were a mess and I was emotional and furious this had happened and chucked them in a plastic trash bag as I stepped into a bath, not even thinking they could have been of any help.. it had my blood on them, and I did not care at that moment to ever see them or be reminded of what had just happened. I in fact went the very next day (not 2 days later as keeps getting indicated) to report this, was in unimaginable pain, and was embarrassed and ashamed as part of the process sometimes includes self blame, which I a have realized was not my fault. I should have started this comment with you insensitive a**hole, your incompassion is overwhelming, but who are you but a strange name on a comment thread. Instead, I wanted to clarify once again, this is the second story to muck up the whole incident, however well intended it was meant to be, and why after over a month (and many many others who’ve suffered bashings, bigotry, and homophobic hatred) is this still even news.. Yes I support the Stop The Violence campaign and Red Saturday,, but not your sour milk fishy story accusations. Shame on you. If you believed everything ever written at face value, especially from out of any press related story, I pity you. There are always two sides of a coin, next time try heads not “tales”.. TV
Tony, Thank you for pointing that out. It has been corrected.
All the best, Fay.
I initially logged on to this article out of concern for an issue I find distressing, but I have to say I do not believe Mr. Dunlap’s story and am surprised that the reporter chose to lead with it. He threw away his clothes? And didn’t report the crime? AND claimed to have called 911, which was discredited? AND he walked away the first time he filed a report because he didn’t like someone’s tone?? I don’t know what Mr Dunlap’s story is, but something in the milk ain’t clean. I wish very much that the article had led with Tilton or Davenport, two victims whose stories actually ring true.