SAN FRANCISCO: Assaults Mar Pink Saturday, Public Asked For Help

Two separate but possibly related assaults marred San Francisco's Pink Saturday celebration in the Castro. From the Facebook page of Stop The Violence:

During Pink Saturday a Sister in white face and habbit who was working the event on behalf of the community, and her husband, were physically and verbally assaulted by a group of up to seven people at the intersection of Castro Street & 18th Street. Both received some injuries and are naturally very shaken by the whole incident, but fortunately neither required hospitalization. If you witnessed this incident, or if you have photographs or video of the incident, please contact Mission Police Station. We want to work with investigators to assist them in identifying the suspects and bringing them to justice.

And from the San Francisco Examiner:

Two women were assaulted in what police are investigating as a possible hate crime in South of Market on Pink Saturday. The two victims, ages 27 and 24, were walking southbound on Ninth Street near Mission Street about 4:33 p.m. when six men attacked them, police said. The 24-year-old victim was reportedly kicked and punched several times and sustained abrasions to her head, police said. The 27-year-old sustained a broken wrist. Both women were hospitalized briefly, but their injuries were not life-threatening. One of the suspects made derogatory comments to the victims, police said, before the group fled. There were few details about the suspects available Monday and no arrests were reported.

Pink Saturday has long been criticized for its often unruly crowds. Last year a woman was brutally beaten and robbed during the event. Her attacker was sentenced to six years in prison last month. In 2010, three people were shot and one young man was killed during a gang-related altercation on Pink Saturday.