NEW YORK CITY: Suspect In Chelsea Chair-Bashing Turns Himself In

Via the New York Daily News:

The man accused of bashing a gay couple with a chair in a Chelsea barbecue restaurant has turned himself in, police sources said. Bayna-Lehkiem El-Amin, 41, surrendered to NYPD Hate Crime detectives at the Seventh Precinct and was being questioned Tuesday, the sources said. He was charged with assault and attempted assault. El-Amin slammed a chair over the heads of Jonathan Snipes, 32, and Ethan York-Adams, 25, during a dispute inside Dallas BBQ on Eighth Ave. near W. 23rd St. on May 5. He's also accused of using homophobic slurs, police said. El-Amin left the city, but professed his innocence online. Writing on the blog The G-List, El-Amin said that he was the one victimized. "I was the victim ... I was sitting at my table," he wrote. "With no provocation, he came up and hit me. There was no slur thrown at him."

Gothamist notes that El-Amin "reportedly has 18 arrests in numerous states for assault, credit-card fraud, possession of stolen property, and forgery."

Remembering Chelsea's Gay Heyday

Over at Kenneth In The 212, my pal Kenneth Walsh has published a rather comprehensive photo essay recounting the dozens of businesses that have departed the Eighth Avenue corridor of Chelsea that was arguably once the nation's most popular stretch of gay nightlife, retail, and restaurants. Chelsea's demise as the center of Manhattan gay life began early this century and accelerated rapidly over the last ten years as rising rents and gentrification sent the gays packing for Hell's Kitchen.

REPORT: Accused Fugitive In Chelsea Chair-Bashing Speaks Out To Gay Blogger

On May 6th two gay men were brutally clubbed over the head with a chair during a fracas at a Chelsea restaurant that was widely characterized as an anti-gay hate crime after video of the incident went viral nationwide. The following day New York City blog The G-List Society posted a claim that one of the victims had instigated the fight and that the attacker was a gay man himself. On May 20th the NYPD identified the man as Bayna El-Amin and reported that he remains a fugitive. On May 26th Gawker confirmed reports that El-Amin is gay.

Last night The G-List Society posted an interview with El-Amin, describing him as an "HIV/AIDS counselor and ballroom community leader." The opening paragraph is attributed to El-Amin:

"We are fortunate enough to live in a country where all people are protected against crimes based upon their race or sexual orientation. That’s a blessing because everyone in this world doesn’t have that privilege and right. I think that is sad and unfortunate that someone would misuse that right and play this card that they have been gay-bashed or been attacked and then call someone a homophobe. I’m also disappointed in the community, in particular certain members of the LGBT community, who have not done their due diligence to make sure that if someone is saying this – that what they’re saying is true. In particular, that [openly-gay] Councilman [Corey Johnson] in that area who said so many horrible things about me to his constituents. I don’t understand why he would call me a homophobe.”

Further down in his post, G-List Society author Waddie G says that he advised El-Amin to press charges against the alleged instigator of the incident, should he decide to turn himself into the police. El-Amin is reportedly staying with friends at an undisclosed location and is being advised by an attorney while he builds his case of self-defense. Another quote from El-Amin: 

"He assaulted me. I was the victim. People don’t realize that. People don’t know that. I was sitting at my table. With no provocation, he came up and hit me. There was no slur thrown at him. There was no bumping into my table and knocking over my drinks. There was no interaction between us in a sense, except for what I said earlier when I said to them, ‘Hey, guys! There are ladies here.’ Then, he came over to me and said, ‘And YOU calling up ladies.’ Then, POW! He definitely made false accusations and tried to put a crime on my that did not happen. I defended myself.”

NYPD Chief Of Detectives Robert Boyce calls El-Amin a "career criminal," noting his multiple arrests on charges that include forgery and credit card fraud. Hit the final link above for the full interview.

NEW YORK CITY: NYPD Releases Name Of Suspect In Chelsea Restaurant Attack

The NYPD has released the name of the still-at-large suspect in the chair-smashing incident that happened earlier this month in a Chelsea restaurant. Via Gawker:

The man who hit another man over the head with a chair at the Chelsea Dallas BBQ earlier this month in a supposedly anti-gay attack that was captured on video and went viral has been identified by the NYPD as Bayna El-Amin. “I have him identified, we are seeking him now. He’s been identified for about a week. We will see if we can get him in,” said NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce. “He is a career criminal. We believe he has fled the state.” A cursory internet search reveals several clues into El-Amin’s criminal past. In 2005, he was arrested for violating probation and for failure to appear in court. In 2006, he was locked up for about three months on a forgery charge, according to Mugshots.com, which also lists invasion of privacy, credit card fraud, a violation of Georgia Controlled Substance Act, and a miscellaneous misdemeanor. That site lists his height at 6’6” and his weight at 325 lbs.

The day after the fracas went viral, New York City-based blogger Waddie G claimed to know that El-Amin is gay himself, casting doubts on whether the attack was an anti-gay hate crime. El-Amin's Facebook page has apparently been deleted, but Gawker found a YouTube comment attributed to his name on a video about competitive vogueing. That's certainly not conclusive proof, but it does jibe with Waddie G's claim that El-Amin is well-known in the "Harlem ballroom scene."

Was Chelsea Attack A Gay-On-Gay Crime? UPDATE: NYPD Releases Suspect Video

As I've noted in earlier posts, accounts conflict about the chair-bashing attack that took place on Tuesday at a Chelsea restaurant. According to friends of the victims, the attack was a flat-out anti-gay hate crime preceded by multiple uses of "faggot" by the assailant. But at least one witness claims that one of the victims, Jonathan Snipes, first escalated the incident by angrily confronting the assailant and may have thrown the first punch. However there may be much more to this story.

This afternoon black gay blogger Waddie G, author of The G-List, posted a claim that may reshape the entire scenario.

My friend, YouTube personality Isaam Houston, caught the latter part of the fight on camera and gave me the T because he sat next to the table of the Black men, where the fight originated upon Snipes’ confrontation. Now, what Snipes chose to leave out in his interview was that during his exchange of words with the two alleged Black aggressive homophobes is that he struck one of the Black men first which kicked off the entire brawl. How do I know this information? My friend, YouTube personality Isaam Houston, caught the latter part of the fight on camera and gave me the T because he sat next to the table of the Black men, where the fight originated upon Snipes’ confrontation.

Additionally, the word “faggot,” according to Houston, seemed to be a response to Snipes’ arrogance after knowing that he bumped the Black men’s table and knocking their drinks rather than homophobia. According to another source, who did not give me permission to identify his name – who I happened to have been cool with for years, mentioned that the chair throwing Black male seemed to check him out with frequent eye glances in a flirtatious manner. In other words, the alleged Black aggressor is possibly a same-gender-loving male, according to my source.

And guess what? One of the patrons at the restaurant called me and identified the chair thrower by name. I looked up the chair tosser’s Facebook profile, and he is allegedly gay, gay, gay and pretty popular in the ballroom scene. I am not going to snitch the guy out because I am on his side of self-defense minus the chair tossing and hate the white gay privileged narratives by gay bloggers, blogs and organizations who sensationalized this incident into more than what it was to protect the white gay hot head who wanted to demonize the Black gay men as aggressors over a physical altercation that he provoked when he could have ignored their foul language like I always do when insults are hurled my way.

Waddie G goes on to declare that all of the involved parties "were in the wrong." All of the above is hearsay for now. And even if these latest claims are proven to be completely true, criminal charges are, of course, still warranted. But maybe this wasn't an anti-gay hate crime.

UPDATE: The NYPD tonight released surveillance video of the suspect arriving at the restaurant. The clip, via DNAinfo, is only a few seconds long and pauses on the image below. A higher resolution but much smaller version of the image can be seen at the link.

NEW YORK CITY: Chelsea Restaurant Asks Public For Help In Finding Gay-Basher

The Chelsea outlet of Dallas BBQ, the site of Tuesday's brutal gay-bashing, has posted a message in its front window asking for the public's help in identifying the man who smashed a wooden chair onto the heads of two gay patrons. Eyewitness accounts appear to conflict on whether one of the victims had initially incited the fight, but both men had their backs turned and were returning to their seats when the much larger man clubbed them with the chair. NYC Councilman Corey Johnson issued a statement yesterday: "I am appalled and angered by the senseless act of anti-LGBT hate violence that was perpetrated last night at a restaurant in my district. I urge the perpetrators of this act to turn themselves in immediately." The incident has been heavily covered by local media.

HORRIFYING: Gay Couple Brutally Bashed With Chair At Chelsea Restaurant

Via DNA Info:

A gay couple was bashed over the head with a wooden chair, knocked to the ground and kicked by two men hurling anti-gay slurs at the Chelsea Dallas BBQ Tuesday night, in an attack captured on a graphic video, according to police and the victims. "These guys attacked us specifically because they knew we weren't their type of people," said Jonathan Snipes, 32, who had a tooth knocked loose and cartilage snapped in his ear during the beating.

"It was disgusting. It was awful," Snipes, who was attacked alongside his boyfriend Ethan York-Adams, 25, told DNAinfo New York. In one video, York-Adams, 25, tries to shield Snipes by throwing his arm around his shoulder just before a man rushes up to them with a wooden chair and cracks it over their heads. York-Adams falls to the floor and Snipes slumps into a nearby chair, visibly dazed. An NYPD spokesman said an investigation is ongoing, but that the incident was not currently being investigated as a hate crime.

At the restaurant, Snipes got a text about a death in his family and needed to leave the restaurant quickly, he said. As he headed out, he accidentally knocked over a drink, he said. "A table near us audibly started making pretty gross comments about the two of us like, 'White faggots, spilling drinks,'" Snipes said. "I don't let anyone talk to me like that. I went over there and asked, 'What did you say about us?'" he added. The man knocked Snipes to the ground and started kicking his face and spine, knocking loose one of his teeth, snapping the cartilage in his ear and bruising his head, he said. He shouted, "Take that, faggot," according to Snipes.

No arrests have been made. Warning: The video is graphic.

CHELSEA: Gym Bar Gets Ten Year Lease

As I've recounted here in the past, Chelsea's formerly famed gay nightlife has long been on the decline, supplanted by many newer clubs uptown in Hell's Kitchen. But Gym Bar, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this month, has just scored a lease for another ten years.

"We didn’t want to move, I didn’t want to move anywhere but where we are," Schmutzler told DNAinfo New York. GYM, which proclaims itself "NY's premier bar for balls, boys and beers," has been in its home at 167 Eighth Ave. since 2005, Schmultzer said. The bar is a regular hangout for gay sports leagues that play nearby and its basement "Locker Room" shows the NFL Sunday lineup, according to the bar's website. Rising rents along Eighth Avenue in Chelsea have been forcing out small businesses for years, and many storefronts are still empty. But Schmutzler was able to work out a deal with his landlord, he said, partly by convincing him that the store could stand vacant. "We had a diagram of all the empty storefronts," along Eighth Avenue, Schmultzer said. Schmultzer would not specify how much his new rent is, but said it was no "sweetheart deal." He was able to freeze it for a few years and get a five-year extension option on the new lease, he said.

Two years ago the Rawhide, a Chelsea landmark for 33 years, closed its doors in the face of a soaring rent increase. The space has since remained empty but a deal was signed in January to turn the storefront into a "high-end lingerie boutique," whatever that is. Interestingly, the landlord says he first turned down offers from at least five gay bars before making the deal. Is it possible that Chelsea could make a comeback? (Tipped by JMG reader Douglas)

RELATED: Gym Bar has a second outlet in West Hollywood and a third location is reportedly planned for Florida - Wilton Manors would be my guess. Another gay sports bar chain, Boxers, now has three locations in Manhattan and one in Philadelphia with more said to be on the way.

NEW YORK CITY: $165M Park Planned For Hudson River Piers In Chelsea

Via Gothamist:

A crumbling old Hudson River pier once used by ocean liners like the Lusitania will be torn down and replaced by a 2.7 acre park on the water featuring rolling hills and an outdoor amphitheater. Mayor de Blasio is expected to reveal further details about the park at a press conference this morning, but the Hudson River Park Trust has revealed that the park will be largely financed by a foundation formed by the billionaire couple Barry Diller and Diane von Furstenberg. “New York has always reminded me of Venice, so I am happy the time has come to properly honor its waterways,” Diane von Furstenberg said in a statement. “What better than a park on the city’s western bank to rest, watch a sunset or a performance?” The talented producer Scott Rudin, theater directors George Wolfe and Stephen Daldry, and British theater executive Kate Horton will oversee the performance spaces, with Diller committing to fund cultural events there for 20 years.

The project will be built at Pier 55 and $35M will come from the city and state. Hit the link for more renderings.

RELATED: Meanwhile next door at Pier 57 (the site of the 2012 NYC Pride Pier Dance) a $200M makeover is due for a spring 2015 unveiling. That project, dubbed SuperPier, was first reported to include "the world's most sought after retailer, restaurant, and lifestyle brands, fused with the most promising emerging talents in food, fashion, film, art and other creative fields." More recent reports, however, indicate that much of the complex will now be devoted to office space.

STUDY: Gays Are Leaving Gayborhoods

Newly published research confirms what most casual observers have known for years - fewer gay people are choosing to live in traditional urban gayborhoods.

Fewer same-sex couples reside in historically gay neighbourhoods compared to 10 years ago, according to one of the largest studies of sexuality in the U.S. Led by University of British Columbia sociologist Amin Ghaziani, the study found the number of gay men who live in gay enclaves has declined eight per cent while the number of lesbians has dropped 13 per cent. Ghaziani’s research, which is collected in his new book There Goes the Gayborhood, suggests that San Francisco’s Castro district, New York’s Chelsea, Chicago’s Boystown and other “gayborhoods” are changing as growing numbers of heterosexual households join or replace gays and lesbians. He offers several reasons for the shift, including gentrification, changing attitudes among gays and lesbians, and growing acceptance of same-sex couples. The study also identifies new demographic trends, including unexpected clusters of same-sex parents around desirable schools in traditionally straight neighbourhoods and the emergence of districts for LGBT people of colour. The findings also show that same-sex households exist in a record-high 93 per cent of U.S. counties.

Here's the trailer for Ghaziani's book.

TODAY: Folsom Street East 2014

Folsom Street East runs today on West 27th between 10th and 11th avenues. That's one block south of the street in front of the Eagle. The weather today is partly cloudy with highs in the mid-70s - perfect for an outdoor party.

At Google's Manhattan HQ

Google has altered the sign on its massive Chelsea headquarters. Every year several hundred "Gayglers" march in New York City's pride parade. Source.

Folsom Street East To Return

Folsom Street East didn't happen last year due to the massive apartment building that is nearing completion on West 28th Street. The event returns this year, one block away. Via press release:

Folsom Street East (FSE) today announced that it will hold its 16th annual Street Fair on Sunday, June 22nd. In anticipation of final approval from the City of New York's Street Activity Permit Office, FSE also announced that this year's Street Fair will take place on 27th Street between 10th and 11th Avenues, one block south of its previous venue. "We're thrilled to bring Folsom Street East back to the streets of New York City," said FSE Board President and Street Fair coordinator Gary Martin. "We believe that 27th Street will be a great new venue for our event and are confident that our final permit will be approved in light of Community Board 4's unanimous recommendation to SAPO earlier this month that it go forward." This year's Street Fair will benefit the Anti-Violence Project, Housing Works, the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom, and the HIV/AIDS-related services of The Center. The fair will be held from 11 AM - 4 PM, and feature 2 hour stage show starring New York's finest entertainers - bookings to be detailed in advance of the event. As in years past, attractions will also include a beer garden hosted by the Eagle NYC.

RELATED: If you'd like a brand new apartment with views of the Eagle and the city's most famous titty bar, a studio will run you up to $4000.

Banksy Tags West Chelsea

Stand by for that garage door to be ripped down and sold for a jillion dollars in one of the nearby fancy galleries. (Via Gothamist)

Cops Make Arrest In NYC Gay-Bashing

The NYPD has made an arrest in the gay-bashing of a couple that had been holding hands on a Chelsea street last month.

Alfonso Lanier, 23, was charged Tuesday with aggravated harassment and assault as a hate crime, the New York Police Department said. Authorities are still looking for a second suspect. The assault took place August 14 in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. The attackers used derogatory words about the victims' sexual orientations, New York Police Detective Marc Nell said. Michael Felenchak, 27, had to have multiple stitches on his chin and suffered scrapes across his stomach from the attack. "First they punched me so hard, I feel brass knuckles," the other victim, Peter Nortman, 53, told WABC. "Then I fell on the floor, and I jumped back up and I got hit again. And then I tried to pull them down."

The victims reported that their assailants were in a group of six men.

Chelsea To Get "SuperPier"

Back in April, I reported that Chelsea's Pier 57, which last year hosted an indoor version of NYC Pride's famed Pier Dance, had been leased to retail developers who promise a massive $200M makeover.  This week the project's management announced that the new complex will be called SuperPier. From the press release:

SuperPier, when complete in the spring of 2015, will be the most innovative culture, entertainment, dining and retail experience New York City has seen since the opening of Rockefeller Center in 1939. Nearly 12 acres of raw space will undergo an extensive renovation in preparation to accept the world's most sought after retailer, restaurant, and lifestyle brands, and fuse them with the most promising emerging talents in food, fashion, film, art and other creative fields. SuperPier extends on-over-& under the Hudson River at West 15th Street adjacent to The Meatpacking District, West Chelsea, The High Line, the Whitney, Chelsea Market, and sits at one of the most trafficked nexuses of the city. SuperPier includes 270,000 square feet of total leasable space for targeted uses such as food markets and restaurants; culture and recreation; creative retailers; and an "Incubox" marketplace.

If you want a preview of SuperPier, a Fashion Week "pop-up" event is slated to start tomorrow.

Just In From The NYPD

New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has issued a statement via press release:

This kind of an anti-gay attack is unacceptable anywhere, but for it to happen in Chelsea which has such a large LGBT population is particularly shocking. And what's worse is that this is happening after a summer of repeated attacks on members of the LGBT attack just because of who they are. People who commit hate crimes are cowards. This is not who we are. We are a city that knows that diversity is our greatest strength and we need to show that by helping the police by apprehending these attackers. We need to send a message that this type of hate crime is not acceptable, will not be tolerated, and needs to come to an end. We thank the NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force for taking immediate action to investigate this incident, and urge anyone with any more information on these sketches to contact the Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS.

NEW YORK CITY: Six Thugs Attack Hand-Holding Gay Couple In Chelsea

NBC New York reports:

Two gay men who were holding hands as they left a movie theater in Chelsea were attacked by a group of men who hurled anti-gay slurs, and one was hurt so badly he needed seven stitches on his face. Peter Nortman and his boyfriend, Michael Felenchak, had left the Chelsea Cinemas just after midnight early Wednesday when they were confronted by two men on West 24th Street, according to police. One said "what are you looking at, you faggots." The attackers then started punching the victims while hurling anti-gay slurs. Police say four more men approached, who were believed to be friends of the suspects, and joined in the assault.

NEW YORK CITY: Chelsea's Rawhide Location To Become Pizza Chain Outlet

Back in March, I reported that Chelsea's iconic Rawhide bar was closing after 34 years in business.  Jeremiah's Vanishing New York reports on what is going in at that location:

Crain's reports that Chelsea's iconic gay leather bar is "being replaced by a West coast pizza chain, in another sign of the gentrification of the area around the popular High Line." Project Pie is known as "the Chipotle of fast-casual pizza," which means it's a chain that models itself on another chain where your food is made on an assembly line. It [Rawhide] was the first gay bar in the neighborhood when it opened in 1979. It survived hatred and bricks through the windows. It survived the AIDS crisis and Giuliani. But it could not survive the High Line and Bloomberg's New York. Then it was gone. The California pizza chain signed a 15-year lease for the space at $228 per square foot for 2,640 square feet. You do the math. That's a lot of assembly line pizza.

Jeremiah wryly notes that the site's landlord is claiming that Project Pie is going to bring "a little more local flair" to the neighborhood.

RELATED: Another iconic Chelsea landmark, Splash Bar, is closing next week after 22 years. Unconfirmed rumors on Facebook and elsewhere claim that Splash will relocate in Hell's Kitchen, which has became the epicenter of Manhattan's gay nightlife over the last few years.

ACT UP Disrupts Stoli Promo At NYC Bar

Last night members of ACT UP disrupted a Stoli promotion at the popular Splash Bar in Chelsea.  Paul Schindler reports at Gay City News:

It certainly didn’t have the makings of a fair fight, as a group of less than a dozen members of ACT UP/ NY faced off against a crowd of roughly 150 who had been primed with free rounds of Stolichnaya Vodka. But when the activists disrupted the opening of the Most Original Stoli Guy New York competition at Splash bar in Chelsea on July 30 with signs that read, “Russia Kills Gays” and “Dump Stoli,” the crowd watched in bewildered silence. Only the event’s drag queen hostess took up the cause of the evening’s liquor sponsor. “This is what happens when you drink Absolut,” she said, warning the crowd to stick with the Russian import. As Splash security personnel rushed the demonstrators, ripping up their signs and shoving them away from the stage, she added, “Look at those assholes being taken out of the bar.” Then with noticeably more anger in her voice, she continued, “This is America, not Russia.”

[Photo credit: Yoon Seo Nam]

RELATED: Splash Bar announced last week that it will close on August 10th after 22 years in business.

UPDATE: Here's a murky video of the protest.