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2006 Greenwich Village assault case

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The 2006 Greenwich Village assault case was an altercation on August 18, 2006 between Dwayne Buckle and a group of seven women from Newark, New Jersey, outside of the IFC Center movie theater in Greenwich Village. During the altercation, Buckle was stabbed. The women claim that they acted in self defense [1], while Buckle has described the attack as "a hate crime against a straight man" [2]. Four of these women were subsequently tried and convicted although the two of the convictions were overturned on appeal and the other two appeals are still pending. The case sparked appreciable media attention, with strong statements both defending and attacking the women.

The assault

Accounts of the assault differ. In Buckle's account, he greeted one of the women, and was insulted by another, who mocked his jeans and sneakers. He responded, and an argument that escalated when one woman slapped him and spat in his face. He spat back, and was attacked and stabbed. [3]

In the women's account, Buckle initiated the incident, calling out "Let me get some of that" while pointing at one of the woman, Patreese Johnson's, crotch. [1] When Johnson responded, Buckle began insulting them, calling her a dyke [4] and saying "I'll fuck you straight, sweetheart" [5]. Words were exchanged and a scuffle then ensued, with Buckle tackling and choking Renata Hill, at which point Johnson pulled a steak knife from her purse and stabbed Buckle. [1][6]

Additionally, two or three male bystanders also participated in the fight - as "Good Samaritans" according to the women, and recruited to help the women according to Buckle.[6] The defense contended that one of these men - and not Johnson - stabbed Buckle. [7]

Trial

After a trial, a jury convicted four of the women of assault, and Justice Edward McLaughlin sentenced them to prison terms ranging from three and a half to eleven years. The judge cited surveillance video showing one of the women, Venice Brown, chasing Buckle down and re-instigating the fight as "damning" evidence. [2] Following the conviction, Buckle told the Daily News "I'm stabbed and I have a scar that will be with me for the rest of my life... They have their jail sentences, but they'll be out soon. This is what I get for being a nice guy." [4]

Subsequently, two of the women had their convictions overturned. One, Terrain Dandridge, had it ruled that there was insufficient evidence, while another, Renata Hill, had a conviction of second degree gang assault overturned due to poor instructions from the judge. As of June of 2008, Patreese Johnson and Venice Brown's convictions are still being appealed. [8]

Media coverage

The media coverage of the incident contained vivid portrayals of each side. Much of the coverage took a sensationalistic tone, referring to it as the "attack of the killer lesbians," and to the group as a "seething sapphic septet" [9]. The case was also cited in a Village Voice article about rap culture and young black lesbians. [10]

The O'Reilly Factor ran a segment entitled "Violent Lesbian Gangs a Growing Problem" that opened with a description of the Buckle incident, and described a "national underground network... that's actually recruiting kids as young as 10 years old" and engaging in homosexual recruitment. The story described these gangs as groups that "just want to hurt people." [11] The Southern Poverty Law Center criticized this segment as inaccurate, and criticized O'Reilly's guest for the segment, Rod Wheeler, as being unqualified to make the comments attributed to him. [12] The Hatewatch section of their site subsequently sarcastically awarded their "Most Gullible Broadcaster Award" to O'Reilly for the segment. [13]

On the other side, media outlets such as the Gay City News criticized the sensationalistic coverage of other outlets, and complained of details that the mainstream press didn't cover, such as allegations that Buckle tore out a patch of one of the women's hair. [6] Fierce, a New-York based LGBT youth advocacy group, blamed the prosecution on the efforts to gentrify the West Village area, noting McLaughlin's relating the incident to "how New York welcomes tourists," complaining that "every possible racist, anti-woman, anti-LGBT and anti-youth tactic" was used against the women. [14]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Hartocollis, Anemona (4/14/2007). "Woman in Gang Assault Trial Says Man Started the Fight". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-01-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ a b Associated Press (6/15/07). "Four women sentenced over attack on man". MSNBC. Retrieved 2009-01-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ Buckley, Cara (8/19/2006). "Man Is Stabbed in Attack After Admiring a Stranger". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-01-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ a b Martinez, Jose (4/19/2007). "Lesbian wolf pack guilty". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2009-01-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ Ross, Barbara (4/12/2007). "The case of the lesbian beatdown". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2009-01-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ a b c Day, Susie (6/28/07). "Killer Lesbians Mauled by Killer Court, Media Wolfpack". Gay City News. Retrieved 2009-01-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ Hartocollis, Anemona (April 19, 2007). "Four Women Are Convicted in Attack on Man in Village". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-03-25.
  8. ^ Eligon, John (6/20/2008). "Two Convictions Overturned in Attack on Man in Village". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-01-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ Italiano, Laura (4/12/2007). "Attack of the Killer Lesbians". New York Post. Retrieved 2009-01-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ Hilliard, Chloe (4/3/07). "Girls to Men". The Village Voice. Retrieved 2009-01-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ O'Reilly, Bill (6/21/07). "Violent Lesbian Gangs a Growing Problem". Fox News Network. Retrieved 2009-01-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ Buchanan, Susy (7/03/07). "The Oh-Really Factor". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved 2009-01-14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ Potok, Mark (12/21/07). "The Last Word: Hatewatch's 1st Annual Smackdown Awards". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved 2009-01-14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ Henry, Imani (6/21/07). "Lesbians sentenced for self-defense". Retrieved 2009-01-14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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