Local News

3 men say they were assaulted, called homophobic slurs outside Boston gay bar

Police are asking anyone with information about the incident to come forward.

November 4, 2019

3 minutes to read

Three men say they were assaulted outside of Jacque’s Cabaretearly Saturday morning

, and are calling the incident a hate crime since they say the perpetrators called them anti-gay slurs.

Now, Boston police are investigating, and anyone who may know anything about what happened is encouraged to come forward.

The incident reportedly occurred outside the gay bar, located at 79 Broadway, around 12:15 a.m.; Jacques had been hosting Fascination, a regular theme night. Michael Flowers, one of the event organizers, said he and two other people, who identify as queer, were assaulted by a group of men, according a joint statement from the victims that Flowers posted to his Facebook page. The three are calling the incident a hate crime, noting that the perpetrators used homophobic slurs during the incident.

“All three individuals assaulted are currently safe and have support systems with which they are able to unpack the trauma associated with the event,” part of the statement says.

https://www.facebook.com/FlowersMichael/posts/10101131212628179?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARAY73eGxux40KgKDQz8j2LHYuB1fEqQGPv7VHhhcB3Aj1EBIsGoo3o4hGs9GolnKZWIvwUv9A4C0w2RU6L77X5CdhvAK0znNl1L9qoCwLb-jeEgnA0ZJyI1TVsnJsUkBNJJrruKiqDjSIn22qujSx8Xn2oL_IRcM6nDJGzfoQcv3SZtn4J02gYqaKUGU7hiTT1TNrKUtl0cK-myhnl1sim0832br5nOyXLI0avpnzRQkv_U-HBgF3CMfMf2QfpLCRFPof9cU7VrIcEtrKTVoMMrxKGPptT67gkLL3TXOzQVJOcxLEuM8aJc5Ta_p_B21lWlkZuNlHBBZfE&__tn__=-R

In a separate Facebook post, Flowers shares his personal recollection of what happened. He said he was outside the club waiting for a ride for one of the other victims to arrive. The alleged perpetrators were coming out of the bar, and began attempting to engage with Flowers and the other person.

Flowers was then approached by the third victim – both of the victims besides Flowers are referenced as only A and B, their identities left anonymous, in the Facebook post. Flowers said the perpetrators were becoming “increasingly aggressive.”

The third victim tried to get the other group to calm down, but then a physical altercation began – Flowers alleges that a member of the other group shoved or punched the third victim.

“From this point on, the conflict escalated into a multi-person fight. I remember getting hit in the face several times. It is unclear to me how many times I was hit,” he wrote, noting that at one point, the third victim was laying on the ground while being “kicked and punched repeatedly.”

The perpetrators soon left, according to Flowers; the second victim’s face was “covered in blood.”

https://www.facebook.com/FlowersMichael/posts/10101131838279369

Police were called to the area for a report of a fight, but the assailants were gone when officers arrived, according to Officer Kim Tavares, a spokeswoman for the Boston Police Department. No one has been arrested, and detectives are continuing to investigate.

Organizers have decided to discontinue holding Fascination at Jacque’s, according to a post on the event’s Facebook page.

“The event is currently on hiatus and will resume once we are able to find an alternative venue,” the statement said.

https://www.facebook.com/FASCINATIONATJACQUES/posts/2302994930012022?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARAdjleQHrz6_4ms-cRNErFXyWo7YG7wRD62t8WdGfIUxhe-8eRNKCrMDcwuyC7aile1uRfEiIO7fTj6BaJz9oYCHkvx9S0ICWyE8ebfCVlpskGeWWpvq19RgBTwqLcnhPRFIhICWXbTlmG3h1Y8Qxh0sQHBcw0tyqyEoCTHIBd-YKcrZDZ1abOhcrMaVm7dB_POEKIlurDIDq0_MmGjnqtET42JoVIl0BCOpmiZPIekZTa4LA1VvW-yCn67BiGkiGlQCEvL6IaI_2N-PeWoew66aKuXhIgqcM6aU-4anc5sfNy2nprAs9JVgyD3PAz_gGMCwYmBaMeDh-CtDUnq7uZ8&__tn__=-R

An employee who answered the phone at Jacque’s said the business is cooperating with the investigation. Boston Magazine reported that the victims were not taken to the hospital.

Anyone who witnessed or has information regarding the alleged assault is asked to contact the Boston Police Department tip line at 1-800-494-TIPS or text the word ‘TIP” to CRIME (27463).