Soho Bar Crawl raises £197.95

Thanks to managers of Halfway 2 Heaven, Ku Bar Lisle St and Ku Bar Frith St, 79CXR, Molly Moggs, The Admiral Duncan and Comptons for allowing us to collect on your premises. And thanks to your customers for donating £197.95 last night.

We are still taking donations via our charities trust page, and have collection tins in some of the bars including Halfway 2 Heaven, Ku Bar Lisle St and Ku Bar Frith St, 79CXR and the Kings Arms.

Vigil posters were delivered to most of the venues in Soho last night and we are pleased to hear that many are taking part in the 2 minute silence at 8pm, Friday 28th October.

Thanks also to Gary Henshaw who will play the following video in his KU bars leading up to the Vigil. The video shows the vicious attack that took place on the 9th August on a gay couple walking along Charing Cross Road.

We hear that several other Soho bars will also be playing the same video which was recently promoted at the Westminster Gay Business Forum.

Working together we can make it clear that all forms of hate crime are not acceptable in our communities.

Be Aware, be Vigilant, be Safe whilst your out and about but most of all be Proud to be part of a campaign that hopefully will make a difference to those affected by hate crime.

Hate Crime Reporting – Shouldn’t there be an App for that!

How many people would report those minor incidents of hate crime if there was a mobile phone application to do so?

Imagine the situation, your walking through Trafalgar Square when a group of teenagers shout some drunken verbal abuse.

Rather than confront them directly and put yourself at risk you whip out you mobile phone, and quickly report the incident using the App.

The report is automatically processed and flagged up to the appropriate team and dealt with.

Whilst the Police may not have the resources to deal directly with every incident reported, the App system could save time, helping them identify local hot spots and allocate resources accordingly.

It could also direct people to alternative sources of support.

Obviously, if it is an emergency you would dial 999 but sometimes people are not sure whether the situation is serious enough to warrant attention so often the apparently minor stuff gets ignored. The problem with ignoring these incidents is that the minor stuff left unchallenged tends to get worse, drunken verbal abuse can quickly escalate into physical violence which is why we need to report these incidents and help nip this unacceptable street behaviour in the bud.

There are other ways of reporting but all too often they require the person reporting the incident to go out of their way to flag things up. Which is why we need this App, it would make the reporting process so much easier and probably more cost-effective too.

Imagine, an incident happens – you whip out your phone and report it straight away. Your phone could be set to automatically fill in your personal information, or alternatively there could be an option to report anonymously via a third-party link.

You would fill out a standardised report form (which in itself would help stream-line the process) and have various additional options (it could be available in different languages, offer follow-up advice – recommending local support services, identifying local contacts – nearest police station, Safer Neighbourhood team, hospital  etc). Imagine having an app that brings all this local information together in a more accessible way.

Alternative methods of reporting include the new non-emergency 101 number, you can pop into your local police station or report by a third-party reporting service like GALOP (by form, internet, in person or over the phone) if you don’t want to speak directly to the police.

It could be a free App but what if it cost less than a £1 to down load? The money raised could go to help support the cash strapped support services that already exist like Stop Hate Uk who provide a national 24hr  (0800 138 1625) to support those affected by hate crime.

At the moment it is just an idea that I am putting out there as I don’t have the skills to write such an App but if someone else wants to take it forward then I would welcome them to do so.

All we need now is a surge of gay votes

We are really excited that 17-24-30 is a part of the NatWest Community initiative… now all we need is for you to vote for us!

We’ve entered this competition to help raise awareness of hate crime, and our campaign to encourage people to take a moment to remember those we’ve lost and those who need our support because their lives have been affected by hate crime.

If we get enough votes it means that NatWest would pay for all the equipment that we need to put on the Vigil against Hate Crime next year, which will be a really important year along with everything else that is happening in London

So please vote for us here

Short description of the project

17-24-30 exists to tackle hate crime in our communities. We raise awareness, bring people together, remember those lost, support those affected, organising 3 local acts of remembrance in April, & the London Vigil against Hate Crime in October.

What does your cause/charity do?

We raise funds & awareness to organise & facilitate 3 acts of remembrance in April each year to mark the anniversaries of the London Nail Bomb attacks on Brixton, Brick Lane and Soho, & the London Vigil against Hate Crime in October.

We organise & facilitate these events, liaising with the Local Authorities, the local communities & those that have been affected by hate crime, bringing people & resources together, training volunteers, networking & improving local relationships.

How does your project support the local community?

We support the local community by administering the organisation of these events. We liaise with local people, the council, the police, the church and the survivors of these attacks & the friends/families of the victims. We raise funds to finance these events, and other local initiatives. We work with local organisations to promote hate crime awareness and develop local resources. We recruit and train volunteers. We sign post local information and encourage hate crime reporting.

How would the £6,000 CommunityForce award be spent?

We would use this funding to purchase equipment that we regularly hire (Pa system, Staging and lighting) which would reduce our costs staging these events and also put us in the position where we can support other community events.

We would also develop our volunteer strategy, improving our training materials and resources.

And what should we do with our other TWO Votes?

• The Lesbian & Gay Foundation
• Green Man Community Centre – Garden Project

 

October Mailing Update

Finally it’s October and the 3rd Vigil against Hate Crime is soon to take place.

When: Friday 28th October 2011
Where: Trafalgar Square*
Time: 7.30pm to 9pm

With a two minute silence 8pm

Other Vigils are taking place around the Uk and abroad (including Brighton*, Kettering*, Norwich*, Reading*, Stoke* and Suffolk*)

Where ever you are on Friday 28th October, we encourage you to do something about hate crime whether it’s holding your own vigil, or just observing the 2 minute silence alone or preferably with friends and family.

We would invite all venues to download our Vigil posters (here) and display them in your venue, and please host the 2 minute silence at 8pm.

We know that some venues like 286 Bar in Lewisham are organising a coach to bring people up to Trafalgar Square, and Gary Henshaw who owns the KU Bars is promoting the Vigil by playing the following video (click word to play) in all his venues.

Some London Boroughs are helping promote the Vigil by forwarding information within their local hate crime forums and networks (if you’re doing this let us know as we are happy to promote local initiatives). It would be nice to see local libraries and town halls having info stalls and displays.

We are also calling on Students Unions to organise Hate Crime awareness weeks and work in partnership with local authorities to promote 3rd Party reporting services and victim/survivor support services.

* Clicking on the links above takes you to the associated Facebook event.

We need to raise £8,000 to cover the costs of staging this event so the fund-raising continues

2nd Oct – Kings Arms “Karaoke Night“**
7th Oct – Tonker (men only)**
9th Oct – Royal Vauxhall Tavern**
14th Oct - Soho Bar Collection**
19th to 23rd – 2Brewers 30th “Birthday bonanza“**

You can purchase Vigil merchandise**,
Join our affiliation scheme**,
& donate directly via the Charities Trust**.

We are also looking for Raffle and Auction prizes for our fundraising events (if you can help e-mail ryan@17-24-30.org).

**Clicking on the links takes you to the relevant Facebook event, and our WordPress sites.

We also need to recruit about 80 volunteers to join our Ops team and Volunteer Stewards team.

We are organising two volunteer training sessions:

6.30pm 5th October***
6.30pm 13th October***

And if you can’t make these sessions let us know and come down to our final briefing at 6pm 28th October Trafalgar Square***.

Anthony@17-24-30.org is the person to contact if you want to volunteer (remember to give your name, e-mail and contact number)

***clicking on the links will take you to the relevant Facebook events pages, make sure you click that your coming and we will be in touch!

Please forward share the link to this posting and help us reach as many people as possible.

Vigil featured in October issue of Out in the City Magazine

When is the Vigil?

Friday 28th October, 7.30pm to 9pm. Trafalgar Square with a 2 minute silence at 8pm being observed around the Uk and Abroad in various venues.

What is happening this year?

The same as the past two years, although we are making some changes. It will be a shorter event, the London Gay Symphonic Winds and the choirs (including members of the London Gay Men’s Chorus, Pink Singers, Diversity and others) are moving to the front to be with the speakers, and this year we are looking at Homophobia, Transphobia and Racism and Disability Hate Crime and addressing the issue of bullying in our schools, workplaces and communities.

Speakers include Lynne Featherstone MP Equalities , Ben Summerskill Stonewall, Peter Tatchell Peter Tatchell Foundation, Lou Hart Camden LGBT Forum, Emily Barnes Schools Out, Vicki Baars NUS LGBT Campaign, Tessa Hauke Trans London and Beverley Smith Disability Hate Crime. More to be confirmed.

What is it about?

It is about tackling the issue of hate crime together, taking a moment to stand with those who have lost their loved ones and giving our support to those who need it. Our message is Hope, Remembrance and Positive action.

At the last two vigils those who attended said that the event gave them a sense of community, that they felt that they were part of something and that is what we are trying to do. Help people connect with each other but also to ensure that those who have been attacked know that they are not alone. That we are there for them.

It is also about inspiring people especially young people to get involved. Images from the Vigil have been circulated around the world and have been used in various projects. We want to encourage all people to do something positive.

Why?

Because people are still being randomly attacked on the streets of London and other places. There have been some violent attacks like Philip Salon in Piccadilly Circus, and recently the barman from Half-way 2 Heaven and then there are the other incidents that take place, like the homophobic abuse shouted at people queuing outside the Royal Vauxhall Tavern at their last GMFA Sports Day.

Then there is the organised hate crime, the gay-free zone stickers that have gone up in various places. The recent attempts by EDL to recruit LGBT activists to their cause and organise a gay march through Tower Hamlets.  The links that exist between extremist propaganda that helps create some of the tensions between our communities, and encourages people like David Copeland and Anders Behring Breivk to carry out their horrific attacks. We need to be aware of and deter those who seek to stir up these tensions for their own ends.

Conflicting reports say that hate crime is rising again and there is this big debate over whether or not this is because some people are more confident reporting, or whether the problem is actually getting worse. Regardless of this debate, we believe more positive action is required.

 So what do you want people to do?

I want people to be calmly vigilant, to be safe, to be aware of the dangers and to make sure that they flag things up when they see things that cause concern. This could be directly to the police using the new non-emergency number 101, or via the various other organisations that exist to help like Stop Hate Uk 0800-138-1625.

I also want people to be aware that these services need our backing, especially in the current financial climate. There is so much we can do to help signpost and support them and at the same time strengthen our own communities.

And I want to encourage people to talk, to connect with each other and build more positive relationships so we can accept or set aside our differences and work together to resolve some of the issues that lead to tensions between us.

How can people find out more?

People can take a look at our website www.17-24-30.com for more information. This year we have set up two WordPress sites 172430notohatecrime and hatecrimevigils and it is also possible to follow us on Facebook 17-24-30 and Twitter #HateCrimeVigils.

Click here to download the October Issue of Out In the City Magazine

CCTV of London Charing Cross Road homophobic assault

Shocking footage of a homophobic assault by four men on two gay men walking along Charing Cross Road has been released on the BBC website tonight (21 Sept 2011).

The BBC Report states:

CCTV footage has been released following a homophobic assault on two men in central London.

Police want to identify four men responsible for the assault which took place at about 01:30 BST on 9 August.

Two men, aged 25 and 22, were walking along Charing Cross Road, towards Tottenham Court Road, when they were attacked by a group of four men.

Det Con Camilla Phillips said the attack on the men was “completely unprovoked.”

“The victims were lucky to escape with the injuries they did, as the violent nature of the attack could easily have resulted in more serious injuries,” she added.

One of the four men is seen hitting the first victim from behind who then falls to the ground unconscious.

The second victim pushed one of the group who punched him several times in the face, and shouted homophobic abuse at him.

A passer-by called police and an ambulance and both victims were taken to a central London hospital for treatment.

“This was a particularly nasty attack on two men who had been enjoying a night out together,” Det Con Phillips added.

“The CCTV footage clearly shows what happened and I am keen to hear from anyone who thinks they may recognise any of the four suspects, or may have information about the incident.”

Mark Healey, founder of 17-24-30 the charity set up to organise and facilitate events to raise awareness of hate crime and encourage people to work together to tackle the problem commented ”We know that there is a growing problem in Westminster, this the third high profile attack on gay men to be reported this year – Philip Salon was the first, he was attacked recently in Picadilly Circus, and then one of the barmen from Half-way to Heaven.

I’d like to know what Westminster City Council and the Metropolitan Police are doing to tackle hate crime, and what the local bars in and around Soho are doing to alert their customers that there is a problem and that they need to be vigilant whilst they are out and about. Especially late at night when they are leaving Soho on their way home. 

It is clear that there is more work to be done to tackle this problem, and it highlights the need for the Vigil against Hate Crime that we are organising in Trafalgar Square on Friday 28th October 7.30pm to 9pm. We need to get all the bars and clubs working together with the community groups and organisations, to get the local authorities to act swifty to bring those responsible for these attacks to justice. Meanwhile it’s our job to raise awareness of what has happened, and make sure that we stand together to make it clear that hate crime is not acceptable here.

I’d also like to know that the two guys in the video are okay, and to know what support they have been offered to help them deal with what has happened. Is there enough support available?

And finally – if anyone did witness what happened, or has been a victim of a similar attack in the area then please consider coming forward and speaking to the local police. They are there to help – PC Andy Ricketts is the local Westminster LGBT Police Liasion Officer who can be contacted via westminsterlgbt@met.police.uk, and if your uncomfortable speaking to the police then there is always GALOP who are an independent organisation set up to deal with these types of incidents (completely confidential too). GALOP Helpline 020 7704 2040“

Updated Poster for 11th September Fundraiser