They also give life to those we’ve lost and create awareness for many who may not realize that these kinds of tragedies regularly occur. One gay murder every nine days – one gay bashing every six hours in America.
On Oct. 22, 2010, more than four years after the fatal beating of Sandy, 28, a bench and plaque were erected in his honor at Plumb Beach, the site of his murder in 2006. Relatives and city officials had been planning the dedication for months. A reminder of the horrific attack will have special meaning because of a string of recent attacks against gays. Sandy, of Williamsburg, New York, was lured to the secluded Plumb Beach spot by men he met online, who plotted to rob him. They attacked him, and when he tried to escape, they chased Sandy onto the Belt Parkway where he was hit by a car. He died two days later. Four men were jailed for hate crimes in the attack. Witnesses testified that one of the assailants rifled through Sandy’s pockets as he lay fatally wounded on the ground – and two of them later laughed over newspaper headlines describing the attack. “This is a young man who had a family that loved him, and loves him, and he’s gone now, for no reason at all, because people felt that because he was gay his life was worthless,” said City Councilman Lew Fidler (D-Sheepshead Bay), who sponsored the memorial. “The spate of anti-gay violence and hate crimes that we’ve had … makes it clear that we still have miles to go.”
The inscription on the memorial at Plumb Beach reads: In loving memory of Michael J. Sandy, Oct 12, 1977- Oct. 10, 2006, who died of injuries inflicted on him Oct. 8. This memorial is dedicated to Michael and all who have died at the hands of violence and hate crimes.
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