LGBTQ-Owned Businesses Vandalized In Lexington: Suspect Arrested

Hatred and threats towards the LGBTQ+ communities is not a new thing in this season of love and peace. For the past few weeks, there have been continuous reports of hazards and attacks faced by the members of the community.

On November 19, 2022, a mass shooting happened at Club Q, an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, United States, and this news shocked the whole of the world. It’s been just a month after the incident and within that time another case has been filed on hatred towards the LGBTQ+ community.

Hateful Attack Faced By Two LGBTQ-Owned Businesses In Lexington

On Wednesday, Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton posted on her social media account about the hateful attack faced by two LGBTQ-owned businesses in Lexington. As of the post, it is said that two business enterprises have been vandalized with threatening and hateful graffiti.

She even stated that the City will not tolerate such hate-filled acts from anyone. Also, guarantee that the Police Department has already been working on the case. Gorton through her Twitter post asked people to stand united against intolerance and hate during this season of love and peace.                   

The details of the businesses are not mentioned in Gorton’s post but the locals near the spot clarified that Crossings Lexington and the Bar Complex, two downtown bars had some graffiti on their walls on Wednesday. Rebecca Richter, the co-owner of Crossings has reported to the media that the incident happened around 12.30 am on Wednesday while the bar was still open.

As per her statements, a bouncer had seen a man spray-painting the building and they immediately informed the police about the incident. One of the customers tracked the man until the police arrived and made sure that he wouldn’t go out of sight. She even guarantees that no customer was harmed or harassed personally during the incident rather it was an act of hatred towards the community as a whole. 

After the police arrived at the crime scene, they got hold of the culprit. A 51-year-old man named William White was arrested and charged with criminal mischief on Wednesday morning. The witnesses of the incident say that they were observing him for a long time and had seen him intentionally defacing, destroying, or damaging properties that belong to members of the LGBTQ+ community.

The damage altogether cost around $500-$1,000. The crime of destruction at the Bar Complex was reported at 9.30 am. And as of the evidence, police determined that White was responsible for the whole destruction and as a result, another charge of malfeasance was added to him. From further investigation, the police concluded that the destruction was caused by an act of hatred.  

After being arrested and charged, White was held at Fayette County Detention Center. As per the jail documents, he was charged with a $500 bond for his criminal misconduct and a $100 bond in case he fails to appear. From the reports of the witnesses, it is said that numerous anti-LGBTQ slurs including “sissy” and “f–,” were spray painted on the walls. 

Also Read: LGBTQ+ Coloradans Face Increased Hate One Month After Club Q Attack

As the culprit of the crime was arrested and had been charged, the owner of the Bar Complex, Joe Brookshire, started cleaning the graffiti. The bar was closed on Tuesday night and he said that he was unaware of the incident until he saw it on Wednesday. Posts about the destruction were posted on social media platforms.

The post said, “This is what HATE looks like.” The post continued that someone destroyed the front of our building last night. They even mentioned the Crossings’ who faced a similar attack. They were happy that the culprit responsible for the attack was caught by the police.

He even thanked those people who cared to inform him through calls about the incident. Also, he thanked his supporters for being the greatest support and guarantee that this incident won’t discourage them on their holidays.