Friday, April 28, 2006
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Ex Con gets 25 for Gay Bashing, NYC
A Brooklyn ex-con who viciously beat a gay man into a coma over a flirtatious comment was given the maximum sentence allowed for the hate crime.
"Hallelujah," victim Dwan Prince, 28, said yesterday after Supreme Court Justice Deborah Dowling sentenced Steven Pomie, 23, to two concurrent 25-year terms.
"My heart hurts. There is pain because I don't know what happened to me."
Prince, a former construction worker and fitness buff, was beaten so severely by Pomie and two others in front of his Brownsville building last summer that his left side is paralyzed and he has lost all memory of the attack.
"I was 27 years old, I was doing great, I had two jobs," he said in a slurred voice in court yesterday, before asking his mother, Valerie Prinez, to continue for him.
"Pomie beat down my son, he attempted to kill my son," Prinez said. "He took away my son's memory, he took away my son's brain ... his limbs. But he can't take away my son's soul."
Prosecutors say Pomie was strolling by Prince's home last June 8, wearing his girlfriend's pink tanktop, when he caught the victim's stare.
Pomie allegedly asked Prince, "What the f--- are you looking at?"
In a bias beating that shocked the city, Pomie, an alleged Crips member, pummeled Prince because his response enraged him.
Two other attackers were involved, but witnesses saw Pomie give a final, vicious blow to Prince's head that doctors said left his skull etched with scars. He remained in a coma for some time.
Just before Dowling imposed the sentence - 25 years for assault and 25 for assault as a hate crime - Prince used his one good hand to try to pass tissues to a sobbing Pomie.
"I did not commit these crimes. The person who did it is on the street," Pomie said, starting to cry. "What happened to Dwan was bad. I didn't have nothing to do with it. I'm sorry."
But Dowling would have none of it, marveling at "the amount of rage and horror from hands and feet" to cause such injuries.
Afterward, Prinez appealed to the public to get a motorized wheelchair and medications for her son, who limps and uses a cane as a result of the attack.
Pomie's lawyer vowed to appeal. Prosecutor Tom Ridges said police were still looking for the other attackers.
BY NANCIE L. KATZ
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Monday, April 24, 2006
Murder in Cruising Park, Brooklyn New York
PARK SLAYING RENEWS FEARS.
By RICHARD WEIR, TONY SCLAFANI and DAVE GOLDINER
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Cops were hunting yesterday for a cold-blooded killer who stabbed a 61-year-old man to death in Prospect Park - rocking the Brooklyn oasis.
William Oliver was knifed once in the chest and may have been robbed Saturday afternoon in a section of the park that's known as a gay pickup spot, cops said.
"I still have trouble getting over his death," said Wilson Oliver, 67, the slain man's brother.
The attack raised fears that the so-called ninja who prowled the same area of the park more than five years ago, preying on gay men, had returned. Cops said they did not believe the slaying was related to the ninja attacks.
William Oliver, a bachelor who bounced around between relatives' houses, had called his brother at 3:11 p.m. Saturday to say he was on his way to his house in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
But he never made it.
Two parkgoers stumbled onto his bloody body on a path in the lush Vale of Cashmere area of the park about an hour later. "Everything was fine, he was going to come by," said Oliver's brother. "He said, 'See you later.'"
Cops said they found William Oliver's wallet nearby and found some cash in his pockets.
The murder weapon was not recovered. Investigators were searching a nearby man-made pond for clues.
Relatives said Oliver kept to himself and never talked about his sexual preference, although his brother said it was "a good possibility" he was gay. "He was a good person, a kind person," said Willa Oliver, his sister-in-law. "If he could do something to help you, he did it."
The secluded Vale of Cashmere and the nearby Rose Garden are popular hangouts for gay men near Grand Army Plaza.
In 2000, a man dressed in a black ninja outfit stabbed, clubbed or slashed at least four gay men during a two-week crime spree. Another man was stabbed on Jan. 17, 2001, by a man dressed in black.
Oliver's murder was even more worrisome because it came in the middle of a Saturday afternoon, when the park was fairly crowded, even on a rainy day. "It's spooky," said William Davis, 42, sitting in the Rose Garden. "It's really scary because it's daytime."
Even though police said the killing wasn't linked to the ninja attacks, just the mention of the spree was enough to frighten one man, who said he once came face-to-face with the black-clad attacker.
"I hope they catch him," said a 48-year-old man who didn't want his name used because his family doesn't know he is gay. "I won't be coming over here by myself."
William Oliver in an undated photo.
MY DEEPEST CONDOLENSCES TO WILLIAM OLIVER'S FAMILY.
Brothas b careful!!
--OCEAN
Originally published on April 24, 2006
By RICHARD WEIR, TONY SCLAFANI and DAVE GOLDINER
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Cops were hunting yesterday for a cold-blooded killer who stabbed a 61-year-old man to death in Prospect Park - rocking the Brooklyn oasis.
William Oliver was knifed once in the chest and may have been robbed Saturday afternoon in a section of the park that's known as a gay pickup spot, cops said.
"I still have trouble getting over his death," said Wilson Oliver, 67, the slain man's brother.
The attack raised fears that the so-called ninja who prowled the same area of the park more than five years ago, preying on gay men, had returned. Cops said they did not believe the slaying was related to the ninja attacks.
William Oliver, a bachelor who bounced around between relatives' houses, had called his brother at 3:11 p.m. Saturday to say he was on his way to his house in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
But he never made it.
Two parkgoers stumbled onto his bloody body on a path in the lush Vale of Cashmere area of the park about an hour later. "Everything was fine, he was going to come by," said Oliver's brother. "He said, 'See you later.'"
Cops said they found William Oliver's wallet nearby and found some cash in his pockets.
The murder weapon was not recovered. Investigators were searching a nearby man-made pond for clues.
Relatives said Oliver kept to himself and never talked about his sexual preference, although his brother said it was "a good possibility" he was gay. "He was a good person, a kind person," said Willa Oliver, his sister-in-law. "If he could do something to help you, he did it."
The secluded Vale of Cashmere and the nearby Rose Garden are popular hangouts for gay men near Grand Army Plaza.
In 2000, a man dressed in a black ninja outfit stabbed, clubbed or slashed at least four gay men during a two-week crime spree. Another man was stabbed on Jan. 17, 2001, by a man dressed in black.
Oliver's murder was even more worrisome because it came in the middle of a Saturday afternoon, when the park was fairly crowded, even on a rainy day. "It's spooky," said William Davis, 42, sitting in the Rose Garden. "It's really scary because it's daytime."
Even though police said the killing wasn't linked to the ninja attacks, just the mention of the spree was enough to frighten one man, who said he once came face-to-face with the black-clad attacker.
"I hope they catch him," said a 48-year-old man who didn't want his name used because his family doesn't know he is gay. "I won't be coming over here by myself."
MY DEEPEST CONDOLENSCES TO WILLIAM OLIVER'S FAMILY.
Brothas b careful!!
--OCEAN
Originally published on April 24, 2006
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Rashawn Brazell Memorial (Birthday) March, Brooklyn New York April 15, 2006
No music on this one. Just click "PLAY" below to view the images.
Happy Birthday Rashawn.
--Ocean
Happy Birthday Rashawn.
--Ocean
Friday, April 14, 2006
Ocean and Rolando at the 2004 Republican National Convention Protest March, NYC
Photograph by Geralyn Shukwit
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Sunday, April 09, 2006
The Evolution of Standard Ball, Club Spirit NYC, 2006
Here's a small sample of a couple of (early) categories from POCC's (People of Color in Crisis.) much aniticpated Evolution of Standard Ball held at Club Spirit in New York City. I would have had full coverage of the 8-plus hour ball to present here to you, but since POCC didn't hire me to shoot this event (!), I was there purely as a spectator (and artist, of course!), and photographed only two hours. Nevertheless, I managed to get some cool shots (some of which I haven't even edited yet) to present here today. Club Spirit was filled to capacity and the kids came ready to BATTLE for Grand Prize! By the time I left the Ball (after two hours), there were still SEVEN categories to go! I heard the Ball didn't end till sometime after 10pm (it started somewhere around 2pm), at which point I was in the Greenwhich Village having dinner with my boo and some friends. Weatherwise, it was the nicest day of the year here in NYC, and being OUT that day was truely FIERCE for all of us "children". :-)
Balls are always wonderful events for me to photograph. My personal favorites are the bizarre and performance categories. I get so much inspiration from the "children". It warms my heart and gives me hope that there's a community outlet for youth, who without "family" might otherwise be lost. Photograhing Balls allows me to expand my ongoing personal photo project of documenting WHO WE ARE and HOW WE LOVE as a community. This is my attempt to show the world a mutifaceted Black Gay Community full of PRIDE and SPIRIT. The Ball Scene is ours. We should own it and nurture it. I'm happy to see POCC set up for HIV testing at the Ball. By the looks of it, a lot of kids got tested. The Balls are a GREAT outreach tool! KUDOS to POCC!
So go ahead and adjust your computer volume, Click PLAY and enjoy the show! Leave comments and pop by my blog again and often!
Peace & Light,
Ocean!
Balls are always wonderful events for me to photograph. My personal favorites are the bizarre and performance categories. I get so much inspiration from the "children". It warms my heart and gives me hope that there's a community outlet for youth, who without "family" might otherwise be lost. Photograhing Balls allows me to expand my ongoing personal photo project of documenting WHO WE ARE and HOW WE LOVE as a community. This is my attempt to show the world a mutifaceted Black Gay Community full of PRIDE and SPIRIT. The Ball Scene is ours. We should own it and nurture it. I'm happy to see POCC set up for HIV testing at the Ball. By the looks of it, a lot of kids got tested. The Balls are a GREAT outreach tool! KUDOS to POCC!
So go ahead and adjust your computer volume, Click PLAY and enjoy the show! Leave comments and pop by my blog again and often!
Peace & Light,
Ocean!
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Ex-con found GUILTY in Gay bashing, NYC March 27, 2006
An ex-con became a crybaby yesterday after being convicted of a hate crime - a merciless beating that left a gay man paralyzed and still afraid of being bashed by bigots. Former tough guy Steve Pomie's eyes filled with tears as a Brooklyn jury returned the guilty verdict that could send the reputed gang member to prison for up to 25 years.
His victim, Dwan Prince, 28, who was nearly stomped to death in the June 5 attack in Brownsville, said he was relieved by the quick conviction.
"I'm happy," Prince said. "But I still feel scared. I don't know if there are still guys out there."
Prince, a former demolition worker and fitness buff, testified at trial how Pomie, 22, and his pals beat him and left him for dead - just for being gay.
He described a legacy of surgeries, physical therapy and pain that forced him to move into his mother's house and give up construction work and weekend walkathons.
With his left side paralyzed and his skull etched with scars, Prince cannot control trembling in his limbs from nerve damage.
Under state law, Pomie has to serve at least 12-1/2 years of a maximum 25-year sentence, instead of an eight-year minimum, because the jury found the assault violated hate crime statutes.
Nancie L. Katz
NY Daily News
JUSTICE AT LAST!!! I'm praying for your continued recovery Dwan!
Peace & Light,
Ocean
The victim, Dwan Prince in an undated photo.
His victim, Dwan Prince, 28, who was nearly stomped to death in the June 5 attack in Brownsville, said he was relieved by the quick conviction.
"I'm happy," Prince said. "But I still feel scared. I don't know if there are still guys out there."
Prince, a former demolition worker and fitness buff, testified at trial how Pomie, 22, and his pals beat him and left him for dead - just for being gay.
He described a legacy of surgeries, physical therapy and pain that forced him to move into his mother's house and give up construction work and weekend walkathons.
With his left side paralyzed and his skull etched with scars, Prince cannot control trembling in his limbs from nerve damage.
Under state law, Pomie has to serve at least 12-1/2 years of a maximum 25-year sentence, instead of an eight-year minimum, because the jury found the assault violated hate crime statutes.
Nancie L. Katz
NY Daily News
JUSTICE AT LAST!!! I'm praying for your continued recovery Dwan!
Peace & Light,
Ocean
The victim, Dwan Prince in an undated photo.
Monday, March 27, 2006
"Harmonica on Hiatus", A Letter from beloved NYC drag entertainer Harmonica Sunbeam, March 2006
TODAY IS THE DAY I REALIZED I COULD NO LONGER BE THE TEA DANCE HOSTESS. AS MUCH AS I WANT TO COME OUT, GET BEAUTIFUL AND ENTERTAIN YOU, I HAD TO FACE REALITY. EACH WEEK I FOUGHT A PERSONAL BATTLE TRYING TO MAKE IT IN TO WORK AND SEE YOUR SMILING FACES BUT I WAS JUST TOO WEAK AND TIRED TO DO SO. THE ONLY WAY I COULD RELIEVE YOU, MY BOSS AND SUGGA PIE IS BY OFFICIALLY LEAVING SO IT WOULDNT BE A QUESTION EVERY WEEK AS TO ME SHOWING UP. THIS HAS BEEN A VERY DIFFICULT DECISION FOR ME TO MAKE.
THERE ARE MANY RUMORS OUT THERE AS WE SPEAK BUT TODAY I WILL TELL YOU THE DEAL. FOR THE LAST 8 MONTHS I HAVE BEEN FIGHTING A VICIOUS BATTLE WITH HIV/AIDS. AT THE CURRENT TIME THINGS ARE SOMEWHAT BLEAK BUT I'M SURE GOD WILL SEE ME THROUGH THIS AND BRING ME BACK TO THE STAGE AND THE LOVING ARMS OF MY SUPPORTERS IF THIS IS HIS WILL.
BEFORE THIS GETS TOO MUCH EMOTIONAL FOR ME I WILL CLOSE THIS MESSAGE AND ASK THAT ANYONE WHO READS THIS TO SAY A PRAYER FOR ME. I LOVE YOU AND WILL SEE U. REAL SOON.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO CORRESPOND WITH ME VIA EMAIL FEEL FREE TO DO SO AT TRAKK13@AOL.COM. I ONLY ASK THAT YOUR MAIL BE SHORT AND SWEET AND ON AN INSPIRATIONAL LEVEL (NO DIRTY PICS OR THINGS OF THAT NATURE).
PEACE AND BLESSINGS
HARMONICA SUNBEAM
her website: http://harmonicasunbeam.com
******Harmonica, Stay strong and keep the faith! I'll pray for you! Peace, Ocean********
Harmonica Sunbeam strikes a pose for me at Pride in the City, 2005
Harmonica all done up in an undated photo
THERE ARE MANY RUMORS OUT THERE AS WE SPEAK BUT TODAY I WILL TELL YOU THE DEAL. FOR THE LAST 8 MONTHS I HAVE BEEN FIGHTING A VICIOUS BATTLE WITH HIV/AIDS. AT THE CURRENT TIME THINGS ARE SOMEWHAT BLEAK BUT I'M SURE GOD WILL SEE ME THROUGH THIS AND BRING ME BACK TO THE STAGE AND THE LOVING ARMS OF MY SUPPORTERS IF THIS IS HIS WILL.
BEFORE THIS GETS TOO MUCH EMOTIONAL FOR ME I WILL CLOSE THIS MESSAGE AND ASK THAT ANYONE WHO READS THIS TO SAY A PRAYER FOR ME. I LOVE YOU AND WILL SEE U. REAL SOON.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO CORRESPOND WITH ME VIA EMAIL FEEL FREE TO DO SO AT TRAKK13@AOL.COM. I ONLY ASK THAT YOUR MAIL BE SHORT AND SWEET AND ON AN INSPIRATIONAL LEVEL (NO DIRTY PICS OR THINGS OF THAT NATURE).
PEACE AND BLESSINGS
HARMONICA SUNBEAM
her website: http://harmonicasunbeam.com
******Harmonica, Stay strong and keep the faith! I'll pray for you! Peace, Ocean********
Harmonica Sunbeam strikes a pose for me at Pride in the City, 2005
Harmonica all done up in an undated photo
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Big city boy shoots a dairy farm! THE SIMPLE LIFE part III
This past October I was accepted and attended the prestigious Eddie Adams Workshop for Photojournalism (www.eddieadamsworkshop.com). EAW is an intensive 4-day weekend workshop that is made up of the top photojournalists (Gordon Parks taught one year) paired with the top photojournalism students across the U.S. and abraod. Since I was taking a documentary photography class at the International Center of Photography (ICP) in NYC, I submitted my portfolio and was accepted! A real achievement, 'cause they only accept 100 photojournalists out of thousands of applicants! Each "student" is given an assignment to shoot over the weekend. Mine was to document the Weiss Dairy Farm!! I had never been on a farm in my life! I live in New York City for goodness sakes! This was a true case of THE SIMPLE LIFE. Having documented life on a dairy farm I now have mad respect for farmers everywhere! By the end of the weekend, I had ruined two pairs or leather boots and two pairs of jeans. There was shit and muck everywhere and the smell was in my nostrils for a week after I'd gotten back to NYC!
All photojournalism assignments are not "fun" or "easy". It takes great skill to produce an image that is not "typical" of what you know about a subject (but what's not typical of a dairy farm!). While I did shoot cows and the like, I was focused on more of the "details" of a farm, and looked for images that could speak to the subject, in this case a afrm, but was not as obvious.
The EAW was a GREAT experience that has forever shaped my life as a photojournalist. Below are some photos from my day on the Weiss Dairy Farm in Jeffersonville, NY on a cool, wet, misty, overcast day. Enjoy!
Thanks to the WEISS family for your hospitality!
Tire tracks in the muck
Clothes line
Feeding time
Feeding time II
Owner of Weiss Dairy Farm in truck
Portrait of a farmer
Front Porch of farm house
Desolate barn
Farmer
John Weiss, Owner of Weiss Dairy Farm
Misty spider web
Untitled farm
Cow portrait
Bales of Hay
Cow "holding pen"
Deep in shit and muck
Ford truck
Untitled hay and house
All photojournalism assignments are not "fun" or "easy". It takes great skill to produce an image that is not "typical" of what you know about a subject (but what's not typical of a dairy farm!). While I did shoot cows and the like, I was focused on more of the "details" of a farm, and looked for images that could speak to the subject, in this case a afrm, but was not as obvious.
The EAW was a GREAT experience that has forever shaped my life as a photojournalist. Below are some photos from my day on the Weiss Dairy Farm in Jeffersonville, NY on a cool, wet, misty, overcast day. Enjoy!
Thanks to the WEISS family for your hospitality!
Tire tracks in the muck
Clothes line
Feeding time
Feeding time II
Owner of Weiss Dairy Farm in truck
Portrait of a farmer
Front Porch of farm house
Desolate barn
Farmer
John Weiss, Owner of Weiss Dairy Farm
Misty spider web
Untitled farm
Cow portrait
Bales of Hay
Cow "holding pen"
Deep in shit and muck
Ford truck
Untitled hay and house
Gays not welcome at Rhode Island Cemetary
Rick Paolino's gay civil partner Justin died suddenly at home last
month and was buried at St Ann's Cemetery. When he went back a month
later to order the inscription on the gravestone, he was shocked
when cemetery officials turned down his requests for the words "late
husband", "spouse" and even "beloved".
Bereaved Mr Paolino feels that he would like their relationship to
be acknowledged. "In two or three hundred years when that name is
there, I want someone to know that this person loved this person."
"It really hurts because I really feel that they've tossed me aside
and tossed my feelings aside and my love for a person aside and that
person's love for me aside," he told the station.
The cemetery comes under the Catholic diocese of Providence who have
the final say on headstone inscriptions with a view to "to uphold
the dignity of the cemetery"
Mr Paolino said that he wasn't asking the Catholic church to
recognize gay marriages, but his love for his late partner and if
the diocese failed to reconsider his inscription request, he would
consider transferring Justin's remains to a cemetery in
Massachusetts near where the couple married.
(AP)
month and was buried at St Ann's Cemetery. When he went back a month
later to order the inscription on the gravestone, he was shocked
when cemetery officials turned down his requests for the words "late
husband", "spouse" and even "beloved".
Bereaved Mr Paolino feels that he would like their relationship to
be acknowledged. "In two or three hundred years when that name is
there, I want someone to know that this person loved this person."
"It really hurts because I really feel that they've tossed me aside
and tossed my feelings aside and my love for a person aside and that
person's love for me aside," he told the station.
The cemetery comes under the Catholic diocese of Providence who have
the final say on headstone inscriptions with a view to "to uphold
the dignity of the cemetery"
Mr Paolino said that he wasn't asking the Catholic church to
recognize gay marriages, but his love for his late partner and if
the diocese failed to reconsider his inscription request, he would
consider transferring Justin's remains to a cemetery in
Massachusetts near where the couple married.
(AP)
(UPDATE!) GAY BEAU SOUGHT IN BODY-CHOP SLAY
http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/61282.htm
By LARRY CELONA
March 20, 2006 -- The gruesome slaying of a gay Brooklyn teen whose dismembered body was found in a subway tunnel - once sparking fears of a transit-worker killer - had an older lover whom cops now want to grill.
Investigators recently discovered that tragic aspiring Web-site designer Rashawn Brazell, 19, had a boyfriend who rented a room around the corner from Brazell's Gates Avenue home in Bedford-Stuyvesant, law-enforcement sources told The Post.
The older man - described by cops only as in his 30s and living on welfare - hasn't been seen since the death of Brazell, who vanished on Valentine's Day 2004, the sources said. The man is believed to have moved somewhere down South.
"We want to try and find this guy, identify him and talk to him," a police source said.
Three days after Brazell vanished, a subway worker found his legs, an arm and part of his torso in a blue plastic bag on the A-train line a few hundred feet north of the Nostrand Avenue station, which is close to Brazell's home.
Six days later, workers came across a bag containing Brazell's waist and pelvis at a Greenpoint recycling plant that serves a company that collects garbage along the A line.
His head has never been found.
On the last day Brazell was seen alive, he told people he was meeting a tax preparer, but cops have said that may have been a ruse.
Police ask anyone with information about the case to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS.
larry.celona@nypost.com
RASHAWN BRAZELL MEMORIAL MARCH--APRIL 15th!
When the NYPD investigated the murders of Immette St. Guillen and Nicole DuFresne, they left no stone unturned. Each case was afforded an appropriate amount of resources from the department. Rashawn's mother, Desire Brazell has a simple question: Why should the investigation of her son's murder be treated any differently? On April 15, the day the would have marked Rashawn Brazell's twenty-first birthday, Desire will demand answers from the NYPD's 79th precinct.
The march will begin at the A train Nostrand Avenue station stop (at Fulton and Nostrand) at 12pm. The procession to the 79th precinct station house will begin at 1pm. There, Mrs. Brazell, along with invited guests, will demand that the police devote the maximum amount of resources to the year-old investigation her son's murder.
Rashawn Brazell in his HS graduation photo.
By LARRY CELONA
March 20, 2006 -- The gruesome slaying of a gay Brooklyn teen whose dismembered body was found in a subway tunnel - once sparking fears of a transit-worker killer - had an older lover whom cops now want to grill.
Investigators recently discovered that tragic aspiring Web-site designer Rashawn Brazell, 19, had a boyfriend who rented a room around the corner from Brazell's Gates Avenue home in Bedford-Stuyvesant, law-enforcement sources told The Post.
The older man - described by cops only as in his 30s and living on welfare - hasn't been seen since the death of Brazell, who vanished on Valentine's Day 2004, the sources said. The man is believed to have moved somewhere down South.
"We want to try and find this guy, identify him and talk to him," a police source said.
Three days after Brazell vanished, a subway worker found his legs, an arm and part of his torso in a blue plastic bag on the A-train line a few hundred feet north of the Nostrand Avenue station, which is close to Brazell's home.
Six days later, workers came across a bag containing Brazell's waist and pelvis at a Greenpoint recycling plant that serves a company that collects garbage along the A line.
His head has never been found.
On the last day Brazell was seen alive, he told people he was meeting a tax preparer, but cops have said that may have been a ruse.
Police ask anyone with information about the case to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS.
larry.celona@nypost.com
RASHAWN BRAZELL MEMORIAL MARCH--APRIL 15th!
When the NYPD investigated the murders of Immette St. Guillen and Nicole DuFresne, they left no stone unturned. Each case was afforded an appropriate amount of resources from the department. Rashawn's mother, Desire Brazell has a simple question: Why should the investigation of her son's murder be treated any differently? On April 15, the day the would have marked Rashawn Brazell's twenty-first birthday, Desire will demand answers from the NYPD's 79th precinct.
The march will begin at the A train Nostrand Avenue station stop (at Fulton and Nostrand) at 12pm. The procession to the 79th precinct station house will begin at 1pm. There, Mrs. Brazell, along with invited guests, will demand that the police devote the maximum amount of resources to the year-old investigation her son's murder.
Rashawn Brazell in his HS graduation photo.
Gay bash victim testifies in court
written by Patrick Gallahue
New York Post Thursday, March 23, 2006
The wheelchair-bound victim of a savage bias attack bravely took the
stand in Brooklyn yesterday and faced his accused assailant.
"I lost everything that night," testified Dwan Prince, 28, who
prosecutors say was brutally beaten and left paralyzed by Steven
Pmoie, 25, last June because he is gay.
The slight Prince -- who was in a coma for a month and now slurs his
words -- has no memories of the attack and said he didn't recognize
Pomie. He also said he was terrified of facing the reputed Crips gang
member. "I didn't know if he would try to get up and kill me," Prince said
afterwards. But he then smiled slightly and added, "I watch too many
movies."
Prince was taking the trash out of the building in Brownsville, when
he cast a glance at Pomie, who was wearing his girlfriend's pink
tank top, authorities said. Cops said Pomie flew into a rage, shouted an anti-gay epithet and
stomped Prince's head.
(June, 2005 Brooklyn, NY) Valerie Prince, Dwan's mom and Basil Lucas from New York's Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project at a press conference ouside of Brookdale Hospital in Brooklyn where Dwan lay in a coma for a month.
Dwan Prince in an undated photo.
New York Post Thursday, March 23, 2006
The wheelchair-bound victim of a savage bias attack bravely took the
stand in Brooklyn yesterday and faced his accused assailant.
"I lost everything that night," testified Dwan Prince, 28, who
prosecutors say was brutally beaten and left paralyzed by Steven
Pmoie, 25, last June because he is gay.
The slight Prince -- who was in a coma for a month and now slurs his
words -- has no memories of the attack and said he didn't recognize
Pomie. He also said he was terrified of facing the reputed Crips gang
member. "I didn't know if he would try to get up and kill me," Prince said
afterwards. But he then smiled slightly and added, "I watch too many
movies."
Prince was taking the trash out of the building in Brownsville, when
he cast a glance at Pomie, who was wearing his girlfriend's pink
tank top, authorities said. Cops said Pomie flew into a rage, shouted an anti-gay epithet and
stomped Prince's head.
(June, 2005 Brooklyn, NY) Valerie Prince, Dwan's mom and Basil Lucas from New York's Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project at a press conference ouside of Brookdale Hospital in Brooklyn where Dwan lay in a coma for a month.
Dwan Prince in an undated photo.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Gallery Mix 2006
A random sample of images I've taken in the last few weeks. Most people know me for my photojournalism or fine art male nude work, but truth be told, I photograph anything that captures my senses and reflects my mood. Still, I'm always trying to say something through my photography. Just what that is, I'm not totally sure sometimes. LOL! Anyway, enjoy the photos!
"Flower detail", 2006
"Stoop detail", Chelsea, NYC 2006
"Brooklyn fire escape", 2006
"Red laser installation and street reflection", Chelsea, NYC 2006
"Can collector making an honest living", Greenewhich Village 2006
"Dusk", 2006
"Long Island Railroad roaring down the EL", Brooklyn 2006
"Puerto Rican flag waving in the night", Brooklyn 2006
"Wet, rusty chain", Jeffersonville, NY 2005
"Brooklyn Bridge on the verge of a nervous breakdown", 2006
"Flower detail", 2006
"Stoop detail", Chelsea, NYC 2006
"Brooklyn fire escape", 2006
"Red laser installation and street reflection", Chelsea, NYC 2006
"Can collector making an honest living", Greenewhich Village 2006
"Dusk", 2006
"Long Island Railroad roaring down the EL", Brooklyn 2006
"Puerto Rican flag waving in the night", Brooklyn 2006
"Wet, rusty chain", Jeffersonville, NY 2005
"Brooklyn Bridge on the verge of a nervous breakdown", 2006
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Gordon Parks Funeral, Riverside Church NYC March 15, 2006
Gordon Parks was a great Renaissance man and my personal hero. As a photojournalist he documented the heartache and joy of African-American life. His camera was his weapon against racism and poverty in America. His images did indeed speak a thousand words and made a diference in everyone's life he touched. I was fortunate to meet and speak to Mr. Parks on a few occasions and attend several of his exhibitions. Yesterday, I was one of hundreds of mourners to bid him farewell at his funeral service held at Riverside Church in Harlem, NYC. Below are a few photos from the funeral sevices, which turned out to be a Who's-Who of the black photography and art world. Gordon Parks will be greatly missed, but his legacy will live on forever. I can only hope and strive to be as great of an artist and human being as he was.
Inside the beautiful Riverside Church in NYC during the funeral services for the legendary American photographer Gordon Parks.
The Rev. Dr. James A. Forbes, Senior Minister at Riverside Church, NYC led the funeral service for Gordon Parks.
Church detail
Longtime Parks friend (and CNN Anderson Cooper's mom) Gloria Vanderbilt spoke about how she held Gordon Parks' hand in his final days and sang Frank Sinatra's 'Dancing in the Dark' to him.
Former NYC Mayor David Dinkins fought back tears as he eulogized the man he called "larger than life".
Actor Avery Brooks spoke fondly of Gordon Parks in his signature barritone voice
Yours truly in a self-portrait waiting on the Press line to gain access to the church.
Richard Roundtree, who played the tough yet cool detective John Shaft in the iconic 1971 film "Shaft", directed by Gordon Parks said of the funeral, "It was a classy sendoff. I was happy to witness it."
Two Pallbearers embrace after the funeral
Up close and personal with rocker Lenny Kravitz, one of the many celebrities at the funeral
Toni Parks, Gordon's daughter
Exterior view of Riverside Church on the picture perfect day of Gordon Parks' funeral, NYC
Two photographers pose for photos after the service on a very windy day. When you think about it, what good is a veil if you don't have the wind to sweep it up high into the air!
After the service, more than 100 black photographers gathered on the steps of Grants Tomb for a group photo in tribute to Gordon Parks. I was in some of the shots, but qute frankly was more interested in getting photos of everything else happening around us. Ever try to gather a hundred photographers for a group photo? Ugh! What a challenge!
Farewell to the great Renaissance man Gordon Parks.
The Rev. Dr. James A. Forbes, Senior Minister at Riverside Church, NYC led the funeral service for Gordon Parks.
Church detail
Longtime Parks friend (and CNN Anderson Cooper's mom) Gloria Vanderbilt spoke about how she held Gordon Parks' hand in his final days and sang Frank Sinatra's 'Dancing in the Dark' to him.
Former NYC Mayor David Dinkins fought back tears as he eulogized the man he called "larger than life".
Actor Avery Brooks spoke fondly of Gordon Parks in his signature barritone voice
Yours truly in a self-portrait waiting on the Press line to gain access to the church.
Richard Roundtree, who played the tough yet cool detective John Shaft in the iconic 1971 film "Shaft", directed by Gordon Parks said of the funeral, "It was a classy sendoff. I was happy to witness it."
Two Pallbearers embrace after the funeral
Up close and personal with rocker Lenny Kravitz, one of the many celebrities at the funeral
Toni Parks, Gordon's daughter
Exterior view of Riverside Church on the picture perfect day of Gordon Parks' funeral, NYC
Two photographers pose for photos after the service on a very windy day. When you think about it, what good is a veil if you don't have the wind to sweep it up high into the air!
After the service, more than 100 black photographers gathered on the steps of Grants Tomb for a group photo in tribute to Gordon Parks. I was in some of the shots, but qute frankly was more interested in getting photos of everything else happening around us. Ever try to gather a hundred photographers for a group photo? Ugh! What a challenge!
Farewell to the great Renaissance man Gordon Parks.
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