Gay Black man brutally stabbed and left in a coma ‘because he dresses femme’. Police don’t think it’s a hate crime
Anthony Crumbley was left with life-threatening injuries after a brutal stabbing in Boston. (Twitter)
Anthony Crumbley, a gay Black man, says he was was stabbed and left for dead because he “dresses very femme” – but the brutal attack isn’t being treated as a hate crime.
Crumbley, 25, was attacked by two men and a woman on 18 December in the West Broadway area of Boston while he was walking home from a bar at around 10.45pm.
The two men stabbed him in the neck and in the stomach before the trio ran away, leaving him in a pool of his own blood, he told CBS affiliate WBZ-TV.
Crumbley – who acts as sole guardian to his 12-year-old sister after their mother died from cancer last year – spent Christmas recovering in Boston Medical Center, and was left with serious injuries as a result of the attack.
He was in a coma for four days after the attack, and has lost control over his left arm as a result of the stabbing.
“The two males and a female approached me and two males attacked me and stabbed me in my neck and in my stomach, and pretty much ran and left me there,” Crumbley said.
He added: “I believe it was an attack that had to do with gay hate because, you know, I dress very femme and I’m a very outspoken person.”
However, police have said they have no reason to believe that Crumbley was targeted because of his sexuality or because he is Black.
Anthony Crumbley insists brutal stabbing was a ‘gay hate crime’.
Anthony Crumbley has since launched a GoFundMe to help cover his medical bills, already raising more than $16,000.
Writing on the GoFundMe, Crumbley said things are “still hard” for himself and his sister since their mother’s death last year.
He identified the 18 December attack as a “gay hate crime”, noting that nobody had been arrested for the attack.
A GAY BLACK man was stabbed and left in critical condition 8 days ago from a hate crime in Southie and of course there is ZERO coverage besides a vague statement saying “ Police responded to a 911 call around 10:45 p.m. in the area of West Broadway and F Street in South Boston “
— MUVA VEE (@Big_Daddy_Vee) December 27, 2020
“I’m scared truthfully knowing they are still out here on the streets and could do this to me again at any time,” he wrote.
“This traumatising situation has left me hopeless, after waking up from being in a coma for four days in the ICU at Boston Medical and I’m still here in the ICU now writing this.”
He added: “I’m so grateful to be alive and to be here to have wonderful amazing people surround me with love and hope.”
Crumbley’s friend Victoria Hernandez has been sharing details of his story on Twitter, urging people to take note of the attack.
“A gay Black man was stabbed and left in critical condition eight days ago from a hate crime in Southie and of course there is zero coverage besides a vague statement saying ‘Police responded to a 911 call around 10:45pm in the area of West Broadway and F Street in South Boston’,” she tweeted.
Police in Boston have released CCTV footage of two of the suspects and are appealing to anybody with information to come forward.
Anybody in the US wishing to provide a tip to police can do so by calling CrimeStoppers Tip Line on 1(800)-494-TIPS or by texting the word TIP to 27463.
PinkNews has contacted the Boston Police Department for comment.
