Sacramento man says attackers shouted anti-LGBTQ, racist slurs before beating him in Lavender Heights
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
A Sacramento man said he was left bloodied and injured after four men shouted anti-LGBTQ and racist slurs, chased him and attacked him in the city’s Lavender Heights neighborhood early Sunday.
Joseph Sais said he and a friend were walking home after a night out when they encountered the group near 20th and L streets.
“Just because you’re wearing something flamboyant, you’re acting flamboyant, you’re sticking up for yourself, you’re protecting your voice, does not mean that you need to be attacked,” Sais said.
Lavender Heights is a popular nightlife district with several LGBTQ+ bars and businesses. Sais said he had always considered the neighborhood a place where he could freely celebrate his identity.
“How can this happen here?” Sais said. “How can this happen in a space where it’s for us? It’s for queer individuals to come feel supported.”
Sais said the men began mocking him and his friend with anti-LGBTQ and racist slurs before chasing and repeatedly attacking them. He said he tried to escape rather than fight back.
“My face hit the ground, and they were still trying to get at me,” Sais said.
Sais said he was punched multiple times. Photographs taken after the attack showed blood on his face, injuries to his forehead and lip, and broken glasses.
“My shirt was bloodied. My shorts were bloody. Blood was everywhere,” he said.
Sais said he ran toward security personnel outside a nearby bar for help. People in the area then called police, he said.
Sacramento police said officers responded to an assault near 20th and L streets shortly before 1 a.m. The suspects fled before officers arrived, police said. Officers took a felony assault bias report and conducted an initial investigation.
Police have not announced any arrests.
Jill Osur, owner of Teneral Cellars in Lavender Heights, described the reported attack as devastating and called for additional community support and public-safety resources.
“We need more awareness,” Osur said. “We do need more police coverage. We need more community involvement to help each other when something like this happens.”
Sais said he believes community members must work together to make Lavender Heights safer, though he is uncertain whether increasing the number of police officers is the only solution.
“I don’t know if the answer is more cops, but I think it needs to be more of us looking after each other,” he said.
Sais said he worries the attack could make other LGBTQ+ people afraid to visit the neighborhood or openly express themselves. Still, he said he will not allow what happened to stop him from living openly.
“I’m not going to live my life in fear because of what four individuals did,” Sais said.
Sais urged anyone with information about the attack to contact Sacramento police.
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