A Sacramento city employee and LGBTQ community advocate is recovering after he was attacked early Sunday in the city’s Lavender Heights district, raising safety concerns ahead of Rainbow Weekend.
The victim was identified by Sacramento City Councilmember Phil Pluckebaum as Joseph Sais, known as Joey, who works in city council offices.
“This is absolutely infuriating. This is not, who Sacramento is or who we want to be,” Pluckebaum said.
Sacramento police said officers responded to the assault around 1 a.m. Sunday near 20th and L streets. The victim may have lost consciousness but otherwise suffered minor injuries, police said.
More than one suspect ran away, according to police. Based on comments the victim said the suspects made before the assault, officers took a felony assault bias report.
Pluckebaum said Sais is someone city employees see every day and described him as “the sweetest person you would ever meet.” He said he spoke with Sais and that Sais is keeping his spirits up.
The attack comes about eight months after Alvin Prasad died following an assault outside a nightclub in the same area.
“As a community we’ve continued to reel from that loss, altogether and have been doing many things as a community and to increase our safety,” said Romel Antonine, director of advocacy and training for the Sacramento LGBT Community Center. “So of course hearing about another incident like this can definitely increase, our fear and, and, hyper hypersensitive, hyper awareness of what’s happening around us.”
Andrea Prasad, Alvin’s daughter, also sent ABC10 a statement saying, in part, “It breaks my heart to know that another violent assault happened in Lavender Heights for similar reasons that my father was assaulted for.”
“I don’t think enough is being done to keep Lavender Heights safe for the LGBTQ+ community,” she said in the statement.
Pluckebaum said the city does not have the resources to provide the level of police staffing and patrol that some people want.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have the resources that the city would need to provide the level of staffing and patrol for police that that some would want,” Pluckebaum said. “So really the only strategy at this point is for the neighborhood to organize a neighborhood watch.”
Pluckebaum said he plans to continue conversations with the parties involved.
With Rainbow Fest and Rainbow Weekend just days away, the Sacramento LGBT Community Center wants people to come out and still feel safe.
“We wanna really implore folks to, you know, if you’re going out, that you don’t go out alone, that you at least let folks know where you’re going, consider sharing your location…that ultimately we have a great weekend,” Antonine said.
No one has been arrested in connection with Sunday’s attack.
Anyone who witnessed the assault or knows anything about what happened can report it to police. People can also contact the Sacramento LGBT Community Center through its website.
ABC10 also reached out to the victim for comment but has not heard back.
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