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Customers mingle at Faces, which bills itself as Sacramento’s premier gay nightclub, during the Rainbow Festival in the city’s Lavender Heights neighborhood on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026.<\/p>\n
ZIYU JULIAN ZHU<\/p>\n
julian.zhu@sacbee.com<\/p>\n
Lavender Heights had resumed its rhythm Sunday after a member of the LGBTQ community reported suffering a verbal and physical attack the previous weekend in the neighborhood . People said they chose to attend the Rainbow Festival because they refused to let violence have the final word.<\/p>\n
Rainbow flags snapped in the warm breeze as music spilled into the streets, mixing with laughter, conversation and the steady pulse of the crowd. Drag queens shimmered in glitter. Cheerleaders sent human beings flying through the air. Couples held each other close.<\/p>\n
For a few hours, the neighborhood felt bigger than the fear that had settled over it in the past week. The streets were filled with ordinary, joyful acts that can feel anything but ordinary after violence: gathering, embracing, laughing, dancing and being seen.<\/p>\n
But the recent concerns were never far away.<\/p>\n
The festival came about a week after Joseph \u201cJoey\u201d Sais, a Sacramento City Hall employee, said four men attacked him after he left Badlands nightclub and Faces. Sais said the men shouted homophobic and racist slurs before punching him, knocking him to the ground and leaving him with injuries to his face and head. His glasses were destroyed in the attack, according to prior Sacramento Bee reporting.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI had heard about the violence, but I knew the threat of it wasn\u2019t going to stop the community from coming out and showing out,\u201d said Madi Winter, a festival attendee. \u201cComing out here today, it is an act of rebellion and strength. Our community has come too far to live in constant fear.\u201d<\/p>\n The attack has renewed calls for greater safety in Lavender Heights, including improved lighting and surveillance cameras.<\/p>\n For some residents, the incident also brought back memories of the fatal beating of 58-year-old Alvin Prasad<\/a> outside Badlands on Halloween last year. The attack was allegedly motivated by homophobia.<\/p>\n Prasad died from his injuries in December, according to prior Sacramento Bee reporting. He was later honored as a grand marshal of the Sacramento Pride Parade, with his family accepting the honor on his behalf.<\/p>\n His death sparked difficult conversations among residents, business owners, police and local officials about violence, policing and how best to protect the neighborhood.<\/p>\n On Sunday, the mood was jovial and resilient.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can\u2019t let fear lead our lives,\u201d Winter said. \u201cI refuse to let those people win. We must keep going, even when it is scary.\u201d<\/p>\n Jordan Smitch, an event attendee, said the gathering reflected a strong sense of community despite the violence that had occurred there just days earlier.<\/p>\n \u201cYou wouldn\u2019t be able to tell there was violence here a few days ago,\u201d he said. \u201cToday has been all about good vibes and loving one another.\u201d<\/p>\n
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