Hands Across Hawthorne

Portland Police Bureau statistics showed a decrease in the number of "bias crime assaults", or "hate crimes", from 26 incidents in 2007 to 15 in 2009.[1] In 2010, of just over 50 hate crime incidents reported in Portland, 20 involved gender or sexual orientation, far outnumbering racial hate crimes.[2][3] In May 2010, a group of men in drag were harassed and assaulted by a group of five men.[1] The filing of a police report resulted in a community forum at Portland's Q Center (a nonprofit organization supporting the LGBT community), which was attended by Portland Police Chief Mike Reese, Mayor Sam Adams, and Deputy District Attorney Rod Underhill, together with more than 100 city residents.[1] The attacks led to the formation of the Queer Patrol (or Q Patrols) in July 2010, which consisted of foot patrols specifically designed to protect the LGBT community in downtown Portland.[4][5]

Sarah Mirk of The Portland Mercury attributed the rise in the recorded number of crimes related to gender or sexual identity in 2010 to the increased number of filed police reports, this due in part to the work of the Q Patrols.[2] Hate crimes continued in the city; in November 2010, a man perceived to be gay was severely beaten and left unconscious while walking home in southeast Portland.[4] According to Portland Police, eight bias crimes were reported between January 1 and April 30, 2011, half the number reported during the same period in 2010.[6]

Rally participants crowd at the intersection of Tom McCall Waterfront Park, where the events leading to the attack began, and the Hawthorne Bridge

Brad Forkner and Christopher Rosevear (aged 23 and 24, respectively) were attacked on the Eastbank Esplanade on May 22, 2011, after holding hands while walking across the Hawthorne Bridge in Portland, Oregon.[7] Details of the attack were released by Portland Police on May 24.[8] Forkner and Rosevear said a group of five men followed them from Tom McCall Waterfront Park across the bridge, then beat them as they came down a ramp along the Esplanade.[9]

According to the description released by Portland Police, "as [the couple] walked they knew several men were behind them talking, laughing and pointing but they were not sure it was directed at them."[8] Three of the five men attacked the couple from behind.[10] Forkner was pushed into a railing and punched multiple times before breaking away to call 9-1-1. The attackers reportedly continued hitting Rosevear on the head, face, back and ribs until Forkner was able to call for police help.[8] Forkner later recalled that he did not hear specific homophobic remarks, but believed the attackers may have been yelling in a foreign language.[11] Forkner had swelling on his face, and Rosevear required stitches in his lip.[9] The victims said that several witnesses were nearby, but did not offer help in any form.[8] Police investigated the case as a "bias crime", noting the lack of provocation.[11] As of December 2012 the five men who attacked Forkner and Rosevear remained unidentified.[12]

The attack was reported by newspapers in the Pacific Northwest and by gay-oriented media outlets nationwide.[13][14][15] Sam Adams, Portland's gay mayor,[16] and Police Chief Mike Reese both spoke out against the attack. Adams said, "We seek to be the city of the most equal opportunity, and we can only be that city if all people are safe and have a sense of safety on our streets and in our parks."[14] The Cascade AIDS Project, where Forkner was the Pivot Center Coordinator at the time, launched a Facebook campaign following the attack called "Holding Hands, In Solidarity", encouraging people to post pictures of hand-holding.[10] The Q Center also condemned the attack.[11] The assault once again prompted Q Center volunteers to form Q Patrols as a means of monitoring the streets and reporting hate crimes to police.[10][17] Plans were made to have Q Patrols available between 11 pm and 3 am until the weekend of Halloween.[18]