Local Man Attacked and Robbed Outside Voyeur In the Gayborhood
It’s easy to let your guard down in the Gayborhood, where we are so used to having the absolute freedom to be ourselves that we sometimes forget that we’re living in the middle of a big scary city — a big scary city where big scary things can happen. A local man was reminded of that this week when he was assaulted outside Voyeur Nightclub.
On Sunday night/Monday morning, Cimmaron M. Craig was leaving Voyeur when he was jumped and mugged on the corner of Saint James and 12th streets. He was only two blocks from his intended destination. “I honestly don’t remember much,” he told me via Facebook chat this week, saying that there were “a few guys” involved in the attack. “I was hit on the head … I fell to the ground … I got stomped on.” Thankfully, a kind passerby came to his aid, chasing off the attackers who got away with $260 in cash and Craig’s cellphone.
Craig was then transported to Jefferson Hospital via ambulance, where he was treated for an injured right ankle and “a few scrapes and bruises.” After a few days of processing, he reached out to me again today with this message, a good reminder that we need to keep up our guard:
We live in a city in 2013 and whether or not you’re gay, straight, black, white, male, female, or anything in between or outside those definitions, we are all subject to random acts of violence. The only defense we have against them is making sure we take precautionary measures to prohibit others from taking advantage of us. … The best way to help me now is to help yourselves by being constantly aware of yourself and your surroundings. I don’t condone the actions of the assailants, and I don’t blame myself for being a victim, nor do I blame the PPD. I just believe in not giving them or others the opportunity to do this to you or anyone else.
There are actually two other ways we can help out Craig. The attack and subsequent trip to the hospital happened so fast that he wasn’t able to properly thank the man who helped him. If anyone has information about this angel in disguise, please reach out to Craig via his Facebook page. Also, stop by El Bar tomorrow night (Fri., July 12), where Craig will be working behind the bar. Be sure to tip generously to help him recoup his losses.
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