“I am appalled by reports that two men were senselessly beaten in Chelsea simply because they were perceived to be gay. Holding hands as they walked down West 24th Street, they were assaulted as their attackers hurled anti-gay slurs.

The cowardly individuals who committed this crime do not represent New Yorkers and our community will not be cowed by such violence. New York City’s greatest strength is our diversity, and we will not stand for attacks against anyone, for any reason. We thank the NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force for taking immediate action to investigate this incident, and urge anyone with information about these assaults to contact the Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS.”

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