a memorial

it was just another event

a typical ‘attending’ ‘not attending’ ‘maybe attending’

i see them all the time

i try not to be that guy that hits ‘maybe’ all the time

i try not to be the one that always says ‘no’

and there’s nothing worse than saying ‘attending’

with no intention of showing up

but then i caught a friend’s update

someone i usually expect snarkiness from

but that good kind of snarky

that ‘i know i’m a joke so i think i’ll tell one’

attitude…the kind i am drawn to

the kind i pay attention to

because lord knows i pay attention to myself

this wasn’t a typical one

the snarkiness was replaced

there was anger dripping

enough to turn the update into a gif

it was about this person

decapitated because he was gay

i thought he was a kid from the new blood

a cute little twink that got in the bars before he

was supposed to be in the bars

the kinds of kids i let into the urge

i was alarmed

whenever something happens to someone

because they are gay

i immediately take notice

i pounce on the news because

i may know that person

or i probably know someone

who knows that person

who knows i may have fucked him

who knows i may have had a drink with him

a smile, a seedy stare or a look of disgust with him

i may have never met him before

but he was gay

and that’s why he was crucified

and that’s enough for me to dive in

it is the one shade of my coloring

that i share with that person

whether plight or party

that person shares something with me

that only ‘ten’ percent of the universe

shares with me

therefore there aren’t a lot of us

so we should all know each other

we should all invite one another over

for thanksgiving

birthday parties

promotions and fundraisers

we should stick together

like the pages of a hand me down

porn mag

if stolen for the night

can be considered a hand me down

we should be brothers

we should be sisters

and when your brother or your sister

dies

what do you do?

you mourn

you get angry

you get nervous

you get scared

you get up

and you pay your respects

you rip up the anger into tiny pieces

and you turn that smoky shrapnel

into a ticker tape parade

confetti of confusion

but you throw it

and you love it

and you make a promise

to watch each other’s back

a little tighter

a little more seriously

a lot more

IN MEMORIAM – JORGE STEVEN LOPEZ MERCADO

i never met you but i know all four of your names…

NOT IN NY? Check mercado-vigil.tumblr.com to get involved in this massive movement!

—

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION
November 18, 2009
CONTACT: Scott Anthony Evans, Karlo C., Ronnie Kroell

PHONE: 212-675-3288 x 308
EMAIL: vigilforjorgesteven@gmail.com

THOUSANDS OF NEW YORKERS GATHER FOR VIGIL IN MEMORIAM OF JORGE STEVEN LÓPEZ MERCADO, VICTIM OF HATE CRIME

In an act of solidarity, New Yorkers will gather at Pier 45 in NYC for a vigil followed by optional *mass on Sunday, November 22, 2009 at 5:00 pm.

NEW YORK, NY – On the night of Friday, November 13, 2009, 26-year-old Juan Martinez Matos picked up 19-year-old Jorge Steven López in Caguas, Puerto Rico, and drove him to the nearby town of Cidra, PR. After discovering that Mercado, who was dressed as a female, was a man, Matos, in a whirlwind of rage, not only murdered Mercado, but beheaded and dismembered his body. Its remains were partially set on fire. Mercado’s body was discovered in the nearby town of Cayey, PR. A search for the murderer immediately began.

Matos has been apprehended, has confessed, and is imprisoned with bail set at four million dollars. Initial reports seem to indicate that the line of defense will be invoking “gay panic,” a strategy used commonly in recent times with varying degrees of success. In a troubling interview with Univisión, police investigator Ángel Rodríguez Colón is on record as saying (as translated into English), “These types of people, when they enter this lifestyle and go out into the streets know that this could happen.” We find this unacceptable, and furthermore call for a stop to victim blame in this case. Never in Puerto Rico’s history has a crime been prosecuted with hate crimes provisions attached, despite the existence of said provisions since 2002. We want to make sure this is the first case.

—

In response to sudden and widespread outrage due to the murder, thousands of New Yorkers will gather at Manhattan’s Pier 45 (at Christopher Street) on Sunday, November 22, 2009 at 5:00 PM for a vigil ceremony.

The Manhattan vigil will occur in conjunction with satellite Sunday vigils in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Durham, and other American cities. The resulting photographic and video footage will be used in efforts for full prosecution of this case.

Speakers slotted include major political, social, and artistic leaders of New York City.

We thank GLAAD, The LGBT Community Center, Dignity, Anti-Violence Project, Latino Commission on AIDS, and the office of Speaker Quinn for their continued support in these efforts.

*Memorial service information: 6:30 PM at
St. Luke in the Fields Episcopal Church
487 Hudson Street
(between Christopher and Grove Streets)

Reference Link: http://mercado-vigil.tumblr.com/
Facebook Group: http://bit.ly/4tkNLm