Because anti-gay violence and violence in general are relatively rare in Northampton, people have a tendency to let their guard down, party organizer Michael Kusek said.
The attack happened on Feb. 2 on Strong Avenue.
NORTHAMPTON – The City Council unanimously endorsed a resolution Thursday that the city will not abide hate crimes, although no one can say at present whether the incident that prompted the resolution was such a crime.
Daniel J. Couchon, 25, of Easthampton was attacked on Strong Avenue at about 1 a.m. on Feb. 2. He was reportedly coming from an annual party for gay men held at nearby Bishop’s Lounge. According to police, Couchon said a white male assailant asked “Where’s the party at?’ before striking him in the face. The man punched Couchon four more times after he fell to the sidewalk, the victim told police.
Couchon was drifting in and out of consciousness when police arrived. He was taken to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield where he was treated for a broken nose and other facial injuries. No suspects have been arrested in the case. Police said there appeared to be three other men waiting in a light blue vehicle for the attacker.
The incident has galvanized the local gay community, which conveyed its concerns to City Hall. Council President William H. Dwight drafted a statement recounting the incident and citing speculations that it had to do with the victim’s sexual preference. When he presented it to the City Council Thursday, the council moved that it be made into a resolution, which it then voted for unanimously.
“A hate crime, when it occurs, is an affront to those of this community,” the statement read in part. “It is an assault that injures the victim, but more than that it is an assault on the members of the group that is being targeted and by extension an assault on the entire community.”
Dwight said Friday that both Mayor David J. Narkewicz and Police Chief Russell P. Sienkiewicz read and approved the statement in advance. Dwight also talked to Couchon by telephone.
“There’s no indication this is necessarily a hate crime,” Dwight said, adding that Couchon could not identify his attack as such.
Michael Kusek, who organized the party at Bishop’s Lounge, said he advertized it on Facebook and that it was open to the public. He estimated that 175 people attended. Kusek said he did not know Couchon before the incident.
“The anonymity and violence feels like other hate crimes that have happened to people I know,” he said.
Because anti-gay violence and violence in general are relatively Rare in Northampton, people have a tendency to let their guard down, Kusek said.
“You’re looking at a community where this doesn’t happen with regularity,” he said.
Kusek and some others are trying to raise money for a reward for information on the attack.