On April 11th, Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese sent the
following letter to the Dutch Ambassador. The letter was prompted
by recent news reports of a vicious and brutal hate crime committed
against two American tourists. Those same reports also highlighted a
hesitance by St. Maarten authorities to launch a full and complete
investigation.
The text of the letter is below:
April 11, 2006
His Excellency Boudewijn Johannes Van Eenennaam,
The Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
4200 Linnean Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20008
Dear Mr. Ambassador Van Eenennaam:
Saint Maarten gained the dubious distinction last week of becoming one
of the latest places were an anti-gay hate crime has occurred. Two
American tourists from New York, Dick Jefferson and Ryan Smith, became
the victims of a particularly vicious and brutal attack.
Unfortunately, the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community has
had to deal with such hate-filled violence terrorizing our community for
years. However, even more troubling in this particular case is the
apparent lack of attention local authorities paid to the immediate needs
of the case.
In an Associated Press story today, Mr. Jefferson faulted Saint Maarten
authorities for not being vigilant in pursuing witnesses that could have
led to a possible quick arrest. When someone is beaten by three men with
tire irons we expect authorities to put their full resources to
apprehending the perpetrators.
Saint Maarten has been a popular tourist destination for many gay,
lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans for years. This recent news
will most certainly give pause to members of our community who are
planning any future travels to the area.
Hate crimes are a devastating reality that gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgender people face all too often. These acts are most certainly
used to instill terror throughout an entire community of people.
A failure to conduct a full and complete investigation to apprehend a
hate crime perpetrator not only allows prejudice to fester but keeps
citizens and tourists at risk. I certainly hope that the government of
the Netherlands understands the seriousness of this crime and will take
immediate steps to ensure a full and complete investigation.
Sincerely,
Joe Solmonese
President
Human Rights Campaign
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