WASHINGTON — Stuart West will always remember the sinking feeling that came when he learned his husband had been attacked at the intersection of 14th and U Streets Northwest, just steps away from two LGBTQ+ bars.
West says he always advised his husband, who just moved to the U.S. from Colombia last year and received his residence permit, to keep a low profile, especially at that junction. But early Sunday morning, Thomas Lascarro was brutally beaten while trying to get some food at the McDonalds on the corner.
“I felt devastated, hopeless, useless, all of these different emotions that I couldn’t even begin to process myself,” West said. “I could only imagine what was going on because I’ve seen the amount of violence that escalates on not only U St, but more importantly on that 14th and U St. intersection.”
According to a DC Police report, Lascarro said the attack began because he didn’t say “excuse me” to his assaulters when he passed them by. The conflict soon spilled onto the sidewalk, where Lascarro was beaten while his attackers yelled homophobic slurs.
“They continued to verbally assault him using derogatory language, and not only that, they escalated to a different level,” West said. “They threw trash at him, and they also dumped their drinks on him while he’s there bleeding, dizzy, confused, and alone.”
Numbers from DC Police show that citywide, between January and Sept. 30, there have been 21 hate crimes over sexual orientation, which is down from the 34 hate crimes recorded in that same time period in 2023.
However, hate crimes over gender expression increased from 12 in 2023 to 17 in that same timeframe. MPD numbers also show an overall increase in hate crimes in D.C. from 109 in the window of January through September 2023 to 121 in 2024.
Now, as West tends to his husband, he’s also looking at what’s on the horizon. Next year, D.C. will host WorldPride, which will honor 50 years of Pride celebrations around the world. He says the city needs to be safe before that happens, and also wants to see better reporting from MPD when it comes to identifying the markers of a hate crime, as well as more patrols at the U and 14th Street intersection.
“We are inviting the whole world of LGBTQ+ members to come into our city and celebrate being open, safe, and happy,” West says. “Yet, we aren’t open, safe, and definitely not happy after this.”
To donate to Thomas's GoFundMe click here.