Blake suffered numerous injuries when he was attacked after the Pride Parade Sunday.
A fundraising page, GoFundMe.com/er4rfxdg, has been started for Blake, the man who was attacked on Wycliff Avenue after the Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade last Sunday, Sept. 20. Blake has asked that only his first name is used in media reports until the men who assaulted him have been caught.
Blake said he spent 24 hours in the hospital and needed 40 stitches on his face to repair the injuries inflicted in the attack. Fortunately, he is expected to fully recover.
The GoFundMe page set up by his friends should cover his hospital bills from Sunday night. Donors covered the $3,000 initially requested to cover the emergency hospitalization within the first 24 hours after the page was set up. The total so far doesn’t cover the additional expenses Blake will face while he recovers.
In a correction to the original story, Blake said he was on a side street near Cedar Springs when one man hit him from behind with a baseball bat, while two others began kicking him. Because he was temporarily blinded by the attack with the bat, he was unable to give a clear description of his attackers.
He was then thrown in the assailants’ car and driven to the intersection of Wycliff and Sylvester streets, a few blocks away, where he was dumped on the street in a pool of blood. The attackers took his cell phone, but not his wallet or money. While laying in the street, Blake said he was able to call for help before going unconscious. Someone from one of the neighboring houses called 911.
An ambulance transported him to Parkland Hospital, and, Blake said, “The whole team there was great.” He has followup appointments with his doctors next week.
Because the attack happened after the Pride parade and because of anti-gay language used during the attack, police are investigating the assault as a hate crime.
Blake just moved to Dallas a few weeks ago and was supposed to have a final job interview on Monday. He was able to postpone the interview until he recovers.
Rather than focusing on the attack, he said he’s been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from the LGBT community, the Dallas Democratic Party and the community in general.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition September 25, 2015.
