Geoffrey Hubbard
We are getting more information as the morning wears on about the attack last night of Geoffrey Hubbard at the intersection of Rawlins and Knight streets in Oak Lawn. We are also hearing from several people that they intend to take to the streets of the gayborhood this weekend, armed with guns, to protect themselves and others, and at least one man is trying to organize a kind of community watch to patrol the streets in shifts.
This is at least the 12th reported attack on a gay man in Oak Lawn since Sept. 20. At least three other attacks have taken place that Dallas Voice has heard of that may not have been reported to police.
Hubbard, in a post to his Facebook page this morning, said that doctors at Baylor stitched a laceration on the left side of his head, just over his ear, and that a CAT scan “found a temporal fracture in my skull. Got put on morphine and sent to the ICU for observation.”
Information released by the DPD’s Public Information Office this morning said that an off-duty police officer was driving through the neighborhood at around 11:13 p.m. Thursday night, Nov. 19, “when he came across the victim who was hiding underneath a vehicle.” The statement indicates that Hubbard told the officer “he was walking on the sidewalk towards where the suspect was standing and tried to go around him [and] that is when the suspect struck the victim in the head with an unknown object. The victim ran away from the suspect and hid under a vehicle.”
The statement also said that detectives were “able to confirm this morning that robbery was the motive of this offense” because Hubbard told investigators that the suspect when through his pockets after knocking him to the ground and “appeared to be looking for his wallet.”
Geoffrey Hubbard
Police have asked that anyone with information call 214-671-3584.
But Hubbard’s best friend, Caleb Barton, said that Hubbard was attacked by two African-American men, about 5-feet, 9-inches to 5-feet, 11-inches, wearing dark pants, t-shirts and caps/beanies. Barton said Hubbard told him that he saw one of the suspects ahead of him and that a second attacked him from the side.
This description of the attack on Hubbard matches the description of the Nov. 1 attack on Tito Gonzalez. Gonzalez was walking home from his job at Quesa when he noticed a man following him. He tried to cross the street, but someone approached from that side. The two men trapped him and brutally attacked.
The attack on Hubbard, coming less than 24 hours after the second community meeting this week with Dallas Police Department officials over the increased violence, has infuriated many residents of and frequent visitors to Oak Lawn. More than one person has contacted Dallas Voice reporter David Taffet this morning, telling him they are licensed to carry concealed handguns, and plan to be on the streets of Oak Lawn with those guns this weekend.
Justin Penney, who works at Thairrific restaurant, posted on Facebook asking for people to join him in staking out “certain areas around Cedar Springs” this weekend. “Hours of watch will be 10 p.m.-12 [a.m.] to start. The more people we have the more area we can cover. If DPD won’t keep us safe it’s up to us.”
Officer Laura Martin, the DPD’s liaison to the LGBT community, this morning warned against private citizens arming themselves to patrol the streets. “It’s a bad idea,” she said.
