The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs ( NCAVP ) has learned of the possible hook-up related homicide of Howard Baker, age 75, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. According to media reports, Baker was found on the floor, naked and strangled with a belt, by a hotel housekeeper around 11 a.m. Monday inside a room at the Rodeway Inn on Walnut Street. Local papers report that Baker had checked into the hotel on Sunday and was visited by two different men that day. Police have arrested Manuel Baez, the second man to visit, in relation to this homicide.
Hook-up related violence is violence that occurs within the context of a "hook-up" for casual sex. Hook-up related violence can occur through hook-up websites, apps, cruising, sex parties, bars, and clubs, and can be connected to overlapping forms of violence, including hate violence, intimate partner violence, and sexual violence.
"We don't know all of the details about what happened in this homicide, however far too often we see men who have sex with men targeted for robbery and extreme or fatal violence when hooking up," said Chai Jindasurat, Co-Director of Community Organizing and Public Advocacy at the New York City Anti-Violence Project. "We must break the shame and stigma surrounding hook up culture and violence, and create prevention strategies to make hooking up safer for our communities."
NCAVP has reached out to The Mayor's Office of LGBT Affairs in Philadelphia to raise awareness of this homicide and to offer support to the local communities affected by this violence.
"Too often, victims of crime fear reaching out to law enforcement and victim service agencies out of fear that they will be stigmatized or further victimized because of what they were doing at the time they were assaulted or victimized," said Helen Fitzpatrick, Director of LGBT Affairs for the Office of Mayor Michael Nutter. "A victim's conduct at the time of a crime does not limit or eliminate his or her rights as a victim of crime. In Philadelphia, if a victim encounters difficulty or is fearful in reporting a crime, they can contact the Police Department's LGBT Liaison Committee or reach out to my office as a first point of contact. The Mayor's Office of LGBT Affairs stands ready and waiting to assist LGBT victims in everything from crime reporting to medical billing, regardless of whether an arrest is made."
NCAVP is a resource for anyone who experiences violence. For more information, or to locate an anti-violence program in your area, please contact us at info@ncavp.org or visit us online. Join NCAVP in our efforts to prevent and respond to LGBTQ and HIV-affected violence. To learn more about our national advocacy and receive technical assistance or support, contact us at info@ncavp.org .
NCAVP works to prevent, respond to, and end all forms of violence against and within lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer ( LGBTQ ) and HIV-affected communities. NCAVP is a national coalition of local member programs and affiliate organizations who create systemic and social change. NCAVP is a program of the New York City Anti-Violence Project.