Gay extremists align with Black Lives Matter to promote the murder of police
By DANIEL KUSNER
Contributor for VICE: The New Queer
Contributor for VICE: The New Queer
“I'm trans. So I want to be referred to as ‘ they-or-them,’” insists Elliot Anderson inside New York’s Grand Central Terminal.
Androgynous with soft apple-cheeks, Anderson doesn’t mince words while suggesting that New York police are somehow responsible for the murder of 49 gays in Orlando.
“Omar Mateen idolized the New York Police Department,” Anderson says, referencing the Florida gunman, who wore NYPD shirts in images posted on his MySpace account.
On Facebook, Anderson also wears NYPD shirts (riddled with 'bloodstained bullet-holes'). Anderson also poses while holding a sign that reads, “Real Queers Kill Cops.”
Androgynous with soft apple-cheeks, Anderson doesn’t mince words while suggesting that New York police are somehow responsible for the murder of 49 gays in Orlando.
“Omar Mateen idolized the New York Police Department,” Anderson says, referencing the Florida gunman, who wore NYPD shirts in images posted on his MySpace account.
On Facebook, Anderson also wears NYPD shirts (riddled with 'bloodstained bullet-holes'). Anderson also poses while holding a sign that reads, “Real Queers Kill Cops.”
TRIGGERED: Elliot Anderson (via Facebook).
Referencing those images for this article could forever haunt Anderson, who, in the wake of Orlando, teamed up with fellow queer Michael Basillas to revive an almost-forgotten gay anarchist group called Bash Back!
While carrying a banner that read “Police Violence = Death. Queers Bash the Fuck Back,” Anderson and Basillas claim to have marched through New York’s 2016 LGBT Pride March.
Although photos depict that banner being carried through a pride event, Anderson and Basillas’ identities aren’t easy to substantiate. That’s because Bash Back! covered their faces with pink bandanas.
“We’re not ashamed,” Basillas says with Anderson at his side. “You can go through my Facebook page and see that I always talk about crazier things.”
While carrying a banner that read “Police Violence = Death. Queers Bash the Fuck Back,” Anderson and Basillas claim to have marched through New York’s 2016 LGBT Pride March.
Although photos depict that banner being carried through a pride event, Anderson and Basillas’ identities aren’t easy to substantiate. That’s because Bash Back! covered their faces with pink bandanas.
“We’re not ashamed,” Basillas says with Anderson at his side. “You can go through my Facebook page and see that I always talk about crazier things.”
Michael Basillas, middle, spoke at the Counter Protest of Roosh V's "Make Rape Legal" Rally in New York City's Washington Square, held Feb. 6, 2016.
Seated in a midtown Manhattan cafe, Basillas adjusts his porkpie hat while breaking down the point Bash Back! is trying to make.
“We do align ourselves with Black Lives Matter. You can’t have queer liberation unless you have black liberation. It just won’t work,” Basillas says.
Barely in his 30s, Basillas says he designs patterns for a womenswear company and that his last name reflects a Filipino heritage.
“I spent half of my 20s trying to be this masculine gay. My role models were white men. So I started to act like a white, gay man. That’s always a frustration in the back of my head,” he says.
That frustration boiled over during a June 13 vigil at The Stonewall Inn.
“We do align ourselves with Black Lives Matter. You can’t have queer liberation unless you have black liberation. It just won’t work,” Basillas says.
Barely in his 30s, Basillas says he designs patterns for a womenswear company and that his last name reflects a Filipino heritage.
“I spent half of my 20s trying to be this masculine gay. My role models were white men. So I started to act like a white, gay man. That’s always a frustration in the back of my head,” he says.
That frustration boiled over during a June 13 vigil at The Stonewall Inn.
On June 13, 2016, Stonewall Democrats of NYC organized a vigil for the Orlando shooting. From left, Nick Jonas, Governor Andrew Cuomo and Andy Cohen.
Emotions at the Stonewall vigil were all over the place.
During Gay Pride Month, Orlando suffered a seemingly hateful crime [see Update] that turned into the worst terror attack on U.S. soil since 9/11 while also achieving the title “deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.”
The Stonewall Democrats quickly assembled a group of speakers that included Governor Andrew Cuomo, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Nick Jonas, Andy Cohen and Tituss Burgess from “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” who dug into his “West Side Story” repertoire for an a capella rendition of “Somewhere.”
While held to remember the Orlando victims, Stonewall Democrats were clear about their cause: That vigil was intended to call on Congress for gun control laws.
The New York City Police Dept. guarded the safety of that massive vigil as if it were the Twin Towers.
During Gay Pride Month, Orlando suffered a seemingly hateful crime [see Update] that turned into the worst terror attack on U.S. soil since 9/11 while also achieving the title “deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.”
The Stonewall Democrats quickly assembled a group of speakers that included Governor Andrew Cuomo, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Nick Jonas, Andy Cohen and Tituss Burgess from “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” who dug into his “West Side Story” repertoire for an a capella rendition of “Somewhere.”
While held to remember the Orlando victims, Stonewall Democrats were clear about their cause: That vigil was intended to call on Congress for gun control laws.
The New York City Police Dept. guarded the safety of that massive vigil as if it were the Twin Towers.
Basillas noticed that the gun control message was a little sanctimonious in the presence of so many armed police.
But it was the vigil’s political thrust that really caught Anderson off guard.
“Oh, and then to have de Blasio and [NYPD Commissioner] Bill Bratton, who are responsible for so much pain within the LGBT community. When it was Latino LGBT people who were targeted in the whole shooting! I just felt my whole body start shaking. It was very intense because it was just a build up. I remember thinking, if de Blasio shows up, I don’t know what I’ll do,” Anderson recalls.
And that was the moment that drew Anderson and Basillas together — who before were only nodding acquaintances.
“It was the first time I’d seen Elliot respond to something. I can vividly remember the response,” Basillas confirms.
But first, let’s go back to the source that’s supposedly fueling Anderson’s anger on behalf of the Latino LGBT community.
Mayor de Blasio was barely a minute into his remarks when he honored the family of Enrique L. Rios, a Latino Brooklynite whose promising life as a nurse was cut short in Orlando.
But it was the vigil’s political thrust that really caught Anderson off guard.
“Oh, and then to have de Blasio and [NYPD Commissioner] Bill Bratton, who are responsible for so much pain within the LGBT community. When it was Latino LGBT people who were targeted in the whole shooting! I just felt my whole body start shaking. It was very intense because it was just a build up. I remember thinking, if de Blasio shows up, I don’t know what I’ll do,” Anderson recalls.
And that was the moment that drew Anderson and Basillas together — who before were only nodding acquaintances.
“It was the first time I’d seen Elliot respond to something. I can vividly remember the response,” Basillas confirms.
But first, let’s go back to the source that’s supposedly fueling Anderson’s anger on behalf of the Latino LGBT community.
Mayor de Blasio was barely a minute into his remarks when he honored the family of Enrique L. Rios, a Latino Brooklynite whose promising life as a nurse was cut short in Orlando.
Why again are these queers marching through the streets of New York to bash police?
“To me, it’s just a general experience as a person of color who happens to be queer. And police propagate themselves as a professional, courteous and ‘safety type’ of group. But that’s not the experience that I’ve gotten from them,” Basillas says.
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Basillas has experienced police brutality?
“I’ve been punched by the police,” Basillas says. “But I’m not saying it was because I was queer.” When? “In 2011, during Occupy Wall Street. Last year, when I was arrested,” Basillas says. Can Basillas remember the day he was punched by police? “But this is the thing that I worry about. I would say I was punched by the police because I was politically active. It has nothing to do with being queer,” he says. Where was he punched on his body? “My back. And I was pushed. And I’ve been arrested. But that has nothing to do with being queer,” Basillas says. What day was he injured? “In 2013, during Occupy Wall Street’s anniversary, which is Sept. 17,” Basillas says. So on Sept. 17, 2013, Basillas was assaulted by a New York City police officer while peacefully protesting? “Yes,” he says. What time of day did the assault occur? “In the morning. In the afternoon,” Basillas says. Does he remember what day of the week it was? “It was probably a weekend or a weekday,” Basillas says. Does he know if the markets were open or closed? “I think it was probably open,” Basillas says. Was he able to confirm that a police officer punched him? “Yes,” he laughs. Was it a male or female officer? “A male officer,” he says. What was the officer’s race? “He was definitely white,” Basillas says. Did he get the officer’s badge number or name? “No,” Basillas says. Is there any reason why Basillas didn’t record the officer’s badge number or name? “I mean, you’re protesting. You’re not expecting that a cop is going to tackle you and punch you in the back,” he says. |
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Basillas recalls these serious allegations against the NYPD only two days after five Dallas police officers were assassinated during a peaceful Black Lives Matter march.
Anderson interrupts, “Are you asking us to prove that there is police oppression based on X, Y or Z?” Other than crawling all the way back to the 1969 Stonewall Riots, Bash Back! cannot accurately recall a single incident where New York police were overly aggressive toward gays. But on June 24, 2016, during the Drag Queen March from Tompkins Square Park to The Stonewall Inn, Bash Back! distributed pamphlets that said, “No police in Pride!” |
POLICE PRIDE
GOAL OF UNIFORMITY: Brian Downey, right, president of the New York Gay Officers Action League, and NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton.
Brian E. Downey is the president of the New York Gay Officers Action League.
Downey, an Irish cop, was working on the streets of New York when reports came in that Dallas police were being gunned down.
Though the shock of the previous night’s events in Dallas have left him exhausted, Downey sticks to his interview appointment the following morning at a Turkish coffee shop on East 52nd Street to talk about police protection at gay pride events.
Between Orlando and now Dallas, “I’m still trying to figure it all out,” Downey says, rubbing his eyes.
On the force since 2008, Downey says GOAL-NY developed the gay-sensitivity training program that every NYPD recruit must complete.
Downey describes one of the program’s “ah-ha” moments — a scenario about police working a nightclub post in a neighborhood that’s been getting complaints about lewd acts.
“In New York City, people have sex everywhere,” Downey says, shaking his head.
In the training example, a parked car's engine is running but the headlights are off. As the officer approaches the vehicle, the occupants include a man receiving oral sex from a woman.
Officers could make an arrest or ticket the offenders. They might even lightheartedly mention the incident to a colleague, like, “You’re never going to believe this….”
But if the scenario features two men having oral sex, how are officers supposed to react?
“They don’t know what they’re seeing,” Downey laughs. “They might view it as a heinous crime and ask themselves, ‘What if kids walk down the street and see that?’”
While comparing the incidents, recruits dissect concepts like criminal enforcement and impartiality.
Downey believes police are supposed to enforce laws. But he understands when citizens feel as if their communities are over-policed.
“Some people think cops are the ones who locked up your husband or gave you a ticket,” Downey says. “We’re not perfect. We’ve gotten it wrong. And we’ll probably get it wrong again.”
Downey can, however, highlight specific progress. He presents a photo taken during the same pride march that Anderson and Basillas claim to have marched in. In Downey's photo, uniformed NYPD officers hold a flag that says, “Trans Officers Serve with Pride!”
Downey, an Irish cop, was working on the streets of New York when reports came in that Dallas police were being gunned down.
Though the shock of the previous night’s events in Dallas have left him exhausted, Downey sticks to his interview appointment the following morning at a Turkish coffee shop on East 52nd Street to talk about police protection at gay pride events.
Between Orlando and now Dallas, “I’m still trying to figure it all out,” Downey says, rubbing his eyes.
On the force since 2008, Downey says GOAL-NY developed the gay-sensitivity training program that every NYPD recruit must complete.
Downey describes one of the program’s “ah-ha” moments — a scenario about police working a nightclub post in a neighborhood that’s been getting complaints about lewd acts.
“In New York City, people have sex everywhere,” Downey says, shaking his head.
In the training example, a parked car's engine is running but the headlights are off. As the officer approaches the vehicle, the occupants include a man receiving oral sex from a woman.
Officers could make an arrest or ticket the offenders. They might even lightheartedly mention the incident to a colleague, like, “You’re never going to believe this….”
But if the scenario features two men having oral sex, how are officers supposed to react?
“They don’t know what they’re seeing,” Downey laughs. “They might view it as a heinous crime and ask themselves, ‘What if kids walk down the street and see that?’”
While comparing the incidents, recruits dissect concepts like criminal enforcement and impartiality.
Downey believes police are supposed to enforce laws. But he understands when citizens feel as if their communities are over-policed.
“Some people think cops are the ones who locked up your husband or gave you a ticket,” Downey says. “We’re not perfect. We’ve gotten it wrong. And we’ll probably get it wrong again.”
Downey can, however, highlight specific progress. He presents a photo taken during the same pride march that Anderson and Basillas claim to have marched in. In Downey's photo, uniformed NYPD officers hold a flag that says, “Trans Officers Serve with Pride!”
FLAG-WAVING PRIDE: NYPD trans officers Aiden Budd, left, and Brooke Bukowski at the 2016 New York LGBT Pride March.
“I reject when people when tell me our gender-nonconforming brothers and sisters haven’t been left behind," Downey says. "In New York, we’re surrounded by wealth and ambition. I’m certain a kid is going to get off a bus with only $20 in his pocket, not knowing if he’s going to eat a meal. Where do these kids go? They turn to sex work and petty crime. They jump turnstiles because they can’t get a MetroCard.”
Good question: Where do these kids go?
Good question: Where do these kids go?
ANGRY BANNERS: Basillas, left, and Anderson unfurl their newest Bash Back! slogan at a recent Occupy City Hall demonstration.
Scrolling through his iPhone, Basillas dials up a Wikipedia entry about Bash Back! that’s been flagged for accuracy.
Anderson explains the group’s tenets — or “points of unity.”
Ultimately, Bash Back! is about fighting for liberation against oppressive institutions like marriage and militarism. But while tailoring a clear-and-frank message, Bash Back! aren’t concerned with fighting for factual truths.
Both Basillas and Anderson agree that Bash Back! was more energized and visible — not as a queer group — but as a gay group during the 2008 election when California was voting on Prop 8 to oppose same-sex marriage.
Neither Basillas nor Anderson were part of the 2008 coalition, which Anderson says eventually petered out because of lack of participation.
Anderson says, "Even if you drive around the whole country, you’re never going to find a designated Bash Back! person. There’s no office. There’s no organization. They’re just simply people who happen to be queer and who’ve been marginalized."
Bash Back! is a nascent LGBTQ group that’s trying to channel its Orlando “fight back” rage. But are they just a symbol of the “lost queer generation?”
It seems without attaching itself to the Black Lives Matter movement, Bash Back! doesn’t have a viable queer-radical alternative.
Detective Downey examines a Bash Back! document, which Anderson takes credit for writing. It’s a different “No police in Pride!” flier.
Anderson's flier cites a June 5th incident that protested “the mass shooting at Pulse,” where police on horseback charged protesters, arresting four and trampling one, who was taken to the hospital.
Downey says he's never heard of this June 5th incident but asks for a copy of the flier.
Anderson explains the group’s tenets — or “points of unity.”
Ultimately, Bash Back! is about fighting for liberation against oppressive institutions like marriage and militarism. But while tailoring a clear-and-frank message, Bash Back! aren’t concerned with fighting for factual truths.
Both Basillas and Anderson agree that Bash Back! was more energized and visible — not as a queer group — but as a gay group during the 2008 election when California was voting on Prop 8 to oppose same-sex marriage.
Neither Basillas nor Anderson were part of the 2008 coalition, which Anderson says eventually petered out because of lack of participation.
Anderson says, "Even if you drive around the whole country, you’re never going to find a designated Bash Back! person. There’s no office. There’s no organization. They’re just simply people who happen to be queer and who’ve been marginalized."
Bash Back! is a nascent LGBTQ group that’s trying to channel its Orlando “fight back” rage. But are they just a symbol of the “lost queer generation?”
It seems without attaching itself to the Black Lives Matter movement, Bash Back! doesn’t have a viable queer-radical alternative.
Detective Downey examines a Bash Back! document, which Anderson takes credit for writing. It’s a different “No police in Pride!” flier.
Anderson's flier cites a June 5th incident that protested “the mass shooting at Pulse,” where police on horseback charged protesters, arresting four and trampling one, who was taken to the hospital.
Downey says he's never heard of this June 5th incident but asks for a copy of the flier.
IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING: The facts stated in this Bash Back! flier can't be true.
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Basillas and Anderson say they remember what happened.
If so, who was injured? Anderson asks Basillas, “It was Jamal, right?” Basillas says, “Jamal, I think, was there.” What type of injuries did Jamal suffer? “His leg was broken,” Anderson says. “And I believe his ribs were damaged.” Are they sure this incident happened on June 5, 2016? “We’re sure,” Basillas says. If that’s true, why were they marching to protest the Pulse shooting when Omar Matteen didn’t go on his rampage until June 12? Anderson blames the date error on a typo. |
NOT THE JUNE 5 INCIDENT... Bash Back! publicizes July and August protests.
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So far, both Basillas and Anderson have ignored multiple requests for any materials that support these reported arrests and injury caused by a NYPD horse-mounted officer. Instead, Bash Back! are promoting a "Queer in Justice" event at the new national monument, The Stonewall Inn.
Basillas and Anderson also refuse to be photographed for this interview. They don’t want to give the impression that they’re the leaders of Bash Back! which operates as a collective.
Again, this is a group that marches in pride parades with pink bandanas tied around their faces.
The labeling of "pride" events distinctly compares the definition of "shame."
So it's fair to draw comparisons — especially to another group of anarchist extremists who march but choose to conceal their KKK-like identities.
Basillas and Anderson also refuse to be photographed for this interview. They don’t want to give the impression that they’re the leaders of Bash Back! which operates as a collective.
Again, this is a group that marches in pride parades with pink bandanas tied around their faces.
The labeling of "pride" events distinctly compares the definition of "shame."
So it's fair to draw comparisons — especially to another group of anarchist extremists who march but choose to conceal their KKK-like identities.
POSTSCRIPT
Transgender cop-basher gets cuffed
Transgender cop-basher gets cuffed
Basillas, pink hair, at July 15, 2016 Stonewall Inn protest.
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Anderson in a pink bandana, middle, at July 15, 2016 Stonewall Inn protest.
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“I’m trans. And I want to be booked in as a male,” a handcuffed Elliot Anderson announces as a paddy wagon pulls up to the corner of 8th Avenue at 14th Street.
On Friday evening, Anderson led about 40 protesters on a two-hour march from The Stonewall Inn to the The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center.
Demonstrators followed behind a banner that read “Police Violence = Death. Queers Bash The Fuck Back!”
About 30 officers followed them on foot — as well almost a dozen scooter-mounted patrol officers while marchers chanted, “Our Streets. Our Blocks. We don’t need these killer cops!” and “No justice. No peace. Fuck these racist police!”
On Friday evening, Anderson led about 40 protesters on a two-hour march from The Stonewall Inn to the The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center.
Demonstrators followed behind a banner that read “Police Violence = Death. Queers Bash The Fuck Back!”
About 30 officers followed them on foot — as well almost a dozen scooter-mounted patrol officers while marchers chanted, “Our Streets. Our Blocks. We don’t need these killer cops!” and “No justice. No peace. Fuck these racist police!”
Understanding what motivates Bash Back! ain't easy.
After a gunman slaughtered 49 people in a gay nightclub in Orlando, Anderson and fellow Bash Back! coordinator Michael Basillas began organizing anti-police protests in New York because “Omar Mateen idolized the NYPD,” Anderson said in a previous interview.
While disguised behind pink bandanas, Bash Back! also carried their banner through last month’s 2016 LGBT Pride March.
Now Bash Back! has aligned itself with Black Lives Matter.
To get promote their anti-police message, Bash Back! distributes pamphlets, which Anderson creates. But a “Queer in Justice” event on Facebook is primarily how demonstrators were lured to Friday’s event.
Anderson also uses social media to get provocative messages across. In one photo posted on Facebook, Anderson holds a sign that reads “Real Queers Kill Cops.”
After a gunman slaughtered 49 people in a gay nightclub in Orlando, Anderson and fellow Bash Back! coordinator Michael Basillas began organizing anti-police protests in New York because “Omar Mateen idolized the NYPD,” Anderson said in a previous interview.
While disguised behind pink bandanas, Bash Back! also carried their banner through last month’s 2016 LGBT Pride March.
Now Bash Back! has aligned itself with Black Lives Matter.
To get promote their anti-police message, Bash Back! distributes pamphlets, which Anderson creates. But a “Queer in Justice” event on Facebook is primarily how demonstrators were lured to Friday’s event.
Anderson also uses social media to get provocative messages across. In one photo posted on Facebook, Anderson holds a sign that reads “Real Queers Kill Cops.”
Was the Orlando Gunman Gay?
The Answer Continues to Elude FBI
Omar Mateen, (via MySpace).
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Although federal officials have said that the Orlando gunman, Omar Mateen, was radicalized at least to some extent, at least half a dozen men have come forward to report that they had seen Mr. Mateen at gay clubs encountered him online, or had romantic encounters with him.
F.B.I. investigators, who have conducted more than 500 interviews in the case, are continuing to contact men who claim to have had sexual relations with Mr. Mateen or think they saw him at gay bars. But so far, they have not found any independent corroboration — through his web searches, emails or other electronic data — to establish that he was, in fact, gay, officials said. New York Times, Jun. 25, 2016. |
