San Franciscans Rally Against Hate Violence

Dear SF Network Members,

We wanted to bring your attention to an update (below) about this weekend's Stop the Violence peace procession in the Castro.

If you want to share a message of support, or have ideas for how San Franciscans can work together to help our city become a more safe and inclusive place, please post an update to the group. This space is for you, and a place for vibrant conversation. We look forward to hearing from and learning from you!

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 San Francisco Hate Crime Victim: “I want to conquer hate with love.”

20 teens harassed him on a train as several of them broke his nose and pummeled his head, face and body, screaming anti-gay slurs. But at a rally to support him in San Francisco's Castro district, 26-year-old Zachary Davenport had a powerful message for these young people and others who hate gay people: “I want to conquer hate with love. It’s hard to be angry at the youths who beat me, they’re afraid of what they don’t know.” 

In the same neighborhood that Harvey Milk led the movement for gay civil rights, about 200 people gathered in the Castro to draw attention to a rash of anti-gay attacks in San Francisco.  The crowd attending the rally supported Davenport’s message of peace and chanted, ”We are a community, we will not be divided, we will face fear with love, we will face violence with love.” 

The “anti-violence procession,” which was co-organized by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and the Castro Community on Patrol, started at Harvey Milk Muni station and ended at the corner of Market and Church where Davenport was assaulted. Along the route, organizers passed out anti-violence material, whistles and safety information. 

While only three or four of the youths physically beat Davenport, he remembers the entire group chanting, “Get that faggot,” during the assault. Since Davenport closed his eyes after the first blow, he was only able to identify one of his attackers, a 15-year-old who was arraigned last week in Juvenile Hall, and charged with aggravated assault and stolen property with hate crime allegations. 

10 years ago, after suffering ongoing harassment as a teenager, Davenport started a Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) to promote safety and inclusion at his high school in Watsonville, CA. Since his recent attack in the Castro, Davenport is even more committed to LGBT youth education in schools: “If these kids had one friend who was gay, they wouldn’t have hate in their hearts.”