1,000 Turn Out to Vigil for Gay Man Killed in Toronto Hit-and-Run
A crowd estimated at around 1,000 turned out for a vigil in honor of Christopher Skinner, a 27-year-old gay man in Toronto who was beaten by a group of people in an SUV and then run over and killed while walking home from a birthday party last week.
Late last week, authorities held a press conference at which they released images of the SUV they believed killed Skinner. Authorities are not sure what the motivation behind the murder was, but they have some theories they are floating. Based on a security camera video, police say Skinner may have accidentally touched the SUV while hailing a cab, inspiring the violent attack which took his life.
It's also entirely possible that a group of kids, emboldened by alcohol, saw a vulnerable looking guy they perceived to be gay trying to hail a cab on the street, stopped, beat the crap out of him because of hatred for gays, and then ran him over.
Watch scenes from the vigil and interviews with Skinner's friends, AFTER THE JUMP...
Posted Oct. 26,2009 at 2:40 PM EST by Andy Towle in Canada, Crime, New York, News, Toronto | Permalink
Gay citizens of the world need to learn, in fact must walk home in groups to ensure an even handed fight. It's a matter of survival. Call it melodrama to make such a suggestion, but it just might save your life.
Posted by: Sargon Bighorn | Oct 26, 2009 3:22:52 PM
Toronto lulls you into a false sense of security,
Posted by: Carl | Oct 26, 2009 3:32:06 PM
So incredibly sad and tragic and unnecessary. We just did a short blurb about his story on my podcast and the email response has been huge from Canada. His story and murder have touched a nerve with glbts all over.
Posted by: Geoff | Oct 26, 2009 3:42:38 PM
The vigil was very moving. There were a few times where I thought I was going to lose it, and I didn't even know Mr. Skinner. The only part that bothered me was the proliferation of Tv cameras and photographers all over the place. There doesn't seem to have been a corresponding amount of coverage presented in the media.
A nice touch was a part at the beginning where we were asked to turn to someone we didn't know, and to introduce ourselves.
Another moment that I'll remember is someone confiding in me that it's sad that "we're having to do this again", and that it was time to take back our neighborhoods and our city AGAIN.
Posted by: Kyle | Oct 26, 2009 4:34:16 PM
It seems the police are so much more eager to hypothesize that it was anything other than sexuality that motivated this crime. If they are just guessing and entertaining things then why not suggest it might have been a hate crime? It wasn't immediately clear that Matthew Sheppard was targeted for his sexuality. If I remember correctly it was originally dismissed as mere robbery. Who gives a shit if he accidentally hit the car or it brushed him... is that some kind of excuse or reasoning behind it. Why are the police afraid to entertain a hate crime... probably an assumed outrage reponse from the LGBT community. The truth is he was a little gay guy alone at night and it would become very clear to his attackers that he was both fey and no match for the 4 of them. What else other than ragging hatred most likely based on homophobia would see someone beaten and then driven over. We don't see such random unrelated violence outside of clubs and gang wars in this city so something seems to be a motivating factor for this disgusting rage. We may not know for sure till they are caught but we have to keep asking and come together as a community but most of all not submit to fear.
Posted by: MattThomas | Oct 26, 2009 4:51:12 PM
Everyday I try to keep a positive frame of mind, but when I read news such as this it only reaffirms my belief that humanity is sick and depraved. How could anyone, ANYONE, do something such as this to another person or living being??! I don't know if the media simply sensationalizes these stories for ratings or if humanity is that far gone, but given our history in this planet, I have simply lost faith in us. The only thing keeping me going in this life is having faith in others, and sadly, I just don't any more. This makes my heart ache.
Posted by: CJ | Oct 26, 2009 6:55:12 PM
This incident was truly senseless. I attended the vigil last night. It was very moving.
Posted by: MikeyWent | Oct 26, 2009 10:57:48 PM
Also, not to nit pick but the title of this item is somewhat misleading. It was not really a hit-and-run. It was murder.
Chris was beaten and then run over intentionally - twice.
Posted by: Kyle | Oct 27, 2009 1:30:06 AM
Come a little closer Doug Berman, let me and my 3 homies beat the shit out of you, and then run over you TWICE with my SUV, and we'll say it wasn't a hate crime.
Perhaps if you had some more insight into the area where this happened, and facts other than what have been presented by the media - you wouldn't be making such misinformed statements.
But I get the distinct impression you don't really care.
Posted by: Kyle | Oct 27, 2009 12:11:31 PM
Of course it was a "hate crime". How much more anger could anyone possibly exhibit? I agree; "It was murder".
I pray the police get these disgusting thugs and put them away.
Posted by: Carol | Oct 27, 2009 9:40:25 PM