Friends march against hate

RIVERSIDE: A vigil is held to remember Jeffery Owens and speak out against anti-gay violence.

06/07/2003

By JESSICA ZISKO
THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE

RIVERSIDE - A year ago, it was a scene of violence. But those who gathered Friday night behind The Menagerie bar in downtown Riverside came with messages of love and peace.

They were there to celebrate the life of Jeffery Owens, who died in June 2002 after being stabbed outside the bar, and to speak out against hate. The death of Owens, a Moreno Valley man, deeply touched the gay community, and many believe he was the victim of a hate crime.

About 100 people lit candles to honor Owens and gathered around a tree in the back parking lot, near a bronze-and-gold plaque that bears his name.

Supporters later walked together through downtown Riverside behind a rainbow flag. Their message to the community: Hate will never be tolerated.

"He was a good friend, and he was killed for no reason at all," said Vincent Corrales, who works at The Menagerie, where many of the patrons are gay. "We're here to make a statement that we are not going to be silent."

Owens, 40, and his partner, Jeff Holland, were stabbed in a late-night attack that friends have said was motivated by anti-gay bias. Owens bled to death later at Riverside County Regional Medical Center in Moreno Valley after he was given an accidental overdose of anti-clotting medicine, according to a Riverside County coroner's investigation.

Five men have been charged with murder in Owens' death, although a judge dismissed hate-crime allegations in January, citing a lack of evidence. A trial-readiness hearing is scheduled for Friday.

Some of Owens' supporters are frustrated by the dropped charges, but say they will never stop fighting for a man they said was kind and wonderful, and who loved to help others.

"Even if people don't agree with his lifestyle, I'd hope they agree that he didn't deserve the attack against him," said David St. Pierre, owner of The Menagerie. "We need the community to open its eyes and see that these crimes are not just happening in big cities. They are happening here."

Many at the vigil came from outside Riverside. They were there to honor Owens and to reflect on a year filled with anger, forgiveness and healing. Some, like Norman Church of San Jacinto, didn't even know Owens.

"I'm here for support," Church said. "This kind of thing has to stop happening."

Shelley Brayton of Riverside called for those in attendance to keep addressing hate in the community.

"If we don't keep talking, if we don't keep saying this was a hate crime, then we are saying this is OK," Brayton said. "Every time we allow hate, we teach hate."

Holland said he is encouraged by the support he has seen since his partner's death. He said he hopes vigils like Friday's strengthen relationships in the community, gay or straight.

"It really is possible to speak out against hate," Holland said. "If we can do it in Riverside, then perhaps one day people can feel safer everywhere."

Reach Jessica Zisko at (909) 368-9460 or jzisko@pe.com