KCAVP Advises Community About Increased Hate and Bias Crimes Due to Missouri Vote on August 3

Written by Doug Riley

Monday, 02 August 2004

Kansas City, MO – The Kansas City Anti-Violence Project (KCAVP), Kansas City’s only nonprofit organization solely dedicated to providing emergency and ongoing services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and bias crimes in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community, alerts all people in Missouri about recent threats and acts of violence to intimidate those opposing the amendment to the Missouri Constitution to ban gay marriage.

Threats have been made to both staff and volunteers of the Constitution Defense League (CDL) in both St. Louis and Kansas City. Additionally, bias incidents have been documented in Springfield.

KCAVP is gravely concerned for the safety of LGBT community across the state of Missouri and cautions LGBT to be vigilant this week. In April, the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs issued the 2003 Hate Violence Report. The report notes a possible “Eye of the Storm” effect for locations at the center of LGBT controversy or attention that involves a temporary depression of anti-LGBT violence during the height of that attention followed by a spike after the spotlight has moved. Missouri is in the middle of that spotlight especially because Missouri is the first state in the nation to vote on this type of amendment.



“This violence was expected by us,” commented Doug Riley, executive director of the Kansas City Anti-Violence Project. “Law enforcement agencies in Missouri must be on heightened alert and take all reports of violence seriously. Additionally, LGBT individuals must be aware of possible attacks and violence and report any incidents to KCAVP as well as law enforcement. KCAVP will assist all victims of bias crimes with advocacy and service provision.”

KCAVP is a Missouri nonprofit corporation committed to providing services, advocacy and education for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and bias crimes within the five counties that encompass the metropolitan Kansas City area. For more information about KCAVP, visit http://www.kcavp.org/.