‘None of us are safe.’ Coconut Grove man ‘viciously’ beaten up, community leader says
While on a walk to his Coconut Grove home, taking strides with ear buds in listening to his favorite songs, Gregory Breidenbach was jumped by several men who yelled homophobic slurs and viciously beat him up in the street last weekend, a community leader said.
During the early morning hours on Saturday, Breidenbach was near Virrick Park when the attack happened, Billie Baldwin, president of the Woman’s Club of Coconut Grove, said in a community release. While being beaten unconscious, the attackers shouted expletives such as “f*****.”
He was found half-naked by police at Douglas Road and Florida Avenueand lying in the street unresponsive. Allegedly, she said police escorted him home instead of going to the hospital.
Miami police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“As long as these thugs are wandering the streets, none of us are safe to walk home at night,” she said.
Breidenbach would eventually go to the hospital, where he is scheduled for face reconstruction surgery. Some of his injuries include a cracked orbital socket, fractured and detached nasal cavity and a fracture under his ear.
Baldwin said his cheek bone will also be replaced with a metal plate and work will be done to try to repair nerve damage.
“He really needs your prayers,” she said. “It is hard for him to respond to all the outpour of friends and community members that saw his Facebook account of what happened.”
His recuperation will take at least two months.
Because of certained expletives said in the attack, Baldwin believes it was a targeted hate crime.
“This hate crime needs to be aired by all of us with a resounding zero tolerance for hate crimes by us all,” she said.
Breidenbach told Local 10 News he feels anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and legislation make him and others targets.
“Unfortunately, it was such a brutal attack that I thought it was my responsibility to get out there and let other people know. It’s just not safe right now,” he said. “You’ve got to be aware of what’s going on around you.”
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