Victim of gay attack speaks, Pittsburgh gets serious about eradicating violence

• Gwynedd Stuart
• Brandon White, victim of the recent gay bashing in Pittsburgh, spoke to the media for the first time today.

As of around 2:30 this afternoon, an Atlanta police cruiser sat parked directly across from the convenience store at 1029 McDaniel Street, the location where, on Saturday, a gang of men mercilessly beat 20-year-old Brandon White for being gay. Video of the attack went viral on Monday, and the incident has since gotten National news outlets and law enforcement outfits.

But violence at 1029 McDaniel Street is hardly a new occurrence.

According to a source — I'm waiting on APD public affairs to confirm the statistics — there have been 384 calls for police respond, 230 direct patrols initiated, and 30 fights reported at the location since January 1, 2011. Last year alone, there were six murders on that corner.

This afternoon, at a press conference that was arranged primarily so the victim Brandon White could speak to the media about his attack, LaShawn Hoffman of the Pittsburgh Community Improvement Association also spoke. His message: Pittsburgh wants the convenience store at 1029 McDaniel Street gone.

Hoffman began by apologizing to White, not just on behalf of his organization, but "on behalf of the entire community as a whole."

"No one called the police," he pointed out. "In the video a MARTA bus passes, people walk down the street like this is the norm — this is not the norm in our neighborhood and it has to stop. We're closing down that store."