Gay rights activist assaulted

Campus gay-rights activist Darren Rosenblum was harassed and assaulted last night by a group of area teens, according to Rosenblum. Although other incidents may have been related to his activism, Rosenblum said his assailants were not students and probably did not know who he was. Rosenblum added he was walking toward campus on the 4000 block of Spruce Street about 8:30 p.m. when he saw a group of about seven Asian teens on the street, two of whom were "play-fighting." Rosenblum said he was wearing a sport jacket and a red scarf, adding that the scarf may have attracted the teens' attention. "As I walked past, one of them said 'pato,' which means 'faggot' in Spanish," he said. "I gave them a dirty look and he started following me and imitating my walk, saying, 'What's up, pussy? What's up?" He said the teen pushed him in the shoulder at the corner of 40th and Spruce streets. Rosenblum turned around and confronted him. He said people usually back down once he starts talking to them. He said the teen threatened him and continued following him. As he crossed the street, Rosenblum said, another teen on a bicycle rode up from behind and knocked him over. He said the two teens exchanged a high-five and kept yelling at him. Rosenblum went into Allegro's Pizza and waited for the teens to leave, and then went to Van Pelt House and called University Police. Rosenblum said police officers responded immediately and took him back to the spot where the teens had been standing. A group of Asian teens was still there but Rosenblum could not identify any of them, he said. He said police will likely classify the incident as harassment and not an assault since he has no injury. He said he is happy with the police's response but said that the University should have a separate classification for "hate crimes," like anti-gay, sexual or racial harassment.

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