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 Gay Man is Burned Alive in Santa Barbara Hate-Crime NGLTF & Pacific Pride Foundation Condemn the Killing |
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Compiled by GayToday National Gay & Lesbian Task Force
According to the Los Angeles Times Web site, Martin Thomas Hartman, 38, doused Risetter with gasoline and set him on fire because Risetter was a gay man who was "unhappy and depressed so he didn't need to be around in the world." According to the lead investigator in the case, Hartman stated he (Hartman) has a lot of hatred toward gay people. Hartman has been charged with murder, arson and a hate crime. "Acts of violence such as this against members of our community are unthinkable, yet they occur with alarming frequency around the country. "We are deeply saddened, angered, and ever more committed to changing the environment that fosters and supports this kind of hate violence," said Darrel Cummings, deputy executive director of NGLTF.
"We are outraged and saddened by the news of such a heinous crime in Santa Barbara," said Janet Stanley, M.A., executive director of Pacific Pride Foundation, "This is a time for all Santa Barbarans to come together to denounce such actions." Pacific Pride Foundation is the umbrella organization for the Gay and Lesbian Resource Center and AIDS Project Central Coast. The Pacific Pride Foundation organized a candlelight vigil and memorial last night at Santa Barbara's Trinity Episcopal Church. NGLTF encourages contacting the following officials to urge that this hate crime, and all hate-motivated activity and rhetoric, not go unnoticed.
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Santa Barbara, California-37-year-old Santa Barbara resident Clint Scott
Risetter died Sunday, February 24, as a result of burns he sustained to his body after
being doused with gasoline and set on fire. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) and the
Pacific Pride Foundation (Santa Barbara, Calif.) have condemned the murder.
