Brontez Purnell, Oakland Musician, Beaten Outside Club Allegedly for Being Gay

By Erin Sherbert Thu., Aug. 11 2011 at 5:10 PM

Categories: Crime, LGBT

Seriously

Brontez Purnell, an Oakland musician, and his bandmate Adal Castello were unlocking their bikes outside Club Paradiso in Oakland at about 2 a.m. Thursday when two men, who had also been at the club, started yelling gay slurs at them.

Purnell, who identifies as gay, told the Bay Citizen that he had just hopped on his bike when one of the men told them that if they were living in Jamaica, "they'd be dead." One of the agitators then became violent and hit Purnell on the head, knocking him from his bike. He tried to fight back, swinging his bike lock. Meanwhile, the other man beat Castello, who suffered facial fractures.

"They were saying I was in the wrong club," Purnell told the Bay Citizen.

Earlier this week, San Francisco police reported another disturbing incident of potential gay bashing. A San Diego tourist was walking through the Castro when he was beat with a baseball bat by a group of teens yelling "Fuck you, faggot."

The men hit the 52-year-old tourist four times before taking his keys and running off.

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