Elected officials and community activists held a joint news conference Thursday to call for an end to homophobic violence after a man was attacked while walking in Crown Heights for being gay.
The victim was reportedly hit with a rock and spit on last week by attackers who also used anti-gay slurs.
Local residents say part of the problem is a deep-seeded bias in some people of Caribbean descent.
Crown Heights is both a diversifying community and one that has had historically high rates of homophobic attacks, activists say.