Alleged gay bashing in Belltown

Local filmmaker and city council candidate Grant Cogswell and a friend were attacked on 3rd ave. in Belltown last Friday August 8 in what appeared to be a gay-bashing. Although Grant and his friend do not consider themselves gay, Grant's friend was dressed in drag for an event at the Free Sheep Foundation which led to a verbal attack from a group of nearby men. Grant says the men called them "F*cking faggots". This led to a string of insults exchanged back and forth between both groups and eventually to a physical confrontation. Grant and his friend were taken to the hospital where Grant received five stitches in his cheek, and doctors found that one of the bones around his eye socket had been fractured and his front teeth badly chipped. Grant's friend only suffered scrapes and bruises.

Grant says the man who kicked him was about 5'8 and Hispanic, wearing a white T-shirt. He says the attacker was accompanied by two tall black men, one of whom was wearing a blue jacket, and a tall white man with brown hair. Grant, who used to live in the neighborhood, says he's never seen anything like this happen.

It seems these days it doesn't matter if you're gay, straight, black, white, short, or tall. People are getting beat up in Belltown. Most of the beatings seem to be happening around that magical hour of bar close. My advice? Once you leave a bar at night, avoid conversation with anyone in the street and just go straight home.