As night fell in southern Brooklyn on Aug. 4, a crowd of people equipped with pictures and Rainbow Flags swarmed the Brooklyn gas station where an out gay man, O’Shae Sibley, was stabbed to death on July 29 in an apparent act of anti-gay hate.
The crowd that poured in to pay tribute to Sibley continued to swell throughout a demonstration that lasted for well over an hour, spilling into the intersection of Coney Island Avenue and Avenue P in Midwood — a neighborhood north of Sheepshead Bay. What seemed to be a crowd of dozens of people soon ballooned into a crowd of hundreds, eventually shutting down a busy commercial intersection during Friday rush hour.
Sibley, 28, was voguing and listening to music after stopping for gas with friends when they were allegedly confronted by a group of bigots who voiced anti-LGBTQ remarks. The confrontation ended with Sibley’s fatal stabbing, fueling shock and anger in the community as well as national attention — including a tribute from Beyonce.
The evening demonstration at the Mobil gas station at 1935 Coney Island Avenue was one of multiple events held to memorialize Sibley at the site of the killing as well as other locations, such as the Stonewall Inn, where a rally was held on Aug. 3. Members of Gays Against Guns were among those who had gathered at the gas station earlier in the day on Aug. 4 to remember Sibley.
The evening event came just hours after multiple news outlets and the local councilmember, Inna Vernikov, indicated that a suspect in the case was in custody after turning himself in. The NYPD did not respond to a request for comment from Gay City News.
Speaker after speaker delivered impassioned, moving remarks about Sibley’s life and the injustice of his death at the age of 28. Some people who knew Sibley spoke briefly, offering poems and anecdotes of their memories with him. Others spoke of the broader implications of the case and the realities facing marginalized communities — particularly Black LGBTQ individuals.
“This is a shame that we have to be here in this neighborhood tonight, in the home of Stonewall, goddamn it,” said Elisa Crespo, the executive director of the statewide LGBTQ organization known as New Pride Agenda. “This is our community. We’re supposed to be safe in this city! People come here from all over the world and one of our own is killed in cold-blooded murder on the streets of Brooklyn. Shame!”
Qween Jean, a local activist who has spearheaded many of the prominent demonstrations in the LGBTQ community over the last several years and led the way at the Queer Liberation March this past Pride Sunday, played a key role in leading the event and managed to keep the crowd engaged between speakers. Qween Jean repeatedly urged attendees to say O’Shae Sibley’s name and voice chants such as “Black lives matter” and “Black trans children matter.”
“We must win for O’Shae!” Qween Jean said. “We must remain vigilant.”
Volunteers were stationed around the audience, with some linking arms to form a barrier around the speakers standing at the corner of the gas station.
Elected officials were also on hand, though they mostly kept their distance from the microphone. Brooklyn Councilmember Chi Ossé, a member of the Council’s LGBTQIA+ Caucus, stood near the speakers, while other out elected officials — including State Senator Jabari Brisport — were also in attendance along with allies.
Sean Coleman, who leads Destination Tomorrow — an LGBTQ organization based in the Bronx — placed pressure on politicians to use their power to step up and support the community throughout the year, not just when it is politically convenient.
“I’m calling on our lawmakers who brand themselves as allies, those who have lame-o emojis next to their name on social media during Pride, to implement policies to help keep us safe,” Coleman said.
Coleman’s comments were echoed by Ceyenne Doroshow, the founder of GLITS, an organization that supports efforts to help Black transgender individuals with housing and healthcare.
“We have to keep the government accountable for this bullshit,” said Doroshow, who said the gas station should be knocked out of business. “This is another Black life lost. There’s a problem with this.”
The emotional speeches gave way to music and a lively, upbeat voguing scene in the middle of the intersection in Sibley’s honor.
“Voguing is not a crime,” Crespo said. “Dancing is not a crime, being gay is not a crime, being trans is not a crime, being non-binary is not a crime.”
She added: “We will never leave this city. It’s our goddamn city and we’re gonna vogue until our legs fall off.”
Below, see some photos from other related remembrance events, including a vigil for Sibley outside of the Stonewall Inn on Aug. 3 and another event at The LGBT Center in Manhattan on Aug. 5:
