On September 11, 2014, two gay men were brutally attacked and robbed by a group of 8-12 men and women, seemingly without any legitimate provocation. Witness and victim accounts suggest that the victim's sexual orientation played a pivotal role in the reason for the attack, with the attackers hurling several anti-gay slurs at the victims while the attack took place.
The suspects are in the process of being identified by local detectives, but since Pennsylvania does not cover homosexuals under their hate crimes law, the suspects will not face any enhanced charges unless federal authorities investigate. Therefore, we petition the White house to direct the Department of Justice to investigate this alleged hate crime under The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act.