Skokie man says kids targeted him because he's gay; police investigating
SKOKIE - Skokie police are investigating a house-egging by a large group of teens, who also allegedly hurled anti-gay insults.
The targets say they believe they were the victims of a hate crime.
"Tuesday evening myself and a bunch of my queer friends, we wanted to grab sushi in the park," said Jake, who asked that we not use his last name or show his face for fear of reprisal.
But Jake wants people to know what happened when he and his friends, all in their early 20s, encountered a large group of teenage boys at Schack Park in Skokie.
He says the teens were having a water balloon fight, but soon turned their attention on Jake and his friends.
"They started pelting us in the face with water balloons and yelling (expletive) and other gay slurs," said Jake.
He says there was a confrontation involving some shoving and then the teens followed them back to Jake’s house a few blocks away.
A couple hours later when he and his boyfriend went outside, Jake says the teens began egging the house and his car, and yelling homophobic slurs.
"My boyfriend’s mom and sister were inside and they said it sounded like gunshots to them," said Jake’s boyfriend Michael. "It was so forceful, there were so many eggs."
Skokie Police say they are investigating what happened. Right now, they are calling it a defacement to property case. However, they say that could be upgraded depending on the results of their investigation.
Jake’s father, Joshua, says it is especially shocking because Skokie has a well-earned reputation for inclusiveness.
"I think it’s a hate crime," said Joshua. "They were targeted because of their sexuality and for no other reason. It's Pride Month and kids are targeted because they’re gay."
Jake has received an outpouring of support after posting his story on social media, including a picture of two of the teens whose faces we have blurred because of their age.
"Something needs to be done. We need to go in the schools. We need to be teaching LGBTQ history. It’s unacceptable," said Jake.