Roanoke: Backstreet Cafe, 10 year memorial

Ten years ago, a tragedy struck the LGBT community and the Roanoke community at large. A man expressed his hatefulness through violence that cost the life of one man and injured many others. According to The Roanoke Times

“On Sept. 22, 2000, a man asked a bouncer at a local restaurant where he could find a gay bar. Given directions to the Backstreet Cafe on Salem Avenue, that man — 54-year-old Ronald Gay — announced he was going to ‘waste some f*gg*ts.’ When he got to the bar, Gay ordered a beer, pulled out a 9 mm Ruger and shot seven people. Danny Lee Overstreet died.”

Each year since, the community has held a memorial at Backstreet Cafe, where the shooting occurred. Some new friends let me hang around and shoot, so here are some pictures from tonight’s memorial…

*All pictures © Copyright 2010 lauren frohne … please ask for permission to copy or use*