Developing story
Raymond Taavel, a long-time and respected fixture in Halifax’s gay community, was killed last night outside Menz Bar on Gottingen Street.
As of this writing (noon on Tuesday), Halifax police have only issued one statement, saying that a 32-year-old man is in custody. A CBC news report, however, describes circumstances that suggest Taavel and another man were attacked by someone using homophobic slurs.
Taavel was a gay activist who wrote for Wayves magazine, a local LGBT publication, and worked at Buddhist magazine Shambhala Sun as the assistant circulation manager, says the Sun‘s Barry Boyce.
“I heard the news of a horrible gay bashing on Gottingen Street, and the first thing I thought is, ‘what was Raymond doing about it?’ And then a constable showed up at office this morning to tell the news,” says Boyce, who is clearly traumatized by Taavel’s death.
Boyce describes Taavel as a deeply reflective Christian, and the two often worked late together, discussing their respective religions. “He’d often talk about the contemplative aspects of Christianity and what real Christianity was all about,” explains Boyce. “One of his interests was that the love aspect of Christianity had been given the back seat. He thought Christianity wasn’t about ideology or doctrine, but about your heart. He thought the Dali Lama was a good Christian.”
Taaavel was “a fierce activist, but I was proud that he was not an in-your-face activist He had a turn-the cheek-attitude,” says Boyce. “I never detected him as going on the aggressive defence.
“Raymond was the life of the party,” continues Boyce. “He was the kind of guy you always planned to see. He cheered you up. He was a loose, gangly, handsome joyful guy.
“I’m going to miss him terribly.”
In 2010, Taavel wrote about being punched one night, after leaving Menz Bar and while having a slice at Pizza Corner:
As I chowed down on my pizza slice another guy who seemed to be accompanying the one I was chatting with suddenly, caustically, asked me if I’m gay. I gave a matter-of-fact “yes,” shrugging my shoulders as if to say “… and your point is?” He retorted with, “Well you’re too gay for me”—or something to that effect—and before I knew it I was on the receiving end of a backhand to the head.
[…]
I took some important things away from this experience; I cannot take my safety for granted.[…]
It’s tempting in this day and age of legislated liberties to think that a personal or collective vigilance is no longer required. It’s easy to lull ourselves into complacency, thinking there’s nothing more left to fight for, or nothing more to achieve. Fighting back comes in many forms: reaching out, building bridges, educating and, if need be, defending ourselves from physical harm.
There is a vigil tonight, 7pm at Menz Bar, to remember Taavel.
This article appears in Apr 12-18, 2012.
It was a patient who was let go from the forensic hospital and did not return. He has a history of violence. This kind of case is why i think the death penalty should be returned.
Not even gonna comment on the sheer idiocy of the previous comment.
Vigil for Raymond Taavel tonight: https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/3692871…
I have no idea who this man is who died & IT matters not at all, that he was gay or anything else. What matters is he was murdered on a Halifax street for absolutely no reason.
That IMO seems to be all to common lately, shootings daily, violence in the bars, on our sidewalks, home invasions & the police pretty much powerless to stop it. They come & clean it up, but have nothing going on that works to prevent it in the first place.
Which unfortunately seems to be the normal way things work in Halifax these days.
IF you are incapable of compassion for Mr Traavel, consider this. Your inability to care for someone, who you may have judged & look down on because they ‘were different’. No matter how different, no matter anything, no one…. absolutely no one, deserves to have lost their life in a senseless act of hateful violence.
All we have now is accountability & the person/persons responsible have to be held to account. All we have left are the Courts & if nothing else can be done except to put the murderer in prison, it should be a penalty to match what has been done to Mr Traavel . His life has been taken & whatever the longest sentence that can be handed down is, that is all that can be done. It is what should be done, even though it changes nothing.
I’d like to say that, knowing Raymond, he would have been sympathetic to someone with mental health issues. This may be less of a hate crime than another example of a troubled health care system in our province, and I know Raymond would have been appalled that this man was able to roam the streets unsupervised when he was obviously ill.
The Nazi’s tried killing the mentally ill. It did not work. From what I read of this gentle Raymond, I am certain he would be horrified at your wish for a death penalty.
Nancy Griffin, Markham, Ontario
I didn’t know Mr. Taavel, but it does sound like he’d be appalled at your suggestion for the death penalty. I do think the man who did it should go to jail regardless because even though he is mentally ill he has a history of violent behaviour and deserves jail. But are we honestly saying that we should teach this mentally ill guy not to kill by killing? What will that say to other mentally ill people who may have violent histories? They risk not seeing it as a lesson, but as what I just said…it’s ok to kill. Or anybody for that matter….I’m anti-death penalty regardless of mental capacities of the suspect.
Just outside the door to Menz Bar? Were there no Door Men who watch out for any behavior issues…?? Woud have been a wise move on Menz’ part!! Sad that the sick man was left to roam the streets,,, especially sad to lose such a well respected member of our Gay community! Gottingen Street was my childhood neighborhood….nothing like it used to be. I grew up on Bauer Street and went to St. Patricks Boys school. Looks more like a forgotten war-zone now! What a shame that Halifax has let this section of town deteriorate to the point that murderers feel confident to roam those streets without any hassles from the law…. Do Police protect those who come into this neighborhood? Such sickening news…so sorry to read abut this!
So what should we do about this? We live in a society of cut-backs and budget restrictions. As someone living with mental illness, I’ve seen the cutbacks myself and mental health is always targeted. Almost to say that someone with high blood pressure or diabetes is more important than someone with mental illness. We NEED to STAND UP to the Dexter government and say WE as the public of Nova Scotia will not support anymore cutbacks to our health care system. Whether you’re physically sick or have a mental illness, you deserve excellent health care in a country where health care is so dearly valued. Health care workers deserve to work in environments where they have workloads that are manageable and the resources they need. The Dexter government is taking that away and our public is suffering. Speak out! Contact your MLA and get mad! We have the power to make changes… Force the government to do something in the public’s interest for once.
Be careful what you post, the suspect is a First Nations person with a troubled history of mental illness for well over a decade and is entitled to due process. Somewhere along the line our healthcare system has let him down.
Such a travesty…knowing Raymond such a time ago…he was gentle,funny and extremely intelligent…Dot…I remember the Dot days..An absolute shame for any strong members of our community losing their lives, gay or not…Raymond might forgive, as he usually did…a bit ironic at the idiocy of our society. The only thing I pray for is that he is in “heaven”…
Sad, this is just sad. Thinking of you Raymond… 🙁
With all the forensic technology and DNA etc., it can now in most cases be proven beyond a shadow of doubt whether a person is guilty of taking another persons life. I not only wish they would bring back the death penalty but put in a drive thru to hurry the murders to their maker! Instead, we molly coddle the sons of bi***es (and daughters). Maybe if the death penalty cleared out the prison system, the tax payers money presently spent on education, food and recreation for these killers could help the law abiding people or assist in the rehabilitation of inmates that are in for much lesser crimes than murder.
Lets Just pray for The man Who Lost His life
it is important to look at both sides. If the man who attacked Mr. Taavel was mentally ill that is not something people have control over. However I do not condone his actions. Not all people diagnosed with schizophrenia would commit this act,or any mental illness for that matter. He should be held responsible for his actions, but please do not stereotype all people living with mental illness. No one chooses to be mentally ill, and due to our government there is lack of support and proper treatment for people who most need it.
I saw an image of the vigil on Gottingen street, with the caption “Halifax doesn’t accept violence.” I am happy that so many people showed support at the vigil.
I also wish that I agreed with the caption of that photo. The reality is, Halifax does accept violence. Some steps have been taken to improve things, and I applaud those efforts. But if Halifax really didn’t accept violence, it wouldn’t rank among highest murder and violent crimes ratings year after year.
This isn’t an issue about policing. In spite of criticism that can be made, I firmly believe that the HRP do their best. However I do think that there is something that runs deeper.
Ask yourself: “Do I know anyone who has been assaulted in Halifax?” chances are the answer is yes. One friend of my was attacked on Barrington because of the colour of his skin. Another friend of mine now has metal plates holding his jaw together after having his head placed on a curb last year.
On different occasions, I have been attacked, burglarized, mugged with pepper spray, and assaulted in Halifax. (Not once on Gottingen btw!) To my re-occuring surprise, after each incident I had someone say to me: “who did you piss off?” or another version of blaming the victim, as if the violence was acceptable. As if I should have known better than living where lived, or walking where I walked!
Remember, this unfortunate incident is an assault that went a little further than is “normal” for Halifax. Had I been the victim of a few more blows after being knocked unconscious while walking on the way to a friends house a few years back, it could have been me.
There is no acceptable excuse for violence. But until something changes in the cultural atmosphere in Halifax we will keep hearing about acts of violence like this. I hope something does change. Halifax is too wonderful and vibrant of a city to have her reputation continuously tarnished by such deplorable acts. I hope something changes.
There is no excuse for what happened to Mr. Taavel. My condolences his family and friends.
I also want to express my sincere condolences to Raymond Taavel’s family, friends, and everybody who was touched by his influence. Today I am worn down by the sadness, and reacted in anger (and despair) to another comment. I am not proud of that, as this is not the place for arguments, and I’m sure not what Raymond would have wanted.
whats so very sad about this is a man ,a very nice person as i see ,was killed by someone who should not have been out of the forensic unit to start with without someone being with him to supervise ,its a sad state of affairs in a city which i grew up in and loved most of my life ,and im feeling nothing but pure sympathy to the family and friends of this very nice fella ,may he rest in peace and always be remebered for the thing he tried to do ,not how he died
Raymond would never have supported the death penalty. He was a man of love and compassion and sympathy. Argue the merits of capitol punishment elsewhere. Right now, we all should simply be mourning the loss of such a wonderful, beautiful man.
My heart goes out Raymond’s family and friends, I never knew him, but as a gay brother I am very saddened. This could have happened anywhere in our great country called Canada, we can never take our freedoms for granted.We live in a country that has many persons who are extremist in their religious zeal, they seem to have missed out on “loving your neighbour” or determine who are or who are not their neighbours.
Hate has no place in any family values, R.I.P Raymond
A senseless act resulting in a tragic ending.
People should listen to neverbot.
Violence in Halifax is a problem. We’ve all seen or experienced it first hand. The real problem, as I see it, is that everyone largely ignores the everyday violence in favour of the few incidents, such as this one, where a well known community member is severely injured or killed.
Perhaps, and I say this admittedly with bias, Halifax’s young, “liberally minded” community could give two shits about everyday violence. Perhaps if there where such public and earnest demands for the right to safety and tolerance every time a human (that’s right, Raymond Taavel wasn’t just a homsexual, he was a human being) life was violated in our city, then maybe our streets would be safer.
To sum up my point, a man’s body was found in a landfill today. When is his vigil to be held?
I’m the person who posted the photo on facebook with the caption “Halifax doesn’t accept violence.” It’s pessimistic to say we are so callous as a city to not notice all the injustices (not just his) that happen to our citizens. Raymond’s death has united people, but not at the expense of other tragic events. He is a man who fought for others and was passionate about non-violent advocacy, I was overwhelmed by the crowds in the street yesterday of people who supported that ethos.
Drunk or not, people are responsible for their actions. The man responsible should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Do I believe there’s a trend in HRM towards violence against gays? Not that I’ve seen, but opinions may vary. I’m always careful when I’m on Gottingen street.
I do have a concern though, that the very same people who’d call Harper a fascist for mandating longer prison sentences, are the same sort that might demand special “hate crime” legislation. That sounds like a page right out of animal farm, different rules for different animals. If you are guilty, you are guilty. Your motivations can and should be taken into consideration when sentencing, but they should not affect the burden of proof, as the crime is the same… in this case murder.
It appears to be a case of being at the wrong place at the wrong time and interfering in a fight. This has happened before (lest we forget the American sailor). To complicate things, it would appear that the alleged perpetrator was a patient at a mental hospital. I doubt that the victim’s sexuality had anything to do with it. I will not be surprised that at the end that the alleged perpetraor (if it is him), will remain in hospital under a Lt Gov Warrant.
I am straight and have considered Raymond to be one of my best friends, we have had conversations involving the very issues that are being brought up here for years and he NEVER supported the death penalty I’ll even give my name if your curious whether I’m lying. Then you can go to my facebook he’s commenting along posts 3 years back straight until Friday of last week.