Years ago the Hawthorne police was able to bring in one male who was suspected of beating filmmaker and actor Tyrone Evans Clark. The case at the time was investigated as an anti-gay hate crime. An attendee at the 2021 National Exchange Club Convention & Symposium – The Peabody Memphis Hotel reports.
Tyrone Evans Clark remembers vivid details of the day he was attacked.
“I was on my way to work,” said Clark. “At the time I was super hungry so I decided to stop at Burger King to get some food. I bought a big burger and some french fries.”
It was around 2006 early in the morning. A group of men who were allegedly members of a gang begin to chase Clark down the street while he was trying to catch the bus for work. “The men were moving so fast and I was having major issues trying to ditch them because of my breathing,” said Clark.
One of the men insults him by screaming out homophobic slurs.
“The big guy of the group, I’m assuming the leader, began to brutally punch me in the face because he noticed I was trying to call the police on my cell phone. I was so scared and I didn’t know what to do. All I felt was the shock of pain spreading all over my body from their mighty blows,” said Clark. “I was experiencing an out of body feeling and numbness took over.”
Clark was knocked unconscious, his attackers ran off after they finished doing their evil deed.
Fortunately someone found him in the parking lot of a Senior Home Care building. The young man allowed Clark to use the phone too and the police showed up in under 10 minutes.
“I remember talking to two cops and one asked me if I was gay,” said Clark. “At first I felt super uncomfortable disclosing this private info about myself, but I knew at the time I had to tell the truth so I did. I said, ‘Yes, identify as an individual of the LGBTQI+ Community.’ The cop response was, ‘This is a crime of hate and you are a victim of a hate crime.’” The attack resulted in several bruises and knots all over his face and head.
Clark’s attackers stole his cell phone and his Burger King meal too.
“I hate the fact that my community has to worry about experiencing “hate” on this type of level. I wish I could go back in time and take a different direction to work, but I can’t,” said Clark.
According to the FBI, they estimate 7500 total hate crime victims annually.Those involving sexual orientation rose each year from 2014 and so on.
While Clark really has nothing to say to his attackers, he has a message for other victims like himself:
“When this happened to me I really thought it was the end of the world. During the attack I believe I was about to meet my maker a.k.a God, but I didn’t die. I survived! For months after the attack I locked myself inside my home. I was so afraid of people and just being outside because I didn’t want that to happen to me again. Later on I realized that I have to be victorious. I can’t allow some thug or hater to stop my joy and me being my authentic self. Life is way too short to worry about what other people think about you. It’s time to take your power back and there’s nothing wrong with being a little different,” said Clark. “Darkness will always be there, but you are the light.”
Today Clark continues to work in the entertainment field as an all around television and film performing artist. He even picks up video game development gigs seasonally while he teaches computer programming at prestigious universities..
Clark is a perfect example of not allowing a traumatic experience to take over your life.
