An Indiana man required 14 stitches after a brutal attack the afternoon of the June 26 Pride Parade.
Michael Rakow, of Griffith, Indiana, was walking with a friend on the 600 block of West Barry Avenue at about 3 p.m., wishing passersby "happy pride" and hugging them, he said. He approached a group of three men who rejected the overtures.
"Two or three minutes later, one of the guys came up with brass knuckles," said Rakow, who was unconscious for about two minutes after being hit. The men left and were believed to have run over to Broadway. People brought water and rags for Rakow, who was in a pool of his own blood, he said.
Rakow was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center. He filed a police report, and authorities have been reviewing business surveillance tapes to identify his attackers.
"I was attacked for offering hugs and yelling, 'Happy Pride,' he said. "If you are going to go to the LGBT parade, you should be there to support 'the LGBT.'"
