Vigil honors life of O’Shae Sibley, dancer killed in suspected hate crime
It was standing room only as people packed the inside of the LGBTQ Center to show their support for Sibley’s family and friends.
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A vigil was held in Manhattan's West Village on Saturday to honor the life of O’Shae Sibley, a Brooklyn man who was fatally stabbed on July 29.
It was standing room only as people packed the inside of the LGBTQ Center to show their support for Sibley’s family and friends.
“I hate that I have to speak about my brother in the past tense, because he did not deserve this,” said his sister, Desire Sibley. “He should have not have been killed for standing up for who he was.”
On July 29, Sibley and his friends stopped to get gas in Midwood. Sibley was dancing outside of their car when police say a group started shouting derogatory anti-gay and anti-Black slurs. The heated verbal dispute quickly turned violent, which resulted in the deadly stabbing.
Police say Sibley, who was just shy of his 29th birthday, was stabbed to death simply for being gay.
Mourners marched their way to Pier 57, a place where it is said Sibley felt most free as he was a member of the house and ballroom dance community.
On Saturday, community members, elected officials and activists returned to the gas station in Midwood to denounce the violence, calling Sibley’s death an attack on both the Black and LGBTQI community.
The NYPD says a 17-year-old male from Brooklyn has been arrested in connection with Sibley’s death. The suspect is being charged with murder, murder as a hate crime and criminal possession of a weapon.
Sibley's family says they plan to start a foundation in his memory to support the LGBTQ+ community.
A celebration of his life will be held in his hometown of Philadelphia on Tuesday.
