Ever since news of the July 29th stabbing death of gay dancer 28-year-old O’Shae Sibley outside a gas station in Brooklyn broke, people across the planet have come together to scream about violence, including Beyonce, who he was reportedly dancing to when he was attacked. Decrying about how hated and persecuted they are, the tone started to shift.
First, it was Otis Pena who offered that Sibley was stabbed because he was gay and standing up for his friends. He went on to call him “the salt to my pepper, the peanut butter to my jelly.” A report and way of explaining things that already differs from the original accounts and makes it seem as if Pena stepped in the way of someone being attacked.
Then the Daily News got a report from witness Summy Ullah saying, “They were saying, ‘Oh, we’re Muslim, so don’t do this in front of me.” He also claimed, “Nothing else was going on. They were only dancing.” At one point, he heard someone ask, “Why are you dancing in your underwear?”
While certainly strange enough and progressively changing, now a security tape has been leaked to multiple news organizations.
In it, Sibley can be seen dancing and strutting along with other men shirtless and in bathing suits in front of a car. Shortly thereafter, he walks to the convenience store where he is confronted by a younger man who has an agitated and infuriated body language. As they talk, people gather on both sides and they start arguing with one another. As Sibley and his group retreat to their car, the young man and his group go inside the convenience store. One stays out alone and continues to record on his phone.
Suddenly Sibley and a friend freeze, like something stopped them in their tracks, and suddenly charge back at the person recording. At this point, the youngster retreats as someone exits the store and suddenly steps between them. With Sibley lunging at him, he pursues the youngster out of camera view.
Almost immediately, Sibley stumbles back into view, looking surprised and holding his side tightly. It’s clear he’s been stabbed and is in shock. When he was taken to the hospital, he died when he got there.
This is where things become murky for many people when it comes to free speech in this country. While the right to free speech and free expression are indeed absolute, this is for protection from the government. If others don’t wish to engage with what it is you have to say or do, they have a right to express that to you as well. In Sibley’s case, it was clear both seemed to have a problem with one another. This was a no-win situation for either of them.
Yet, nobody was willing to give any quarter or consolation. Instead, they simply wanted to push the edge, and Sibley paid the price. This is the personification of “F*ck around, find out.” Challenging someone can get you in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and with someone who is more than happy to value their own life over yours. If they see you as a threat to them, their seed, or their sibling, they’ll be more than happy to leave your family members as the ones screaming.
For the LGBTQ community, when this clip finally gets the circulation it needs, it will be clear evidence of Sibley deciding to choose aggression after initially retreating. He is now the aggressor, especially as the younger male is retreating. If Sibley caught the pointy end of a blade for his decision to go after someone, that’s on him. This stops being a hate crime of any kind when he makes this decision. Again, proof that actions have consequences; something the liberals forget all too easily.
