Manhattan Marches Against Hate Violence

Thousands of people took to the streets of Manhattan on Monday to march in protest of the killing of a gay man who was allegedly jeered with homophobic slurs. The crowd marched in honor of Mark Carson, 32, after he was shot point blank in the face this weekend while walking through Greenwich Village with a companion. His alleged attacker was charged with murder as a hate crime.

The crowd marched through the Village, which is near the place where the 1969 riots helped to start the gay rights movement. Among the marchers was Christine Quinn, the first openly gay City Council speaker, and Edie Windsor, whose court case made it possible for gay couples to have the same rights as straight couples. In the wake of the shooting, officials say that police will be more vigilant there as well as in other nearby neighborhoods through the end of June, which is also Gay Pride Month.