UPDATE - Assault Victim Files Criminal Complaint

Sarah Loy, the 27 Year Old Marriage Equality Supporter Files Criminal Attack Complaint Against Larry Cirignano, President of Catholic Citizenship.

The attack by Larry Cirignano of the Catholic Citizenship on Sarah Loy at VoteOnMarriage's "Take A Stand For Democracy" Rally has become Criminal--as it should be. KnowThyNeighbor has just learned from Sarah Loy herself that she has indeed filed a criminal complaint with Worcester Police against Larry Cirgnano for his assault on her at Saturday's rally at the Worcester City Hall.

Thanks to the blog MassResistance Watch, KnowThyNeighbor was able get in contact with a key witness, in fact, "the first responder" who saw Ms. Loy grabbed by Larry Cirignano and pushed down on the ground. The force by which she landed on the concrete caused him to be concerned with Ms. Loy's "physical health" and he rushed to her aid, lifting her head off the pavement. This eyewitness confirmed by his account that Ms. Loy was at the outer perimeter of the anti-gay demonstrators and far from the podium when she was pushed to the ground by Cirignano. It has also been reported by this key witness that he had contacted the Boston Globe reporter James Vaniz who pooh-poohed this incident in Today's Globe, and offered his eyewitness account of the assault by Cirignano. The email that was forwarded to KTN reads in Vaniz's words, "Thanks for the offer, but at this point, I am not sure if there will be another story. I'll let you know if I hear otherwise." I wonder who got to the Boston Globe? Ray Flynn, Sean O'Malley, or maybe "His Eminence" himself??? Mitt Romney that is... Oh by the way, did I point out that this witness and concerned human being for Ms. Loy's well-being is a straight man, who was there at the rally to support OUR equal rights?

And here is what we know for sure and what is still in the rumor mill. It has been confirmed that BayWindows has a photograph of Ms. Loy taken immediately after the assault. This photograph shows Ms. Loy on the ground after the attack. Also, it has been confirmed that the reporter covering the story, Rich Nangle and who published the first account of the assault was an eyewitness to the attack. Ms. Roy reports that this reporter's words to her were, " I saw the whole thing." KnowThyNeighbor had posted photos of this reporter interviewing Ms. Loy seconds after the assault, so it confirms that he was very close to her.

What has not been confirmed is the actual existence of a video in the hands of pro-equality supporters at this moment. I witnessed many videos that day. Ms. Loy states that video cameras were on her throughout the day before the assault and I am sure that a taping will surface.

KnowThyNeighbor is calling for Larry Cirignano's immediate resignation. No matter how he and the Catholic Citizenship try to spin this one, "It ain't gonna fly." Even Ambassador Ray Flynn was quoted saying, "nobody has the right to push anyone. The marriage issue is very important and everyone is entitled to protest and demonstrate peacefully." Can we anticipate the Catholic Citizenship and VoteOnMarriage to do the right thing here now that a criminal assault has taken place by one of its directors? Don't hold your collective gay breath... but anything else would just be..."criminal."

***Breaking News 4:30 PM 12/18/06 ***

I just spoke with the reporter from the Worcester Telegram and Gazette,
Rich Nangle, who first reported on the assault. Rich witnessed the entire assault, purposefully wrote the initial story without words such as "alleged" as he was writing a first person account. He will also be testifying in the criminal case. Nangle told KnowThyNeighbor regarding Cirignano's assault, "I have never seen anything so disgusting."

Read more on this topic and talk on the KTN Blog

Editor's Note: This is pasted from an email just received from Tom at KTN.