Gay Latino Trump Supporter Attacked by Anti-Trump Brawlers, Mulls Suit Against City

A gay Latino Republican is mulling whether to file a lawsuit against the city of San Jose due to being attacked after attending a Donald Trump rally.

Santa Clara resident Juan Hernandez was one of several supporters of the presumptive Republican presidential nominee who were punched by anti-Trump protesters after leaving the June 2 event held at the San Jose Convention Center.

As Hernandez, 38, a rehabilitation counselor, detailed on his Facebook page the morning after, he suffered "a broken nose, uncontrollable bleeding, and a bash to the head ..." He criticized Democrats, sarcastically charging, "You sure are doing your party proud," and contended that "law enforcement failed last night in San Jose."

After Gregory T. Angelo, president of the LGBT political group Log Cabin Republicans, shared his post, it went viral and led to Hernandez being interviewed by Fox News host Megyn Kelly and penning a first-person account for the Washington Post.

"I still can't believe how poorly the police handled the protests," he wrote. "I live by Levi's Stadium, where the Super Bowl was. They had every single cop out there. Yet knowing the violence that's been breaking out near Trump rallies, San Jose wasn't prepared for it last week?"

The morning after the incident San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo issued a statement condemning the violence that took place while also praising the actions of his city's police department.

"San Jose police officers performed admirably and professionally to contain acts of violence and protect individuals' rights to assemble, protest and express their political views," stated Liccardo. "While it's a sad statement about our political discourse that Mr. Trump has focused on stirring antagonism instead of offering real solutions to our nation's challenges, there is absolutely no place for violence against people who are simply exercising their rights to participate in the political process."

A few hours later, Liccardo's office released a second statement saying the police and district attorney's office would be "proactively and thoroughly" investigating and prosecuting offenders. It also asked the public to share any videos or other evidence they had with the police.

"I condemn all acts of violence committed against people who exercise their rights to free speech and assembly, regardless of their political views," stated Liccardo. "Nothing that Donald Trump says absolves those individuals of responsibility for their violent conduct last night."

Upset with how San Jose officials had handled the incident, leaders of Log Cabin's Los Angeles chapter, whose president Matthew Craffey is close friends with Hernandez, as well as Angelo held a press conference last Wednesday, June 8 in front of San Jose City Hall.

"What we were really upset about from (Liccardo's) response was he politicized it right off the bat," Craffey told the Bay Area Reporter. "Instead of saying it looks like there was a failure to provide proper security at the rally, they turned around and blamed it all on Trump's fault. They were taking no responsibility for the fact tons of people were brutalized at this thing."

According to Hernandez's accounts of that night, he and a friend were following police orders to take a certain route back to the nearby garage where they had parked their car when they walked into a large group of protesters. About a block away from the garage, Hernandez and his friend where both surrounded by groups of men who began punching them.

"I was in fear, absolute terror and fear," Hernandez told the B.A.R. in a phone interview last Friday, June 10. "To me, it seemed like half an hour, but it was maybe 30 seconds of repeated punching. If I had to guess, I think three people, maybe four. I am not sure."

When one of the punches landed on his nose and blood started "pouring out," the people attacking him backed off, wrote Hernandez, giving him a chance to grab his friend and run to their car. His friend then drove him to the hospital.

"I am a lot better. Some of the bruising is going down, which is nice," Hernandez said. "I will have to wait until the swelling goes down more and then see if I need surgery."

The public and media attention he has received over the last two weeks has been "insane," said Hernandez, who at one time was a registered Democrat but switched to the Republican Party last year as he had been voting for conservative candidates since 2001.

He remains upset with the city of San Jose's response. A number of attorneys have contacted him but he has yet to decide if he will file a lawsuit against the city.

"I am weighing out my options," said Hernandez.

While he has been criticized by some within the LGBT community for supporting Trump, Hernandez said the overwhelming number of responses he has received have been supportive.

"It has been amazing, especially from the straightest of the straight guys who have expressed support and said it doesn't matter if you are Latino or LGBT, it doesn't matter. Those are the ones that keep me going," he said, adding that, "When people call me a sellout I don't respond too much. They are just doing it to attack; they want me to engage."

He remains resolute in his support of Trump for president and believes he would be good on LGBT issues.

"I am still fighting for our rights but inside the Republican Party. I have not left that behind," he said. "I am pushing on the inside to make sure that happens."

Last week San Jose police announced they had arrested four individuals linked to the violence at the Trump rally, though Hernandez said none of the men were among his attackers. Log Cabin members praised the police officers for the arrests but remain critical of how security was handled at the rally.

"We hope this kind of violence on all sides stops," said Craffey. "We hope city officials do a better job of making sure everyone, regardless of their political philosophy, is protected at future events like this."

As for Hernandez, he said he would attend another Trump rally if the candidate returns to the Bay Area. Trump's campaign, he said, has reached out to him about potentially attending the nominating convention next month in Cleveland.

"Would I love to go? Absolutely," he said.