Tony Perez aka “Coyote”, BRC-DPW co-founder and site manager, was brutally attacked recently on his way home in the Lower Haight. DPW’s Will Roger has setup a special Coyote Fund for his recovery through the BRC-DPW website.
On the morning of February 1st, on his way home from the (Last) DPW Treat Street Social, Coyote was attacked and badly beaten by a street gang just a few blocks from his home. He will need reconstructive surgery on his jaw and wrist. To help him with these medical expenses and the loss of income from the necessary recovery time I’ve set up a paypal account for donations. Please click on the link and make a contribution if you can. Or send your check to (made out to Tony Perez):
Coyote Fund c/o Will Roger
2112 West Street #3
Oakland, CA 94612
Coyote is the man responsible for building and tearing down Black Rock City at Burning Man and is also a talented musician. Best wishes Tony! We hope you have a speedy recovery and are back playing the sax again soon.
UPDATE 1: Here’s an account of what happened from Coyote himself:
“Hatred – it’s the only thing that lasts.”
A quote from Charles Bukowski’s “Bar Fly” movie, spoken by the character played by Micky Rourke. He sort of half whispers it in his thinking out loud voice as he listens to the husband of the married couple next door kick the shit out of his wife in their fucked up deep city hotel room.Hatred is the spawn of massive insecurities that gets beaten into the forsaken. Their self esteem is a black blood that flows from a jugular cut early. Those that have something to prove lash out. They travel in packs and prey on the hapless to fortify their worth like bullies at recess. It’s a chicken shit fast track validation to manhood. It can be bought for $19.95 on late night TV. And now, the hatred of these modern day bullies of our streets has become murderous.
Guess they had nothing better to do.
They were trying to kill me.
They didn’t even rob me!They were laughing about it.
*
* *As I hole up here in my apartment, it is an overwhelming thing to experience the out pour of love from my comrades. Hatred and injuries are a lonely thing. Can’t tell you how warm a light it is in my cave of hurt to feel such concern from you. I love you all -
So, a brief report of what happened.
Got a ride home from the DPW social at the Treat St. bar Wed before last. Got dropped off on Laguna and Haight with two blocks to walk home. No biggie, right? Walking up the street, I notice a group sitting on a stoop. Probably eight of them or so. Only thing that I thought was that it looked past their bed time – teenagers at best. Ten paces up the street, I was hit from behind and was drilled to the pavement. Then it was fists, knees, and full kicks. The kicks to the mouth were the ones that got my attention. Haven’t been playing sax lately. They were just getting started, when a car slowed. They scattered. I got home somehow. I’m missing an hour and a half of my memory. There were bloody hand-prints on my stairs the next morning. Guess I crawled up them.My guardian angel drives a car at night.
A cheek bone was shattered, a re-broken wrist, kicked in mouth with loosened teeth, a jammed and tweaked jaw, and a pretty high and proud shiner, and cuts and bruises throughout. Even the bartenders think I’m a thug now.
I want to send a huge love and thanks to Will Roger and his posting and all who are responding to my situation. The love is simply overwhelming!! I will be laid up for some time, and rent just doesn’t seem care. I have another job that I work in the off-season as an independent contractor with Bedrock Construction, but will be unable to swing a hammer for several weeks. I have long ago set up my own insurance plan with Blue Cross which has been pretty pricey, but I choose this rout several years ago. Year round employees of
Burning Man are given the option of an insurance plan and this was offered to me a while back, but I had already had my Blue Cross plan by then. My plan will be covering a good deal of the operations, but of course, in this country, there’s no such thing as absolute coverage. (Don’t get me started!!) And with a bill that’s sure to top $200.000, you always get stuck with thousands in the end. Better than hundreds of thousands, I guess.Bottom line, I’m just glad to be alive and kicken, and not another number sitting on the Police Chief’s desk. That shit doesn’t even make the papers, you know. And I can’t tell you the depth of warmth and love that I feel from all ya’ll who form this close net of our peeps! My heart soars!
I’ll save the tears for our beers.
Coyote
UPDATE 2: Burning Man has posted information about Coyote’s situation to their Latest News section.
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I picked this up on the Northern Voice aggregator. That’s really terrible, and I’m sorry that it happened. Something similar happened to me back in November, and I had most of my eye socket broken. I had to have reconstructive surgery a few months ago, and probably have one more round coming soon, so I can relate to how difficult the process is.
I hope he gets well soon.
Coyote’s account of the incident is posted here.
Damn. This is bad news. I hope Tony gets very well, very soon. What’s up with the perps? Were they identified? Where did this happen? lI know Tony used to work off of Polk St, in the Polk Gulch area. Is this where it took place?
The cops seriously need to clean up that corner around laguna and webster. I’m sure this “gang” is pretty much these 8 or so scumbags that just need to be detached and removed, then add beat cops.
I don’t know if Tony remembers me telling him this, but my 1st year at Burning Man, (1997) the year before I met him, I was beaten unconscious at the event for no reason, out of nowhere. Although I didn’t suffer quite the injuries he has, I know the helpless, lonely feeling of being attacked without provacation.
Tony has a lot of friends here in Reno NV. We are planning a benefit for him here on March 24th, with music, and many ways that people who wish to can help.
For information on the Reno benefit, you can contact me, Tom at renoactor (dot) yahoo (dot) com
or, please donate funds directly to Tony via the above address that Will Roger has set up.
Peace
Tony, I only just found out about what happened to you. Believe it or not on that exact same day, I was brutally asaulted, beaten and sexually abused, here in co. Call me. I did not want to burden you when I called the other day.Kat