Police Say Black Gay Syracuse Man Killed Simply for "Being Gay"

Another week and another case of senseless and fatal violence against a young black gay man. The very latest case was Friday night in Syracuse, New York. Police say Moses "Teish" Cannon was gunned down with a .22-caliber rifle Friday because the shooter "didn't like that Cannon was openly gay."

Detectives say 22-year-old Cannon and his 18-year-old brother Mark Cannon were shot as they sat in their car in front of a home where they had been invited to a party. One of the guests, Dwight R. DeLee, did not want the Cannon brothers inside the party simply because both were gay. The Post-Standard:

DeLee went into the home at 411 Seymour St. to get the rifle after guests at the party started "making profane and vulgar comments in regards to the sexual preference of our two victims," police Chief Gary Miguel said.

"There was no previous argument between these individuals, there was no previous fight, there was no bad blood," Miguel said. "Our suspect took a rifle and shot and killed this person, also wounding his brother, for the sole reason he didn't care for the sexual preference of our victim. Isn't that sad? Isn't that a sad situation that that's the sole reason why?"

Moses Canon's family is outraged and his mother believes her son was lured to his death. Another report says Roxanne Green later received a phone from a woman said "her son was shot because the shooter objected to his sexual orientation." The family wants this case investigated as a hate crime. "This death was senseless, and I'm very angry," says the distraught mother.

Lee faces second degree murder charges. The district attorney has not said if they will prosecute this as a hate crime.

Cannon's family accepted his sexual orientation. The Post-Standard reports "pictures of Cannon in women's clothing were on display in the family's living room, and the family selected one" for the newspaper to publish."

Moses Cannon's sexuality and life was good enough for his family and his loved ones. But it was not good enough for someone who didn't even know him .. who took offense and grabbed a rifle. The wrong message is continues to be sent from parents, schools, churches and the media if our young black men continue to believe they can grab a gun and shoot someone for simply being gay. Shameful.

Thanks VINCE S

Family Says Moses Cannon Shot  [TPS]
Syracuse Man was Killed for Being Gay [TPS]

Comments

[devontae]

this is a horrible story, it could happen to anyone. and thanks so much for bringing it back TO THE CHURCH. we need to stop allowing these antigay black pastors to set the tone for our communities

[nathans]

so sad and depressing...

[Brick City]

My heart goes out to this family...this is so sad and so terrible I am aching on the inside...the mother and father accepted their two gay sons, why couldn't someone else...

[nicholas]

Thank you for posting this and thank you for speaking out! We as a people cannot continue to allow our young men to use guns to solve arguments. And we definitely cannot allow people to grab a gun and kill someone because they 'don't like' some 'being gay.' What bs that is. Please this is a hate crime the man should get many years in jail.

[Luther]

I read this earlier, my heart is heavy at yet another senseless loss of life due to hate by a coward and my prayers are with her family.

[Carlos]

This is devastating. Awful news. I am so sorry for the family.

[BLACK]

This is a crying shame. When are WE as a people going to stop killing each OTHER. It's time to learn to LIVE with LOVE AND RESPECT. Didn't the election of Barack Obama teach us nothing?

[Young]

THis is a horrible story, we have come so far as black people but have so far to go as a community.

[S. Flemming]

Terrible ...

[AVERY H]

Disgusting. Words cannot explain my anger and frustration.

[Michael]

Wow!, that could of been me or countless other guys.

[Sonut Honti]

That toe rag who killed that child will reap horrible nasty. I wonder how he would feel if the tables were turned on him and he was riddled with bullets!

[Sonut Honti]

That toe rag who killed that child will reap horrible nasty. I wonder how he would feel if the tables were turned on him and he was riddled with bullets!

[Mel Smith]

This is very sad news. Something must be done about this.

[Bill]

My prayers go out to the family for this sensless act of violence.

[Tony]

I can believe it. For 3 months, I lived at and OWNED 141 Seymour Street, 13202 3 blocks away.

Moved in in Winter, when that shit thawed the "real niggas" came out. I packed the fuck up and left.

Syracuse is HORRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!

[Anti-believer]

Tony,

I think thats why some gays moved to a "pro-gay" city but of course there are hateful people everywhere!

This is truly tragic.

I'm happy to see his family accept him so well.

[I can't say]

I know folks on this site are going to get upset,but I got to say this.

If you live in a conservative city like Syracuse, you should be a little more conservative. I know that everyone should live his or her life, but you have to take your surrondings into consideration. Black gays move to cities like Atlanta and Washington,DC from places like Syracuse so that they could be themselves.

If you live in backwards cities like Syracuse and Rochester,Hartord,Connecticut or Springfield,Mass, you should keep a low profile. Thats just the way that it is.

[taylor siluwe]

I've just been having the debate lately with some who claim GAY rights can't be compared to civil rights for Blacks. Their reasoning was gays were never subjegated and lynched. My answer was they just don't pay attention to the news.

They don't care. This happens to us and they shake their head and move on. Deep down inside, they think we deserve it.

With all this Prop 8 hoopla lately, some of us think that black gays don't care about marriage. This is why they're wrong. It's why even if you don't give a s--t about marriage that you should want the right on principle. Because as long as it is legal to marginalize us in the NOT HETERO Box there will be those who think they can hurt us.

This is why marriage is a very big deal.

[taylor siluwe]

I Can't Say, Attitudes like yours are the problem. This man should not have to move to a gay island or pretend to be anything but himself. His family was cool with him. His lover was cool with him. The only people was seemed to have a problem with his living in Syracuse is the a--hole who shot him and you.

Brotherly love at its finest.

[Rod Mc]

I CAN'T SAY I totally disagree. People should be safe where and how they choose to live. Taylor makes an excellent point, gay men, especially gay black men, should not have to hide and run off to a gay mecca. And fwiw, gay men are bashed and shot in Atlanta and New York City, too.

To be honest with you, it takes a helluva lot more courage to wear makeup and be flamboyant in Syracuse than it does in New York City.

[Kevin Perez]

The idea that Gays have never been subjected to lynching is BS. Look at the horror stories happening in the West Indies and Africa. I love the people who contiue to further the argument by saying ''Nobody denies gays jobs or anything''. 33 States will fire you if words come out of your ''sexual preference'' and it's even more difficult to be out in small-towns in rural eras in the USA, regardless of your ETHNICITY.

I think the reason why they say that is because deep down, they think were lower than them. It's something I feel in the Hispanic community. I don't get get it. If you're gay and a POC, then the comparisions to gay rights and civil rights are not hogwash. It's still not easy being open even today and POC have two strikes against them. Three or four if you're a women or disabled.

They can't accept that we are still part of our respective ethnic communities, whether they like it or not. They're a Black and other POC, gays that deal with issues daily issues THEY face, difference being WE have more BS to deal with. Hilarously, from our own ''brothas and sistas'' who are always preaching unity and sticking together, only to ostracize you like the majority has done.

[JT]

Of course I think religious homophobia can be a problem, but should we blame ALL African-American homophobia on religion? After all, some "gangsta rap" is full of homophobic lyrics too.

[saywhat?]

Kevin Perez, I tend to agree with you about the argument about gay rights and black civil rights, as they are somehow different.

I think it anoys het. black people to hear from white gay people about being oppressed because white people (gay or straight) never understand how privileged they are to be white in this country. One the other hand, black straight people never want to admit the difficulties of being gay at times because it's very-white and affluent image AND becaase of the whole 'sin' aspect of it.

But as a black gay person, I don't feel the need to separate them to appease any group. Gay rights are a part of my black civil rights, so that's that.

And I Cant Say, I disagree with you as well; no one 'deserves' this. With that reasoning, we would be riding the back of the bus and still be in separate schools because 'you have to know your surroundings'. No one is denying that a person should be careful, but um...

Can you imagine going to a party and having someone start an altercation because your gay? I mean, maybe you aren't femme so like me, no one really bothers, you but hey even if you aren't it *could* happen.

And since it could happen, this could be *any* of us anywhere. Please don't blame the victim. No one is denying that its harder in those harder and you know, I'm not even going to say that its not wrong to move but Do not blame this man for his death because 'of his surroundings'.

[Kevin Perez]

Even with White privlidge, that still doesn't justify the Homophobia from the Black community. If some random Homophobe, be they Hispanic or Black, decides to on a rant about fags, should a individual WHO JUST HAPPENS TO BE WHITE take the BS simply because they're supposedly priviliged and they have it less worse than others from their, again, respective ethnic communities? I'm sorry, that would be something that I could never understand or agree with. You can list all your bad experinces with White Gays including the mess from two weeks ago but guess what, in the end of the day, they're struggling with us. I don't understand the animosity between the two sides. The LBGT image lacks images of Hispanic or Latin American people but that doesn't make me on on tirade about White Gays or assume they have it easier either.

Lack of representation of ethnic minorities is an issue in the LBGT media but to somehow aruge that White men in the gay commmunity have the ''priviledge'' is exaggerating.

33 states will fire you from a job if your ''orientation'' comes out, as I said and think of the hostilies the general LGBT folk in rural areas, small, conserative towns if they're outed.

BTW, the Bible says a crock load of shit and there plenty of sins people are always doing. My question is, what gives them the right to play judge and jury? Who the hell are they to point fingures if they can't do that to themselves and better yet, focus on OTHER THINGS rather than feed this ridiculous anti-gay paranoia that strikes so many.