Mon 28 Sep 2015 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
Photographer and prominent community member, Tux Hika, was attacked in the early hours of Sunday morning following a night out on Auckland’s K' Rd. The alleged attacker is said to have been verbally abusing shop staff at Express Mart, a few doors down from Auckland’s largest gay venue, Family Bar. Walking over to see what was going on, Hika was hit in the face as the man swung his hand back during the altercation. Hika tells GayNZ.com the attack was completely unprovoked; "Under no circumstances did I physically engage with the guy. He was incredibly agitated toward the store clerk and I just wanted to get up close to see what the problem was. He then swung his hand back in my face breaking my nose with the intention of hitting me. I was in shock when It happened but can recall him saying something to the effect of 'fuck off.'" The force of the hit has left Hika with a broken nose and substantial bruising. The attack has left many members of the community concerned for their safety in the area and there have been calls to boycott the store following rumours that the store owner is unwilling to support those attempting to track down the man. “I'm very overwhelmed by the outpour of support to find and prosecute this animal,” says Hika. “My nose is still very swollen and sore. Progression with the police has been slow but I'm hopeful that the info generated on Facebook will help them make an arrest.” “After years of photographing GLBT venues on K' Rd carrying thousands of dollars worth of photography gear I've never been made to feel as if K' Rd was a dangerous place at night. Sure there's the odd dodge happenings but I'm pretty street smart and would normally avoid those types of situations. It’s incredibly disappointing that this becoming more prevalent.” A photo of the man who Hika says attacked him has been shared on social media and those with any information of his identity are urged to contact the police. Karen Ritchie, Co Chair of the K' Rd Safety Committee, has been working towards making K' Rd a safer place for everyone and says gaining support for the group hasn’t been easy. “It has been a long journey in getting police to recognise the importance of having a community safety group. However the MP Jacinda Ardern has been great support for us.” She says this sadly is not an isolated incident, “Yes this is still happening and I believe people that assault anyone on the street should be trespassed from the street for at least a year or more by the police.” “We will work with Tux and anyone else who sadly is in this situation.” Police are investigating and tell GayNZ.com Daily News they would certainly like to hear from anyone who was in the area at the time and may have information which could assist. Auckland Central Police can be contacted on 09-302 6400 - or you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Monday, 28th September 2015 - 9:07am