Over the weekend the brutalized body of gay teen George Steven Lopez Mercado was found by the side of a road in Puerto Rico.

The 19-year-old who was a well known figure of the gay community in Puerto Rico, was found on an isolated road in the city of Cayey, a mountain town in the central portion of the island.

The gay community has come out enforce demanding justice, but never in the history of Puerto Rico has a murder been classified as a hate crime. Although as a Commonwealth the island is supposed to follow federal mandates and laws, many of the laws passed in the USA, such as Obama’s new hate crime bill, do not always get practiced in Puerto Rico.

Comments by police have added to the controversy. In a public televised statement, a police agent said that “people who lead this type of lifestyle need to be aware that this will happen.” Some are saying that this connotes that the young man deserved his fate, and are demanding condemnation of this investigator.

What can you do?

This story hasn't hit the national syndicate because it happened in Puerto Rico. Spread the news! Create a petition demanding that this be treated as a hate crime, and send it to:
Puerto Rico Governor Luis G. Fortuño
La Fortaleza
P.O. Box 9020082
San Juan, PR
00902-0082