Dallas police are investigating vandalism at three gay bars. It comes at a time when the Cedar Springs community is on edge after three gay men were attacked in separate incidents.
The doors were smashed overnight at The Mining Club, Woody's and JR's Bar and Grill. All three bars are managed by Caven Enterprises.
A spokesperson for the company told NBC 5 that surveillance video confirms one person is responsible for the vandalism at all three bars. That video has been turned over to Dallas police investigators.
Caven Enterprises officials said, at this point, they believe this is likely the work of a disgruntled bar patron who has been banned from several of the bars along Cedar Springs Road.
The company does not believe this is a hate crime.
Still, people living near Cedar Springs say that offers little relief to their growing fears. In the past three weeks, at least three gay men have been attacked in the area. The first happened after the annual Alan Ross Texas Freedom parade.
The 29-year-old victim was attacked by four men at the intersection of Sylvester Street and Wycliff Avenue in the Love Field neighborhood, police said.
The four men attacked the victim "with their hands, feet and a baseball bat" and took items from his pockets, police said. The victim also said his attackers made several gay slurs.
The victim was hospitalized with a fractured skull and numerous cuts, abrasions and bruises.
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In a separate incident, Jaime Dominguez was attacked Sept. 30 shortly after 1 a.m. as he was leaving a bar on Cedar Springs. He was hit on the back of his head, knocked unconscious and stabbed multiple times.
"This wasn't some back alley, some dark side street. This was on the strip. Hundreds of people walk that strip. It literally could happen to anybody," Dominguez said.
NBC 5 is also learning of a third attack in the area of Cedar Springs that happened Oct. 2.
Several bar managers on Cedar Springs Road said Friday afternoon they are adding security patrols this weekend. Some of those patrols, however, coincide with the added crowds expected for the Texas-Oklahoma football game.
People living at The Illume apartment complex, located on Cedar Springs, say Dallas police held a safety meeting there Thursday night listening to concerns of residents. DPD confirms it will hold similar meetings in the neighborhood in the coming days.
"The level of violence, the homophobic language that's been used in some of them, that's giving our community cause for concern," said local LGBT activist Daniel Cates.
Cates is spearheading an event Sunday night titled, "We are not afraid: LGBTQ Response to hate." It's scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Legacy of Love monument at Oak Lawn and Cedar Springs.
"We think these attackers are trying to send a message, and we want them to know that message has been received. The LBGT community of Dallas and of the United States are not weak, and we will stand up for ourselves and make sure our community is safe," Cates said.
