Suspect faces hate crime charges after attempted arson at gay bar

A man currently in custody for one crime has now been charged with another hate crime for allegedly trying to burn down an LGBTQ pub.

The Neighbor’s, a Santa Cruz-based pub that describes itself on its website as a “socially conscious, LGBTQ+-centered restaurant and community space,” recently held a soft opening, complete with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, early December.

A few days after its opening, the room was almost set on fire by a masked individual.

Owner Frankie Farr said Santa Cruz Lookout that they first noticed black discoloration near the front door and thought it was graffiti. Upon further inspection, they noticed that the Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant door push button had melted, burnt towels had been slipped inside the door frame, and a homophobic insult had been engraved in the glass of the door.

Farr thought it looked like someone had tried to start a fire.

After police arrived at the scene, they considered it an “arson incident accompanied by a hate incident, but not yet considered a hate crime.” Police also found burned materials near the entrance and burn marks on part of the enclave wall leading to the bar’s front doors.

According to police, a camera inside filmed a small part of the incident. A still image from surveillance video, obtained by Santa Cruz Lookoutshows a man wearing a black hat and red mask carrying what looks like a red cart filled with various materials.

Santa Cruz police later identified the suspect as James Eason, 45, saying they could identify him by comparing body camera footage from an arrest in a separate, unrelated case the week before. Because Eason was already in custody in connection with that other case, he was reassigned on charges of vandalism, arson and a hate crime on December 13.

Neighbor’s remained operational during the four days a week it is typically open.

Farr said Santa Cruz Lookout they were shocked by how quickly the space was targeted, but acknowledged the risk of opening a queer business, telling the newspaper that “there are a lot of people who clearly don’t want us to exist.”

“We are very lucky that no one is inside,” they said. “However, there are flats above (the pub) and those residents don’t deserve that either. They could have been seriously injured.

Initial reports of the attempted arson drew condemnation from local leaders, as Salinas, California-based NBC affiliate KSBW reports.

“The people who did this, you have no place in our community,” said Santa Cruz Mayor Freed Keeley. “You can have a different point of view, politically it’s okay and we celebrate that as well. When you start doing things like burning down a business, no. This has no place in Santa Cruz or any other community as far as I’m concerned.