Bar owner and community leader Michael Brown was found beaten and stabbed to death March 21 in his West Palm Beach condominium. (Photo by Pompano Bill)
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By JUAN CARLOS RODRIGUEZ
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Michael Brown, co-owner of HG Roosters bar in West Palm Beach, is being remembered as a unifying force in the city’s gay community. Brown, 50, was found beaten and stabbed to death March 21 in his Flagler Street condominium in what police believe was a murder-suicide.
Brant Hines, 27, a troubled drifter who attached himself to Brown for about five years, was also found hanged to death from a strap in Brown’s doorway. While Brown’s friends claim that his relationship with Hines was not necessarily romantic or sexual, Brown had been known to help Hines find work and shelter throughout their relationship.
“Mike was a gentle giant,” said A.J. Wasson, Brown’s partner at Roosters. “He would help anybody out.”
Brown moved to West Palm Beach from Ohio in the 1980s and began bartending at Roosters in 1984. He soon became one of the club’s most popular bartenders, and when managing partner Tom McKenzie resigned in 1986, Brown took over as manager.
When Roosters’ owner Bill Capozzi died in 2006, he left the bar to Wasson and Brown, who were negotiating ownership shares with the Capozzi’s estate at the time of Brown’s death.
“Michael was certainly the face of Roosters,” Wasson said. “He was a fixture in the community.”
Hundreds of friends gathered at the bar on Saturday, March 22, to remember Brown in what Wasson described as “an unbelievable outpouring of love, sadness and concern.”
Brown was committed to the bar and to the community. He was named Fundraiser Extraordinaire by the Comprehensive AIDS Program of Pam Beach County. He also sat on the board of the Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt and traveled across the country to help organize displays of the quilt.
Scott Fox, executive director of COMPASS Gay & Lesbian Community Center in West Palm Beach, said Brown was someone he could always count on to help organize fund-raisers for the center.
“He never said no to us,” Fox said. “He helped us raise hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
Fox said Brown did more than just organize events; he was known to be directly involved in the efforts. He remembers Brown sitting for long periods in a carnival dunk tank booth taunting carnival goers to dunk him.
“He would happily sit in the dunk tank all day and get wet,” Fox said.
Brown’s infectious humor and big heart drew people to him. He was known to remember almost every customer at the bar. His ability to draw people out led people to view him as a great connector of people in the community.
“Person after person would say that Michael Brown was the first person they knew when they came to West Palm Beach,” Fox said. “Unfortunately his good heart led him to his death.”
Brown’s friends say Hines was in and out of Brown’s life for several years. Many said that they were surprised Hines had re-emerged recently in Brown’s life.
According to West Palm Beach Det. Adam Myers, Hines listed several addresses within and outside of Palm Beach County as his residence, including Brown’s condominium.
Myers said he spoke with Hines’ father, who lives in Vero Beach. The elder Hines told police that that Brant Hines came to Florida about 12 years ago from New Jersey. According to police, Hines began using drugs when he was 15. His father lost contact with Hines in 2006.
Myers said that when police identified Hines’ body, several officers recognized the 27-year-old as a frequent drug user. Myers said he did not have information regarding prior arrests.
McKenzie, former manager at Roosters, said Brown’s friends were suspicious of Hines.
“It was clear Brant was out for Brant,” McKenzie said. “Michael was a vulnerable target, and Brant seized an opportunity.”
Police are investigating the crime as a case of domestic violence. Neighbors told police that they heard loud crashing sounds and an argument Thursday night. Hines was seen Friday morning walking Brown’s two dogs. He had a black eye, neighbors said.
Curt Rogers, executive director of the Gay Men’s Domestic Violence Project, said the pattern of Brown and Hines’ relationship is a common scenario in relationships where one partner is significantly older than the other.
“It’s an issue of power,” Rogers said, “where a perpetrator will leverage what they have to gain power over the other.”
He said his organization, based in Boston, has been tracking an overall increase in the domestic violence murders among gay men in the northeast United States. National numbers, however, are not easy to track because few states include domestic violence among men in their data.
Rogers said organizations and individuals who study domestic violence have been reluctant to recognize gay incidents.
“It renders the GLBT victims invisible,” he said.
The gay community of West Palm Beach will honor Brown with a special memorial service at PrideFest of the Palm Beaches on Sunday, March 30. The service is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m.
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