S.F. attack victim dies; friends grieve in the Castro

Friends of Bryan Higgins (pictured) organized a vigil for him after his family expected him to die at San Francisco General Hospital Wednesday. Higgins was found unconscious Sunday after being brutally attacked near Duboce Park. less Friends of Bryan Higgins (pictured) organized a vigil for him after his family expected him to die at San Francisco General Hospital Wednesday. Higgins was found unconscious Sunday after being brutally attacked ... more Photo: Courtesy Of Brian Busta Photo: Courtesy Of Brian Busta Image 1 of / 22 Caption Close S.F. attack victim dies; friends grieve in the Castro 1 / 22 Back to Gallery

Jessica Borja was crushed by grief Wednesday as she and more than 100 others gathered at San Francisco's Duboce Park to honor their friend, 31-year-old Bryan Higgins, known among his Castro-area community as "Feather Lynn."

"He was so genuine and I want everyone to know how loving he was," Borja, 28, said as tears streamed down her face. "We've lost so much without him here."

Higgins' friends gathered at 3 p.m. for the pagan-like ceremony atop a hill in the park. The mass of people joined hands in a circle and shared a moment of silence around an altar of candles, flowers and bowl of smoking incense while their friend died at San Francisco General Hospital.

Dies at 3:33 p.m.

A hospital spokeswoman said Higgins was pronounced dead at 3:33 p.m., a time planned by his family after he was found badly beaten Sunday at 7:30 a.m. near the corner of Duboce and Church streets. The mysterious crime remained unsolved Wednesday - and also became a murder case.

Paramedics had brought Higgins to S.F. General with serious injuries but no identification, and authorities soon put out a call to the media, hoping to put a name to their John Doe.

The strategy worked, and Brian Busta, an artist who was Higgins' neighbor near Noe and Market streets, said he helped identify his friend at the hospital Monday.

"Bryan was young and free-spirited," said Busta, 50. "He was a creative artist and a good buddy. I'm devastated. He was kind of like my son. I was watching over him."

Wednesday's unusual ceremony was a custom of the Radical Faeries, a gay men's counterculture movement and spiritual organization to which Higgins belonged.

'Wildly friendly'

"His spirit, his smile, his beauty - he was wildly friendly and fun," said Bruce Beadette, 54, a fellow Radical Faerie who was dressed head-to-toe in rainbow-colored garb. Draped around his neck was a matching feather boa and cluster of colored balloons with "Feather" written on them.

Higgins moved to San Francisco from Michigan about five years ago and met Beadette through a small circle of friends at Cafe Flore on Market Street. Higgins later worked at Rosenberg Delicatessen on Noe Street.

"Feather would always greet you with a huge smile and hug," said Kyle DeVries, 28, a friend and fellow member of the Radical Faeries. "To lose him in such a senseless act of violence right in our neighborhood is scary. We're feeling a lot of tragedy right now."

Authorities are searching for a suspect in the attack, who was described only as a man wearing a gray hoodie, said Officer Albie Esparza, a San Francisco police spokesman. He said three investigators are working on the case, but were never able to talk to the victim.

"Our priority at this point is finding the suspect and the motive for the attack. We want people to come forward even if it's anonymous," Esparza said.

The news spreads

News of the attack has spread through the Duboce Triangle neighborhood, which is circumscribed by Duboce Avenue, Castro Street and Market Street.

Supervisor Scott Wiener, whose district includes the Castro and Duboce Triangle, said he has watched the neighborhood deteriorate in recent months due to increased crime.

"Any time we have a member of our community that gets attacked like this it's jarring. Particularly for the LGBT community, this is a refuge," Weiner said. "We all need to take this very seriously."

He said police officers in the neighborhood are trying their best, but he would like more resources, specifically in the broad area around the Safeway at Duboce Avenue and Market Street.

"The lesser criminal activity is sometimes easier to dismiss, but when you let that smaller activity go, it inevitably is going to escalate into something more serious, which is what we saw with Bryan," Weiner said.

Anyone with information about the attack was urged to call San Francisco police at (415) 553-0123.