Photo Feature P16
40th anniversary! OCTOBER, 2023 VOLUME 4 ISSUE 25
LGBTQSD.NEWS
>>> NEWS P2
By Morgan M. Hurley, editor
An enchanted experience >>> EVENTS P3
Dress up! It’s gala time!
Not your grandpa’s Kiwanis club
>>> COMMUNITY P10
Authentic Halloweens >>> DINING P13
Photo of the intersection where Josh was killed. Signs are from a vigil held for him. (Photo by Eddie Reynoso)
Arrest in hit-and-run tragedy that felled local bartender by Neal Putnam
Lots of new foodie options
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An alleged hit-and-run driver accused of killing Cheers bartender Joshua Gilliland has been charged with second-degree murder and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. It is unusual for a hit-and-run driver to be charged with murder, but court records show the defendant, Brandon Allen Janik, 37, has been convicted of drunk driving before. In California, a second DUI is a felony on its own, and if a driver kills someone with a second DUI, the law assumes “implied malice” since the driver knew the dangers. “DUI Murder” became an option after a 1981 California Supreme Court case People v. Watson. Prosecutors also like to argue a second DUI shows a pattern of behavior.
Attorneys made no arguments for bail for Janik when he was arraigned on Sept. 7, so San Diego Superior Court Judge Theodore Weathers declined to set any bail for him. Gilliland, 47, was struck on June 10 in a marked crosswalk as he was walking to work at 8:46 pm at the three-way intersection of El Cajon Boulevard, Park Boulevard, and Normal Street (See “Finishing Josh’s Walk,” Vol. 4, Issue 19, or online at lgbtqsd. news/finishing-joshs-walk). Gilliland was knocked unconscious and suffered from a brain bleed with a head wound. He died four days later in a hospital from head trauma. Janik is believed to have fled the scene in his 2022 BMW, which turned out to be
Times, they are a-changin’. As the headline states, the two-year-old Kiwanis Hillcrest AllInclusive is not your grandfather’s club; it is a group that accepts literally everyone, and that has definitely not always been the case. Founded in 1915 by two men in Detroit, Michigan, Kiwanis’ membership grew to more than 100,000 in just over 10 years and was – you guessed it – all-white males. Membership outside of the US and Canada wasn’t approved until 1962, and it wasn’t until 1987 that women were accepted into the membership. While there is no specific religious affiliation with Kiwanis, until recently, someone from the LGBTQ community being openly and officially included in the membership was unheard of, which still seems counter to the reason Kiwanis exists in the first place when you consider that their “defining statement” (according to Wikipedia) is “Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the world, one child and one community at a time.”
See KIWANIS page 4
his undoing because he had the damaged vehicle repaired. Janik gave a conflicting story about how the car was damaged and even filed a claim with his car insurance company to pay for the damages, according to court records. Janik was not arrested until Sept. 5 by San Diego Police in the 3800 block of Seventh Avenue in Hillcrest). He is also charged with hit-and-run with death, and driving under the influence of alcohol with a prior DUI conviction in 2016. Additionally, he is charged with two counts of presenting a false insurance claim five days after the incident, on June 15, when he had his car repaired, according to court records. “We haven’t discussed the facts of the case yet and there is still an investigation ongoing,” said Deputy District Attorney Laura Evans. “Given the investigation thus far, [it] shows he was impaired for the purposes of driving.” Details about the case were not discussed in the arraignment and a preliminary hearing was set for Nov. 15. Because that date is close to Thanksgiving, it may be delayed. Janik has pleaded not guilty. He lived in North Park and worked at Whole Foods in Hillcrest. He remains in the George F. Bailey Detention Facility without bail. KFMB-TV (Channel 8) reporter Keristen Holmes interviewed Lisa Kogan, a friend of Gilliland, who said there were “some Good Samaritans” who noticed Janik before the crash and observed he was intoxicated. She said they called 911 because they feared he would get into his car.
TWO NOTABLE ANNIVERSARIES In late September, two local bars, Flicks and The Rail, invited the community to celebrate their anniversaries. Flicks celebrated its 40th anniversary with a 1983-themed party on Friday, Sept. 22, that included performances, food, and a hosted bar for a portion of the evening. A representative from Mayor Todd Gloria’s office stopped by to present a proclamation declaring that day to be “Flicks Day in the City of San Diego,” and Councilmember Stephen Whitburn’s office also presented a special recognition. Flicks is open seven days a week and has daily happy hour, trivia, karaoke, sports watch parties, and dancing, drag and DJs at night. The Rail is San Diego’s oldest LGBTQ-bar still in operation, founded in 1934 in downtown San Diego. On Sunday, Sept. 24, the venue celebrated its 89th anniversary with a special evening celebration. Originally called The Brass Rail, the bar was not originally opened as a gay bar, but began to attract an LGBT clientele decades ago. The bar moved to Hillcrest in the 1970s and has been a popular spot for all sorts of events since, including drag shows, dance parties, and their well-known Latin-themed night, Sabados En Fuego. Of note, the bar was recently sold to Urbano Pelicon and his
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