At a construction site, some kid gets a job and his friend wants to go to Manhattan to celebrate. One guy buys the other a shirt with sparkles on it. They decide to check out a gay bar. The guy with the sparkly shirt isn't comfortable going in.

Later the guys are drunk and some guys in a truck get out and call them homos and beat them up. A woman in an apartment window tells them to stop. They hit the kid in the head with a metal bat before running off. He sees a woman in white.

SVU is called in. No witnesses found except a homeless guy who cannot be found.

The victim is out of surgery. They are checking traffic cams. Fin will canvas the block. The interim chief shows up. Fin offers to stick around.  He wants to know what's going on because gay rights groups are pressuring him. He tells Benson she's the lead, not Hate Crimes, but the city is on edge so be careful.

The victim is out of surgery and may be out of it but can talk. The doctor says he had to have his testicle removed.

Benson and Bruno interview the victim, Javier. He says it was dark and he had a lot to drink. Three guys attacked him.  He says his cousin Mateo was with him and thought they were gay. Mateo is MIA. Javier doesn't have his number but knows he lives in Brooklyn. Mateo got him a job yesterday. He says another man held his hand after he got hurt. It was the man from the bar and he was like an angel

Mateo cannot be found. Carisi asks if there is a racial component.Benson sends Sykes and Bruno to look for Mateo and the other witness.

The interim chief has a press conference and says he has confidence in Benson. She says the city can sleep but they can't.

The construction guy says he gave Javier a job to help out. Mateo  decides to run away but doesn't get very far/. Mateo asks if his cousin is okay.

Mateo says he ran away because he's undocumented. He and Javier aren't gay, so what did they want? He says he had his arm around Javier. Background check shows he overstayed his visa but has no recrod. Fin tries to get Mateo to remember the truck. He recalls LED lights on the roof and maybe Jersey plates.

Bruno gets a tip that the homeless guy is at a local coffee shop. Benson says let's meet him on his turf.

The guy says he was sleeping in a doorway and was woken up by the boys yelling.  He says he's not the only one who saw. He says there was a woman looking out her apartment window but he's not good with numbers. He doesn't want to show them the apartment but Benson says the victim was almost killed . He saw the woman but not the boys. Fin gives him money as a reward.

They find the woman. She's in 2D. She doesn't want to open her door all the way to them and claims she doesn't know anything about the attack. Ann asks if he's all right. They tell her no. She agrees to talk but only to Benson and only in her apartment, which she says she never leaves. Benson comes in and says Ann has a lovely home. Ann has a painting on her wall.

Ann asks what she has to say to get Benson to leave her alone. She says that it was horrible. She saw the whole thing and describes the attack. She says there was no man who held his hand. She describes the attackers. She refuses to repeat the slurs. They all knew each other and called each other by name.

Benson and Fin bring Carisi up to speed. He wants to know how to get Ann to testify when she's agoraphobic. Benson tells him one step at a time. Bruno has news about a car that was found that matches the description. Benson tells the cops to go to Roselle Park to find out what was going on. Benson tells them the other witness might not exist. Bruno says it might be a hiccup in the brain.

The cops go to Roselle Park. They talk to a cop who says he can guess who those two guys are. He goes with them to get the third guy, Jordan Ramirez. Jordan's mother asks if he is in trouble again? She calls Jordan and he immediately says I wasn't aprt of it, I swear!

The cops show up at a garage and arrest Zach and Mo. Mo is also an idiot and aks what Zach told the cops, and claims taking them across state lines to be trsnsported across state lines.

There are protesters outside the police station demanding equal rights for LGBTQ+ people. Jordan claims he didn't do anything except tell them to stop. None of the guys cooperate and they all claim they weren't the one who beat up Javier. Mo gets scared of going to jail and claims it was all on Zach. Zach claims the Hispanic guys tried to attack him first. Bruno gets in Zach's face. Zach says Bruno is scaring him. Bruno says hope I don't run into you on the street.

Benson says to do a lineup.

Mateo IDs number 5, not one of the suspects. Javier is brought in in a wheelchair. Mateo is very emotional to see him. Javier is not able to ID anyone.

Benson wonders what happened to the bat. Fin says probably in the river. Benson realizes Ann saw all three clearly. Maybe her conscience will be stronger than her fear.

Benson talks to Ann who says she hasn't left here in five years. She says this world is full of chaos and disaster so why even try? Benson convinces her to come in and promises to set up the squad room to make her feel safe. Ann asks Benson not to leave her as they walk toward the lineup.

Ann notices Benson's challenge coin. She likes Benson's office. Benson shows her the lineup room and explains the lineup process.

Ann IDs all three perps and says Zach is the one with the bat.  She feels like he is looking at her.

The case has been resolved. Everyone has plead out.

Mateo and Javier come to thank Benson. Javier is still planning on studying art and won't let these guys scare him away. Mateo leaves to get the car. Benson tells Javier that maybe he can use the pain someday and turn it into something beautiful. He thanks her again. He asks about the guy who held his hand. He wants to thank him. Benson suggests he thank him in his heart. She thinks the guy really was an angel.