ju st o u t T J u ly I M I ▼ 13
Just new s
Anti-violence
reporting line
A method to record data on hate crimes should help
encourage gays and lesbians to report homophobic violence
D esigned for C ruising
330
by Inga Sorensen
L
S W 3 r d A ve.,
(Stark & 3rd)
esbians and gays in Oregon can now
dial a queer-run reporting line to re
port bias crimes. The newly-created
project-officially known as the
Homophobic Violence Reporting
Line-is sponsored by the Lesbian Community
Project, and according to LCP Executive Direc
tor Donna Red Wing, is primarily designed to
encourage lesbians and gays to report hate
crimes, but it serves several other purposes as
well.
“The line will initially act as a voice mail. It
will give information including phone numbers
for the Portland Police Bureau, Victim’s Assis
tance, and numbers that will connect them to
counselors. It will also ask people to leave a
name and number so we can get back to them
quickly. W e’re also hoping to document this
information because it’s vital we not just have
the statistics but have the anecdotal information
as well.” Unlike other hotlines a full time staff
member will not be available. Instead a volunteer
will return phone calls as quickly as possible,
explains Red Wing.
Red Wing maintains it’s critical that gays
know there’s a place they can turn, and people
they can trust, if they’ve been the victim of a hate
crime. “It’s important that people know we have
a very strict confidentiality mandate and that they
can feel safe leaving their name and telephone
number. W e’ll also be giving callers a choice of
whether they want a woman or man to return
their call. Some people d o n ’t care, but if a
woman has been violated by a man, she probably
doesn’t want a guy to return her call even if he’s
gay. Likewise, if a gay man has been bashed, he
may want to talk to another man. W e’ll be giv
ing people that option,” she says.
According to Red Wing, the line is currently
“more a reporting line than a crisis intervention
line.” She stresses, however, that there will be
people trained in crisis intervention ready to re
spond. Twenty people are currently involved in
the project-all on a volunteer basis. Others inter
est«! in applying are encouraged to contact Red
Wing at the LCP. Prospective volunteers will be
put through a “really tough screening process,”
says Red Wing, to ensure they’re equipped to
handle the job. During their four to eight hour
shifts, volunteers are required to call into the line
to retrieve messages “every couple of hours” and
then return the phone calls. Red W ing says,
“W hen we call people back we first listen to
what they have to say and then we let them know
what their options are, including doing nothing at
all but talk to us...many times people call us to
simply tell us what happened to them. They’re
very eager to talk about it.”
The next step is to document the information.
“We want people to first feel safe and comfort
able. W e’ll then be asking them questions about
the incident and documenting the information,”
explains Red Wing. “ We ensure the strictest
confidentiality and will only put the person’s
initials on the report. No information that could
identify the person will be put in the report and
we feel it’s very important people know that.”
Every six months LCP will publish a sum
mary of reports made to the line-including not
only the number of calls, but also the details of
the cases, minus names and any details that could
lead to the identity of the person. Red Wing says
that information will be shared with the Portland
Police Bureau’s Bias and Hate Crime Unit, the
Metropolitan Human Relations Commission, as
well as city and state officials. “It’s very impor
tant that people realize just how widespread this
problem is. This will help prove that the prob
lem does exist and that we all need to do some
thing about it.”
LCP has received two grants-one from the
MS foundation and another from the Fred Meyer
Foundation-to help with the project’s start-up
costs. LCP will be covering the rest of the costs,
including the printing and distribution of thou
sands o f fluorescent stickers with the reporting
line num ber on them. “The stickers will be
placed all over the city, including bathrooms and
telephone booths,” says Red Wing.
At the end of three months the system will be
reviewed and hopefully expanded. “W e’d like to
include information about the intimidation law,
as well as other referals," she adds.
The Homophobic Violence Reporting Line
number will not be available until July 1. Any
one interested in becoming a volunteer or access
ing the number, should contact the Lesbian Com
munity Project at 223-0071.
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