Just ou t ▼ august 18, 1995 ▼ 3
letters
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Not a disappointing turn
To the Editor:
In response to the [guest] editorial by Teri
Ventura [Just Out, July 21, 1995] I am very
disappointed that Ventura chose to criticize As
sistant Chief of Police Bruce Prunk, the new
police liaison to the Sexual Minorities Roundtable,
on his absence at the meeting of July 11, while
failing to m ention his attendance at other
roundtable-related meetings. I am also disheart
ened that other facts pertaining to the meetings of
the roundtable on the proposed ordinance regu
lating underage nightclubs were not noted.
I have been in attendance at the roundtable for
almost two years. In several of those meetings,
there were more representatives of the Portland
Police Bureau in attendance than [members of]
our community. This absence of our community
at past meetings did not and has not hindered our
rapport or relationship with the Portland Police
Bureau. So why should one absence of our new
police liaison be labeled as not setting a “positive
tone” and be seen as “a disappointing turn”?
I also need to express the fact that it is not the
total responsibility of the Portland Police Bureau
to conduct outreach to queer youth on the pro
posed ordinance and amendment to the City
Code regulating underage nightclubs. Nor is it
the Portland Police Bureau’s total responsibility
to bring the queer youth voices to the roundtable.
We as a queer community share in this responsi
bility. We as representatives to the roundtable
share in this responsibility. Blaming the Portland
Police Bureau for not increasing queer youth
participation at the roundtable to address the
issues of the proposed ordinance is not partner
ship problem-solving.
I was in attendance at the June 13 meeting, and
prior roundtable meetings, when a few represen
tatives of youth organizations and youth provid
ers also agreed to do queer youth outreach on the
proposed ordinance. This fact was not noted in
the aforementioned editorial, nor were the facts
and issues of previous roundtable meetings on
this topic, which included queer youth prostitu
tion, drug-related issues and homeless queer
youth, that began many months ago.
I commend all of the liaison work the Portland
Police Bureau has contributed to the foundation
of the Sexual Minority roundtable and point out
that this is a partnership.
I would like to note that the new police liaison,
Assistant Chief Prunk, has been meeting with
myself, William Warren, Roni Lang and other
members of the Sexual Minority roundtable to
create and establish a Crisis Response Team.
This team will be called to the scene for acciden
tal death, robbery, serious assault, fatal traffic
accidents and fire, to assist and support victims
when they are from the sexual minority commu
nity. This Crisis Response Team will be the first
of its kind in the nation for gay, lesbian, bisexual
and transgender victims. Neither the Crisis Re
sponse Team nor the new police liaison’s in
volvement was mentioned in the editorial.
The Anti-Violence Project of the Lesbian
Community Project is committed to maintaining
a positive working relationship with the Portland
Police Bureau in order to advocate for victims of
hate/bias crimes. I feel that the Portland Police
Bureau is equally committed. In working with
Assistant Chief Prunk in the short time he has
been the liaison to the roundtable, I have not
experienced a disappointing turn. I do suggest
that Ventura re-read the partnership agreement
for purpose, responsibilities and stated commit
ments.
La Verne Lewis, Executive Director
The Lesbian Community Project
Free Consultation
No Attorney Fee Unless You Recover
295-1940
621 SW Morrison, #1218
Editor’s note: Just Out stands with the Sexual
Minorities Roundtable and its mission in our
community. We have run many stories and edito
rials detailing the overwhelmingly positive re
sults o f the partnership between our community
and the Portland Police Bureau. This does not
negate the needfor occasional constructive criti
cism. I fe el Teri Ventura’s guest editorial asked
necessary and meaningful questions without nega
tivity and gave Assistant Chief Bruce Prunk every
benefit o f the doubt.
Ventura has been attending meetings o f the
roundtable on behalf o f Just Out since June 1 3 .1
fully support her efforts, and I believe that her
guest editorial is in line with partnership problem
solving.
Attorney at Law
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A p p r e c ia t io n
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‘A little perspective’ indeed
To the Editor:
The letter written by Brand Dayne and Millie
Vandervelden in support of Starky’s [Just Out,
July 21,1995] unwittingly underscores the point
of the debate about its owners’ treatment of women.
Male patrons of the establishment are treated
differently (i.e., with more respect) than women
patrons. To ask women to tone down their behav
ior while men’s rowdiness is ignored is undeni
ably discriminatory. The writers even describe
the treatment as occurring on several occasions. If
the owners’ vision for the restaurant is “a quality
dining experience,” that experience should be
extended to all customers. Does the rowdiness of
the male patrons somehow add to the “ambiance”
while the same behavior from women detracts
from it?
To suggest that it was they who were at fault,
and that they needed to adjust their behavior to
accommodate the owners, shows a lack of self
respect on the part of the writers. Again, I think the
women need to get a little perspective themselves.
It is clear that they are probably friends of the
proprietors. I suggest that they re-read their own
letter and then decide if Starky’s is worth patron
izing. We are bombarded daily by this type of
treatment from the straight community. We do
not need it from our own.
Finally, this debate began when a woman
complained about her treatment at the restaurant.
In response, the owners wrote one of the most
vicious diatribes against lesbians that I’ve ever
seen. They did not once mention their “vision” for
the restaurant. Rather, they railed against lesbians
and their loud, cheapskate ways, and promoted
ridiculous stereotypes. To now say that they are
only trying to promote their “vision” for Starky’s
is cowardly. As I’ve said in a previous letter, the
owners of Starky’s are clearly predisposed to
discrimination against women who enter their
establishment. Dayne and Vandervelden’s letter
simply proves that point.
Mark Mardon
Portland
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