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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (June 16, 2000)
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LYON— Sales Associate (503) 287-8989 x5774 (503) 786-4959 Pager: 920-8403 Mobile: 260-6231 Fax: 284-1618 ) “The act of speaking out empowers us," she said, holding up a copy of the roundtable’s annu al survey. The roundtable, in conjunction with the Portland Police Bureau, released the question naire at the meeting. T he “Survey on Bias, Violence, and/or Dis crimination Related to Perceived Sexual O rien tation and Gender Identity," in its fourth year, will he distributed by volunteers throughout June. Roundtable members are eager to find new volunteers to present the survey to members of sexual minority communities. Roundtable members and police want to know about community members’ interactions with officers when reporting crimes and about discrimination and violence perpetrated against sexual minorities. “I believe there’s tons and tons of stuff going on and they are not reported,” police Lt. Michele Tish said at the meeting. Tish, a lesbian and roundtable regular, wants to know why her community isn’t reporting crimes. “There’s a lot of things that can be done,” she added. Tish reviewed the survey and offered infor mal training to volunteers willing to help others fill out the form correctly. “1 think we’re going to find some real eye- openers here,” she said about the reasons people don’t report crimes to the police. Data collected from the surveys will be used by police as a tool in planning prevention and education programs, Assistant C hief Mark Pare- si told the gathering. Paresi said the data is needed to inform deci sions, to provide direction and to create the momentum to address the situation. “We know it is terribly underreported,” Pare si said, referring to anti-gay discrimination and bias-motivated crime. The survey data will also be presented to public officials. Buckwalter said giving this information to public officials delivers the message: “Don’t you see what is happening?” Social service agencies are also interested in getting the survey data to help with program planning, according to roundtable members. But the survey’s aim is not only to generate statistics. Paresi wants to know w hat the bureau’s officers are up to on the streets when dealing with sexual minorities. Paresi said the bureau has questions “that are not currently being answered,” and he wants the answers. Kroeker, a transplant from Los Angeles, said it is important that the community establish a climate in which violence, harassment and dis crimination won’t be tolerated. The chief said he has lived in places where he saw the results of one group hating another. It is devastating to human life, he said, and all of society. In addition to the survey, the roundtable pre sented updated literature that will be distributed throughout the community: a new green safety card (giving important phone numbers and security tips), a guide for sexual minority victims of bias crimes, and Portland Police Bureau’s cit izen complaint forms. A nger E ven while acknowledging progress in Port land, at least half the forum attendees— most apparently under age 25— seemed angry. drilled Kroeker and Paresi with questions and complaints. O thers were angry with the committee itself. Mel Rudd has attended th e roundtable before. People know Rudd’s name. Rudd knows the roundtable encourages participants to speak up— and th a t people are supposed to feel empowered. But, for Rudd, just speaking up isn’t working. “If I speak up and I’m silenced, 1 feel disem- powered!” Rudd said at the meeting. T he young people who showed up for the special event at M ultnom ah C ounty Central Library clearly want more positive action out of the roundtable and police. Rudd wants the roundtable to be a place where people can get angry and express their feelings. T he ground rules, however, require that participants “com m unicate with each other respectfully,” according to the group’s literature. Rudd angrily suggested several times that it may be time to go elsewhere to facilitate change. Buckwalter, a longtime trans community activist, encouraged everyone to stay involved despite their frustration about the slow pace of change in the community. “T he burden of leadership,” Buckwalter said, “is to take the anger and frustration and turn them into action.” Some people in Portland will never change their minds about sexual minorities, Buckwalter added. But she doesn’t care. She explained that her goal right now is to work with institutions and groups, such as the police bureau, and to make a usually private conversation public. Paresi agreed with Buckwalter’s assessment and added that hate can’t be stopped with legis lation. “Ignorance is a terrible disease," the assistant chief said. Som e H ope n the end, with some tension still lingering in the room, came com m itm ent and recogni tion. “There is probably no other city that does this,” Paresi said about the roundtable and the working relationship between his bureau and the sexual minorities community. Buckwalter acknowledged that, despite her upbeat dem eanor and obvious optimism, she is very aware of the work that still needs to be done. She assured the group that she experi ences pain every day and still is angry. Despite those feelings, Buckwalter said, she continues to wake up each day and try to make a difference. She clearly doesn’t want to do that work alone, as she made a final plea for the frus trated and angry to return and continue the fight. “I really believe in this group,” she said. I ■ The S e x u a l M in o r it ie s R o u n d t a b l e is open to all who are interested. The group meets on the second Tuesday of each month m the Justice Center. For more information, call (503) 823*0546. To find out how to file a CITIZEN COMPLAINT with the Portland Police Bureau, contact the Inter- nal Affairs Division at (503) 823*0236. For information about BIAS CRIMES, contact Sgt. David Yamasaki at (503) 823*0434 prior to the roundtable meeting so he has time to research specific incidents. You can reach Just O ut reporter JONATHAN at jldpp@teleport.com. K ipp
