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“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