novem ber 3 .2 0 0 0 • J u s t M r t j g
Sean Cox, executive director of For Us
Northwest, a nonprofit organization to support
children and those affected by AIDS, is asking
Kroeker to step forward to promote HIV preven
tion. He said it is dangerous to lead the public to
think the disease is about a certain population.
Cox said the only universal thing about people
with HIV is they “didn’t think it would happen to
them.” Given Kroeker’s high-profile position, he
said the chief would be a welcome spokesman.
P a st I m perfect
K
roeker did not say he had experienced a
change of heart since making the com
ments. He did say he would not make similar
statements in the future and insisted no more
tapes or evidence of similar speeches are left to
be found by anyone exploring his past.
In fact, Kroeker said he would welcome peo
ple looking into his past. He said absolutely no
evidence indicates his private views on homo
sexuality have affected his job performance.
But mounting evidence indicates the LAPD,
including Kroeker, isn’t and wasn’t as gay-
friendly and inclusive as he suggests.
One Los Angeles attorney, Stephen Yagman,
told Willamette Week that the chief was intoler
ant of gays and lesbians. He claimed that he
tried to warn Katz before she hired Kroeker but
that she didn’t return his call.
Even a former LAPD co-worker, Virginia
Acevedo, said that once she came out as a lesbian,
she.was the subject of an unfair internal investi
gation. She later sued the LAPD for sexual harass
ment and settled out of court for $750,000,
according to WW.
According to the Los
Angeles
publication
Frontiers, critics consider a
recent study about the
LAPD’s effort to combat
discrimination of gays
since 199-4— the Hart
man Report—“laugh
able" and inconclusive.
Kroeker served the LAPD
from 1965 to 1997.
Most troubling to
some about Kroeker’s
past is his former men
tor, Robert Vernon,
who was forced to retire m
as LAPD assistant chief |
because of his contro- g
versial views on homo- 1
sexuality. The two men, |
along with other Chris- $
tian cops, belonged to
Bob Ball, a Portland Police Bureau reserve captain, thinks Kroeker’s
the conservative Grace
anti-gay opinions have changed through the years.
Community Church;
al,” he said about the speech. But Kroeker
some called them the “God Squad.
thinks the tapes were made in a religious setting
that should be considered his own business
despite
the professional nature of the group.
C u r r e n t P o l ic ie s
K
roeker said if one of his officers was a
known racist, anti-Sem ite, sexist or
homophobe, it would be a cause for concern.
In fact, if potential recruits are found to be
bigoted, they might be eliminated from the
process, although he said he isn’t certain about
the bureau’s policies regarding the issue.
If Portland police officers make speeches to
groups espousing racism, sexism, anti-Semi
tism or homophobia, Kroeker said that the
action would be called into question and that
they likely would be disciplined. Later, though,
he said that if his officers did stand for these
things it would be a cause for concern but that
taking action would be a difficult decision.
“Religion is religion," Kroeker said. But
when hate is involved, he added, that is a differ-
A
G a y O f f ic e r S p e a k s
B
ob Ball, a successful businessman, is a
reserve captain in the bureau who volun
teers his service to the city. But being a police
man means the world to him. He has invested
thousands of hours and can’t imagine his life
without serving the community.
Ball is one of only two out gay male cops in
the bureau. When he heard about Kroeker’s
comments on the tapes, he was devastated. He
was angry. In fact, he sat down and composed a
long letter to Kroeker about his lost trust in the
head of the bureau he respects, admires and
serves without any paycheck.
Continued on Page 11
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\
ent story.
Kroeker doesn’t see his comments on the tape
as hateful. “[It] was pinned on Scripture,” he said.
But some do see his comments as hate
speech— no different from the rhetoric of any
number of anti-gay hate groups.
Jordana Sardo of Radical Women said she
equates the excerpts she read with the rhetoric
of the Ku Klux Klan. “I’d characterize (them) as
fascist,” she said.
Jeff Montgomery, National Coalition of
Anti-Violence Programs co-chairman, thinks
the community and Katz should be consistent
when reviewing Kroeker’s tapes. His group is a
national network advocating for the rights and
the safety of the gay community.
If Kroeker had attended a KKK demonstra
tion or a Holocaust denial rally, “there wouldn’t
even be a discussion,” Montgomery said. “For
some reason when it .comes to slamming
gays...everyone says, ‘Well you know....’ ”
After looking at the Kroeker transcripts,
Montgomery told Just Out, “This is horrifying to
read this.” The Detroit, Mich., resident said it
was chilling to read the statements but even
more disturbing given that the speaker is the
police chief of a major city.
However, Montgomery stopped short of sug
gesting Kroeker should resign or be fired. He
suggested the chief be asked whether he has the
ability to do his job after he’s alienated the gay
and lesbian community. If the response isn’t sat
isfactory, people should complain to Katz,
Montgomery advised.
An officer making remarks to a police organ
ization is not the same thing as talking to your
church or your neighborhood association,
Montgomery said. “I consider it semiprofession-
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