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Figure off speech
T o the E ditor :
“Freedom of speech” can become perilously
oversimplified. Some are saying there would be
no difference between a female officer being
fired for avowing “I love Jane” and Portland
Police C hief Mark Kroeker being fired for
telling Los Angeles’ corrupt, brutal department
how “terrible” gays are.
Maybe there is no difference in utopia, but
in the United States as it really exists, we find
a segment of people who love guns almost as
much as they hate gays. In a crowded theater
full of them, Kroeker came too close to shout
ing, “F ire...at gays!” To suggest otherwise is
not to be open-minded— it is to risk a hole in
one’s head.
This incident demonstrates how well we
have taught bashers they can pose any level of
threat to gays, then be tearfully embraced after a
mere apology. Could this explain why sexual
minorities continue to lag behind all other citi
zens in human rights?
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Scandalous search
T o the E ditor :
I was sitting in Scandals playing video poker
Nov. 9 when four policemen and a policewoman
strode into the bar. They demanded I put my
hands behind my head.
They then proceeded to search me. I do not
remember giving permission for them to search
my bag.
They claimed to be searching for a gun. They
even looked in the little zippered compartments
inside my day planner.
I did not know they made guns that small.
Thankfully, there was nothing for them to take
issue with inside my bag, or I no doubt would
have been hauled off to the station.
I am 37 and never have been arrested or
detained in my life. 1 do not respond well to
bullies barking orders at me, most especially
one who is gripping my fingers so tightly
behind my head that my rings are cutting off
the circulation.
I finally was told they were looking for a
dangerous criminal 1 supposedly resemble.
They barked questions at me and wrote down
my personal information into their little
notebook.
1 thought for a hot minute they actually were
going to take a picture of me, as they called for
a car with a Polaroid in it! Thankfully, I never
saw anyone enter with a camera. Because they
couldn’t find any legal reason to arrest me, they
abruptly left.
The bartender admitted to having called the
police. I was told he saw a picture of the fugitive,
which I asked to see.
I was shown a rather poor-quality black-
and-white security camera photo. I saw an
average-sized man in a bulky coat and a very
bad wig.
He had a thin face and lips with a rather
pointed chin. I am a 200-pound man with a full
face and lips.
I have a full head of real hair. You would
think a gay bartender would be able to spot a
bad wig!
The only facial resemblance 1 have in com
mon with the criminal is a full, rounded nose.
Other than that, I do not look like him in the
slightest.
I cannot believe that moron of a bartender
thought that picture was of me. I have been
going to Scandals for many years and have had
many conversations with this fool many times.
He certainly does not have any sort of eye for
detail. He actually called out “thank you, come
again” as I left.
Later while commiserating with some
friends, 1 got a current Just Out and read all
about our wonderful fundamentalist, righteous,
moralist police chief and his desire to turn our
police force into a paramilitary organization.
Based on what 1 just had experienced, I do think
he has been quite successful.
Portland is becoming more like Los Angeles
every day. Are you ready? I for one am not.
P aul B ennett
Portland
Portland welcomes bigots
T o the E ditor :
The Nov. 6 issue of the Oregonian quoted a
Radical Women representative out of context
regarding what action is necessary in response to
Police Chief Mark Kroeker’s 1989 discriminato
ry comments.
We want to clarify our position, particularly
given our long history in fighting police vio
lence and right-wing bigotry. Our position has
been and remains that Kroeker’s stated beliefs
are rooted in a right-wing ideology that is con
sistent with police violence against women,
people of color, sexual minorities, youth, the
homeless, activists and unionists.
He should not be allowed to use an impor
tant constitutional protection to legitimize his
bigotry. He either must resign or be terminated.
Kroeker’s Nov. 6 address to his police force
failed to reflect a commitment to treat every
member of our community with respect. His
statement was a hollow proclamation that he
will not allow discrimination within his police
force.
These are not the words of an advanced con
sciousness but instead are a political maneuver
to try to win back the trust of sexual minority
officers and dampen the growing outrage from
the community. Kroeker does not respect differ
ences, as exemplified by his violation of the May
Day protesters’ constitutional and civil rights.
On Nov. 6, Radical Women participated in a
meeting with Mayor Vera Katz and activists
from the feminist, sexual minority and people of
color communities. The majority of us called for
Kroeker’s resignation or termination.
Radical Women advocated that Katz estab
lish an elected civilian review board because we
recognize the problem is systemic within the
police department. This review board needs to
be independent of City Hall and the police
department and have public funding.
It needs the authority to hire police officers
and to investigate and discipline— including fir
ing— cops who are found guilty of violating the
constitutional and civil rights of civilians. Katz’s
own task force studying improvements to the
Police Internal Investigations Auditing Com
mittee recommended a civilian review board
that had some teeth to hold police accountable
to the public.
Her decision to retain and support Kroek
er as chief o f police sends a message to every
KKKer that the city officials of Portland wel
come bigots. Justifiably fearful of the police
before his reign, people of color, youth,
women, activists, sexual minorities and
unionists have a right not to live in terror of
racial profiling, excessive force, “knock and
talks, rubber bullets, tear gas, nightsticks or
boat oars.
We think Portlanders must organize togeth
er for Kroeker’s termination and strengthen the
grassroots movement to establish an indepen
dent civilian police review hoard.
JORDANA SARDO
Radical Women Portland Organizer
Get the message
T o the E ditor :
I am submitting this short letter to Just
O ut for a friend o f mine in hopes that maybe
it will reach G o d ’s only messenger, Lon
Mabon. Obviously, he has taken on this mis
sion under the grand illusion that he was sent
to Earth for the sole purpose o f dividing and
destroying a whole group o f Oregonians who
have worked so hard and fought for years to
achieve the basic rights we all have a right
to— and who still have a long way to go.
Lon, people like you have become prison
ers o f your own ignorance. I find it hard to
believe this is the only job you can get, but of
course, the $ 6 0 ,0 0 0 Pat Robertson pays you
each year to keep up the good work doesn’t
hurt.
C hris S chlegel
Portland
Tourist tribute
T o the E ditor :
To all the men of Portland: 1 would like to
thank all of you for the wonderful time we had
in Portland last week.
It is so rare when you can go to a city and feel
totally comfortable and welcomed. I just hope
you all will continue to open your wonderful
city to outsiders and show them the hospitality
you showed us.
And for all of you who told us you left Seat
tle because it lacked the personality Portland
has, you were absolutely right. We will be back
to visit.
P S. For all the people at Silverado, you’re
the best.
T om and G arryl
San Francisco
Change off Hart
T o the E ditor :
I was disappointed by Jaime Balboa’s letter to
Just Out [Nov. 3] regarding Basic Rights Ore
gon’s use of Alan Hart for its fund-raiser.
I participated in what he referred to as the
“conversation after the event” with Margaret
O ’Hartigan— and he makes me (a female-to-
male transsexual) invisible by not acknowl
edging my presence, just as Basic Rights Ore
gon makes Alan Hart invisible as a transsex
ual by not acknowledging H art’s male status.
Ju st Out readers should know Margaret isn’t
the only transsexual “offended or alienated”
by Basic Rights O regon’s abuse o f Hart’s
memory.
I also was disappointed that Jaime’s letter
didn’t acknowledge that an agreement was
breached and that he didn’t apologize for the
use of female pronouns in referring to Hart in
the Basic Rights Oregon dinner program.
W hen I met with Jaime in person, he said that
it was his idea to resurrect the dinner and that
it no longer would be named the Alan Hart
Dinner (suggesting he could make a unilateral
decision since he was the sole person responsi
ble). Yet in his letter to Just O ut he says the idea
of continuing this dinner will be revisited by
the board.
I appreciate that Jaime wrote a letter to Just
Out as he said he would. But it doesn’t go far
enough. And I would like to understand what is
behind the inconsistencies between what he
told me during our conversation and what he is
telling the readers of Just Out.
PS. For those who don’t know or remember
me, in 1996 I was among the transsexuals who
went to Portland City Hall seeking inclusion in
the human rights ordinance. That same year, I