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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 2, 2001)
jiistnrn tebruary 2. 2001 GUEST COMMENTARY by M ark K roeker The IN publication for the OUT population F ounded 1983 • J ay B rown and R enée L a C hance V ol. 18 N o. 7 F e b ru a ry 2 , 2 0 0 1 FEATURE THE SECOND CLOSET: Domestic violence hides in the dark »20 NEWS NORTHW EST. Equity Foundation presents grants; Cadillac Cafe plans expansion pp 6-15 NATIONAL • John Ashcroft confirmed; Barney Frank makes Dick Cheney eat his words pp 16-17 WORLD • Park prohibits public pecking; penises pull plane pp 18-19 EN TERTAIN M EN T & CU LTU RE DIVERSIONS* Looking for lesbian artists and gay vegetarians p 31 THEATER • It’d be sinful to miss this play; Jon Kretzu crosses the pond pp 33-35 COLTORE • Meet the royals p 36 F I L M * Time traveling to the really dark ages P 37 CULTRRE • A salute to queers in uniform p 38 COLUMNS M S. BEHAVIOR • Ms. B gets wet P 29 SPECIAL EATIN6 O U T . Let someone else cook tonight Some reflections from Mark Kroeker Portland’s police chief sends a message of peace o me, becoming Portland’s police chief was both the real ization o f a dream and a singular honor that brought along with it a profound load of responsibility. In this mix is a rich fulfillment that is difficult to explain. Despite the controversy of the past few months, I want Just Out readers to know I remain content in my work and pleased to be your chief. My wife, Diane, and 1 both love the city and its people, and we are glad to have made Portland our home. W hen the interviews, negotiations and all the inauguration moments passed and the work o f leading a city’s police force began, I became more and more convinced I made the right choice. As I reflected on the changes, the implementations, the adaptations, the steady growth on a strategic pathway, I became invigorated, encouraged, excited. As to the gay and lesbian community, I sensed across the initial months a growing level of mutual respect and an enthusiasm to build peaceful solutions in Portland’s intergroup mix. My overtures were accepted as sincerely as they were offered. I made it my objective to ensure that people in every community could expect fair and just police service. I set out to model an exemplary level of respect inside and outside the organization. I made it clear that opportunities for joining the Portland Police Bureau were there for all people, including gays and lesbians. 1 also want ed everyone to know that I am highly sensitive to crimes of bias, preju dice or hatred against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people and that I expect thorough investigations, careful reporting and restora tive community policing efforts. W hen the flurry of concerns arose around remarks 1 made many years ago in a religious setting, the forward momentum we all had worked so hard to create was interrupted. W ith the support of Mayor Vera Katz, I resolved to dig in, to meet, to listen, to respond to every question as best I could, to face any detractor, to attend any forum, to be present at count less roll calls, to produce a roll call videotape, to give numerous news interviews and to reach out to any who would respond inside and outside the police bureau. I met with gay, lesbian and transgendered officers in my home, in my office and during impromptu meetings. I listened to their fears and con cerns and addressed them in groups and individual meetings. Among others, I attended a forum sponsored by Just Out. I spoke with leadership figures of the Portland Area Business Association, Oregon Gay and Lesbian Lawyers Association, Cascade A ID S Project, Sexual Minorities Roundtable and Metropolitan Community Church. Still ahead is a meeting scheduled with Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. . I explained that the foundations of my faith remain unalterable but that the experiences of the past decade greatly affected my psyche and my approach to the world and its people. 1 reflected that experiences in close contact with the world’s most tragic intergroup settings, such as in the Balkans, the Middle East, Haiti and Africa, profoundly changed my outlook. I have fully integrated the role of “peace officer” into my “police offi cer” identity. Across the years, gay and lesbian friends and their life sto ries created in me a deeper awareness of their world and their perspectives. I stated that I did not and do not equate gayness with criminality and that A ID S is not a “gay disease.” T h e overarching philosophical energiz er in my life, to all people, has become the pursuit of peace— always har boring within me the most profound respect for the flame of life that bums in every living soul. As the new year has arrived with its continuing challenges, I remain convinced that there is much to do in making Portland the country’s safest city and in making the Portland Police Bureau the country’s finest police force. We have community policing issues to pursue. We wish to reduce crime and the fear of it, improve the quality of life in all neigh borhoods and improve the community and police partnership. This partnership, of course, includes that which is between the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community and Portland’s police force. To do this, we must adopt common goals and share a common vision. We arc in the process of building a wide network of neighborhood Block Captains and openly invite your involvement. Before the recent turbulence, I was invited to serve as a board mem ber for the Portland chapter o f the National Conference for Community and Justice, a group dedicated to eradicating bias and bigotry. I readily accepted and, along with it, the offer to become government chair of the “Walk as O n e” march April 7 at the Rose Garden. I invite all Portlanders to join me. Although I do want to move ahead as your ch ief of police, I do not wish to close the door on this matter or on the pain, anger and frustra tion that might remain. Rather, 1 wish to keep a door open to continu ing dialogue in order to build better and stronger relationships and more effectively enhance public safety initiatives for all communities, includ ing Portland’s gay community. Here is my hand, offered in peace. in M ark K roeker is the Portland Police Bureau chief. H e can be reached at chicfkroekerQpolice. ci. Portland .or. us. » 30-31 NISHTOPOTS • Gay -friendly hangouts p 36 REFLECTIONS JHST FRIENDS • Free voice personal ads • Activists hammered out an A ID S contract with America. The 1996 A ID S Emergency Plan focused on voter education, registration and mobilization. It set the ambitious goal of turning out 1 million people to vote on A ID S issues Nov. 5. p 39 Ju st out it published on the Arse and third Friday of each month. Copyright © 2001 by Just Out. No part o f Just O ut may he reproduced without written per mission from the publisher. The submission of w ritten and graphic m aterials is welcomed. W ritten material should he typed and double-spaced. Just O ut reserves the right to edit for grammar, punctuation, style, liability concerns and length. We will reject or edit articles or advertisements that are offensive, demeaning or may result in legal action. Letters to the editor should he limited to 500 words. Announcem ents regarding life transitions (births, deaths, unions, etc.) should he limited to 200 words; photos are wel come. Deadline for submissions to the editorial department and for the Calendar is the Thursday 15 days before the next publication date. Views expressed in letters to the editor, columns and features are not necessarily those of the publisher. T h e display advertising deadline is the Monday 12 days before the next publication date. Classified ads must be received at the Just O ut office by 4 p.m. on the Thursday eight days before the next publi cation date, along with payment. Ads may be placed by tele phone or via the Internet with Visa or MasterCard payment. Ad policy: Just O ut reserves the right to reject or edit any advertisement. Compensation for errors in, or cancella tion of, advertising will be made with credit toward future advertising. Advertising rates are available upon request. Subscriptions are $ 1 7 .5 0 for 12 issues. First Class (in an envelope) is $30 for 12 issues. C ontact Just O ut at P.O. Box 14400, Portland, O R 97293-0400; 503-236-1252, advertising 5 0 3 -236-1253, fax 5 0 3 -2 3 6 -1 2 5 7 ; e-m ail justout© )ustout.com . Visit our Internet site at www.justout.com. * 5 years ago m • The Los Angeles City Council agreed to investigate allegations that the city violated the civil rights of a lesbian police officer by demand ing that she name her past sexual partners. Virginia Acevedo w as on disability for stress she claimed w as caused by harassment she suffered because of her sexual orientation. • Right to Privacy executive director Barry Pack and fellow performer Erin Boberg pre sented a body of new and repertory work exploring travel abroad through dance, theater and music. designed to give viewers an opportunity to share a slice of their lives minus the filter of a mainstream media lens. • Adrian Kalil of Team Portland Aquatic Club realized the completion of a dream Oct. 7, 1995. He w as one of 1,441 men and women who began the Hawaiian Ironman World Championship Triathlon in the warm waters of Kailua-Kona. • M aria's Show, featuring the only lesbian em press in the United States, w as Feb. 3 at City Nightclub. • The East Vancouver United Methodist Church exhibited a portion of the Nam es Project Quilt through Feb. 18 and presented a special benefit concert by the Vancouver M e n 's Chorus and a dramatic presentation by the R E A L Kids on Feb. 9. • Portland lesbian mom Debbie Caselton filmed a segment for M T V 's Unfiltered, a show PUBLISHED AND MANA6IN6 EDITOR • Marty Davis ENTER1A1NMENT EDITOR • Oriana Green COPY OITOi • Jim Radosta STAFF REPORTED • Jonathan Kipp CRNTRHNfTORI • Meryl Cohn, Timothy Krause, Jon Kretzu, Mark Kroeker, Andy Mangels, Andy Simon, Rex Wockner ADVERTISING DIRECTOR • Meg Grace ADVERTISING REPRESENWIVE • Larry Lewis NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE • Rivende 11 Marketing Company Inc. 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