16Jnat out * September 5 . 2003 fTTiUTOT Furniture Fetish? ine I Ionic Decor ortland Police C hief Mark Kroeker announced his resig­ nation Aug. 29, ending a three-year tenure that was JK L . filled with charges of increased brutality and decreased accountability among officers. And then there were the tapes. In 2000 The Portland Alliance dug up old recordings in which Kroeker made dis­ paraging comments about homosexuals, calling them perverse, and people with AIDS, Naming the epidemic on a failed effort to legislate morality. The former deputy police chief of Los Angeles later apologized for “the effect that my words have had on this community” hut refused to retract the statements. Kroeker’s replacement, Assistant Chief IXrrick Foxworth, is a Portland native who has been with the bureau for 22 years. Roni Lang of the Sexual Minorities Roundtable thinks he’ll do a gixxJ job in the new position. “He’s a detail man, takes lots of notes, asks g(xxl questions, listens hut doesn’t Mark Kroeker (left) and Derrick Foxworth march through downtown during Portland Pride 2002 divulge critical information, and 1 like that activity, like prostituting themselves, because I ronment where people are more tolerant and about him,” she said. “I hated to see Kroeker go. I more understanding. always felt Kroeker was overqualified for that job.” they’re trying to raise money just to he them­ selves or to keep a nx>t over their head. Foxworth silt down with Just Out Sept. 3 to dis­ JR : Do you feel like Chief Kroeker may cuss his past experiences with the sexual minori­ have instilled that cookie-cutter impression by JR : Do you believe Chief Kroeker’s anti­ ties community and his future efforts to ensure placing appearance restrictions on officers gay comments from 10 years ago that came to queers feel protected and served by Portland cops. when he first came on board? Is that some­ light in 2 0 0 0 caused a rift between the com­ thing you plan on possibly reconsidering? munity and the bureau? Jim Radosta: How do you feel relationships D F: I think in his heart what he was trying to stand between the Portland Police Bureau and DF: I’m probably not the best person to do was establish some kind of grcxuning standards answer that, because 1 think that’s best answered sexual minorities community! but not recognizing the subtle messages that go by the sexual minorities community. I know from Derrick Foxworth: I think that right now along with changing griximing standards.... the newspaper reports and the T V reports that the Portland Police Bureau has a gtxxi relation­ That’s one of the areas that I will he ltx>king at. there was a lot of concern that was expressed, but ship with the sexual minorities community. Can is that concern still out there? I don’t know. it be better? Yes it can. And we do have some JR : What about making citizens feel that work I think in that area to improve it. the bureau is going to hold officers accountable JR : A couple of other incidents created ten­ I’ve had the gixxl fortune of chairing the for actions that might be deemed objectionable? Sexual Minorities Roundtable for the past year sion during Kroeker’s tenure, including the D F: I plan on working closely with Richard officers who may have used an anti-gay epithet and a half...but even prior to that I’ve had the Rosenthal, who’s the director of the Indepen­ opportunity to work with various members of while assaulting a man outside Stephano’s. Do dent Police Review, so that we can find the best you feel this gave people the impression that the sexual minorities community, so I feel that I way to ensure that we are held accountable— the bureau isn’t gay-friendly? do have a very gtxxl understanding of the con­ cerns that they have. I’m going to work very D F: Tliat dix.*s cause concern, because the , and I mean all of us— for what we do and that citizens feel as though if they do have an issue hard to try to continue to maintain a very gtxxl Portland Police Bureau dex’sn’t want officers with police or a grievance that there is a fair working relationship and also he open to new who harbor those type of feelings or beliefs pnx:ess in place to address those concerns. ideas or any suggestions that they have. towards any particular group working for us. We expect officers to he fair, to be polite, to be cour­ One of the goals we also have is I strongly JR : Do you feel like the bureau is doing teous, to be professional and competent. believe, like many others, that this organization enough to encourage people to report bias 1 don’t think that’s too hard to do. 1 think you should reflect the community that it serves, not crimes so that they can be investigated? treat people the way that you want to be treated. just in race and ethnicity but also in terms of DF: That's one of the areas that’s on our stand­ lifestyle, ideas, members of different sexual orien­ ing agenda tor the Sexual Minorities Roundtable. JR : Do you feel like the bureau is doing tations. 1 think we need to be open to that, We monitor bias crime reporting and trends, and enough to recruit officers who are members of because I think that makes us a better organiza­ we also talk about specific cases because we have the sexual minorities community? tion when you have people who have different a bias crimes investigator come in. DF: We could definitely use some improve­ perspectives, different ideas, different experiences. I guess I tend to think that people are more ment in our recniiting from ixir various diverse likely to report a bias crime nowadays than they communities. We need to work on that, and that’s JR : Do you feel like the Sexual Minorities have in years past just because there’s been more one area that I want to focus on and see what we Roundtable has been effective in addressing the information ak x jt bias crime reporting that’s can do better. I think that’s very important. concerns of the sexual minorities community? gotten out to the community. But I think it’s also D F: I think they’ve been very gixxi at iden­ This organization should he viewed as one important to remind folks that when they are a tifying concerns and...I think our follow-up that welcomes all people from all walks of life. victim of a bias crim e...to continue to report it, could be better in dealing with some of the And those employees who work here should feel that they are taken seriously, and we have inves­ that despite their beliefs, sexual orientation, issues that come up. tigators who are designated specifically and sole­ their lifestyle, their race, whatever— they should I know that one of the issues that we’ve been ly for following up on bias crimes. JH feel that this is an organization that is open, that working on in the past year has been young peo­ welcomes diversity and welcomes the unique­ ple who are either gay or lesbian and how they The next meeting o f the SEXUAL MINORITIES ness of every individual. cope with that, especially kids who are in high ROUNDTABLE will he held from noon to 1:30 p.m. I don’t want officers to be patterned after one school.... We also have been looking at the Sept. 9 in the ch iefs office at the Portland Police issue of street ytxjth who are gay and lesbian and particular cookie-cutter type fashion. I welcome Bureau, 1111 S W Second Ave. that diversity, and I think...it creates an envi- the fact that sometimes they engage in criminal