Letter to Martin L. Flask, Director of Public Safety, City of Cleveland September 12, 2013 Department of Public Safety Martin L. Flask, Director 601 Lakeside Ave, Room 230 Cleveland Ohio 44114-1015 Dear Director Flask: The LGBT community and the leadership of the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland are profoundly disappointed in the failure of the City to acknowledge and demonstrate proper response to recent anti-gay violence. We are concerned that you have not aggressively engaged the community to develop a sustainable and executable plan to deal with safety issues of the LGBT community especially in light of recent W 93rd and Detroit neighborhood incidents. It is outrageous that a tax-paying citizen is expected to develop an “action plan" for their own safety. A reasonable person would assume that the action plan is to do exactly as he did, call the police. Silence from the City is not an acceptable response to these issues. The LGBT community will not be “silenced” into submission and our resolve will be to see that LGBT community safety is a clearly demonstrated priority of the Jackson administration and its safety directors. Two weeks after the first incident and there has been no outreach to the community to seek input in the development of any efforts to deal with LGBT safety and hate crimes. In the lead up to the Gay Games, and the ongoing efforts by the region to be more inclusive of the LGBT community this is an unacceptable failure of leadership on part of the City and its leaders. These things need to happen immediately: Creation of an Office of LGBT Liaison in the fire and safety departments A commitment to a community engagement conversation regarding issues of public safety for the LGBT community Outreach to bar and LGBT business owners regarding security issues A clear and strong statement that goes beyond a single incident, and encompasses the safety of the W 93rd and Detroit neighborhoods safety issues Phyllis Harris Thomas Hawn Executive Director President, Board of Directors
Posted on: Thu, 12 Sep 2013 19:24:54 +0000