- Mayor Adams and police Chief Reese: All smiles.
Thankfully, Pride Week was free of any reported attacks against LGBT Portlanders, after a scary month in which the mayor, Portland police and state law enforcement agencies met with the queer community to hear stories of gay bashings going unreported on the heels of an attack on several drag queens downtown. Days later, five mohawked individuals were arrested for assaulting a gay man. Whew, what a month.
The Q Center was busy during this past weekend organizing a Queer Patrol, a group of people who would patrol downtown and Old Town every weekend night, keeping an eye out for trouble. Under the Q Center’s vision for the group, says Q Center director Kendall Clawson, the group would not be a militant ninja squad, but instead be trained in mediation tactics and be tasked with calling the police if they spotted possible violence. Q Patrols have existed in Seattle, NYC and numerous other cities.
It’s something Portlanders obviously want: From their table at Pride this weekend, Clawson says 160 people have signed up to potentially volunteer for Queer Patrol. Another 393 people are friends with the fledgling group on Facebook. You can sign up for more info by messaging the Q Center here.
I’m sure there will be some people split over the Queer Patrol’s tactics. A lot of people at the gay bashing forum earlier this month, a number of people expressed hostility toward the police based on past experiences with specific officers. Working hand-in-hand with the cops on patrol will require bridging a wide gap for some Portlanders.
fuck that. I did QP back in Eugene back in 1987/88, and it was worthless. You can’t expect a single patrol to cover all the gay bar districts all at once. theres the triangle downtown, and then oldtown, and then the E-room in SE, starky’s, and then there is NE pdx. One patrol isn’t going to make a bit of difference.
The police are *awesome* at filling out reports, but they can’t be everywhere at once
If you want to dissuade bashings, start arming yourselves, and then making it KNOWN that you are armed. Ads in the papers. Be vocal in support of self-defense, and most importantly: when that basher is looking at you, and won’t back off, aim for COM and PULL THE TRIGGER.
We shouldn’t sit back and meekly accept that one of our community gets beaten up ever week/month/year. We need to stand up for ourselves. We can’t expect the Police to be our daddy forever.
So you’re saying…
If someone is possibly physically assaulting, you need to shoot them? No, in Oregon, lethal force is only permissible when lethal force is being used or threatened against you.
I am fully for self defense, and the right to own and bare arms. But one should not dole out lethal force against nonlethal intent.
Hrm.
If you aren’t sure if someone is *possibly* physically assaulting you, I suggest running. Your “possibly” is a really good clue that your life isn’t in danger, and that if you shoot someone YOU will end up in prison.
If you are sure that they are just there to beat you up, and you are relatively certain that you can withstand that beating, go for it. I am sure your medical bills will be light, and you can teach those doing the beating a valuable life lesson in the process. Broken noses add character.
OTOH, if you are sure that they are are not going to give you flowers after the beatdown, and you aren’t sure that you are going live through the beating, AND THE LEGAL REQUIREMENTS HAVE BEEN MET, then yeah, aim for COM and pull the trigger.
I am not suggesting that you greet every acrimonious act with a firearm. Only an idiot would suggest that, and I am sure you are not an idiot RTAB.
The problem we have currently is that we are fags and dykes and trannies and homos and (insert word here). We are seen as “easy prey.” We are seen as less than: who cares if someone beats up a faggot or a dyke. And by our wilful ignorance and active disarmament, we play into that mentality.
Your very terminology betrays that “easy prey” mentality: At what point does a beating qualify as “lethal intent”? Is it when you are attacked with a fist? How about a hammer? How about a stick? How about 3 assailants? 5? 30?
Please do yourself a favor and take a CHL qualifying course, and actually get the facts on what constitutes lethal force. I think you would be surprised at what you learn.