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PFLAG
Phoenix Adds $1,000 to Local Hate Crime Reward Fund
HATE CRIME
By David Pape
President of PFLAG Phoenix
January 17,
2007
Sometimes it takes a horrible thing to happen, close to home, to
get us out of our complacency. Just such a thing happened to me
on December 18, 2006 when I first heard about the violent
assault on two gay men outside of a Scottsdale restaurant.
At first I was just very angry that such a thing could happen in
the greater Phoenix area. When the immediate anger of the
incident went away, I found myself wondering how the
organization I belong to, Parents, Families and Friends of Gays
and Lesbians (PFLAG) Phoenix, could assist the Scottsdale Police
Department in catching the individuals responsible for
the beating of these two men.
I called the Scottsdale Police Department and talked with the
lead detective on the case, Ms. Michelle LeFay. Detective LeFay
directed me to the Phoenix Police Department's Silent Witness
Program.
After talking with Sergeant Paul Pinzone, Director of Public
Affairs for the Phoenix Police Department, I thought it would be
great if PFLAG Phoenix could add to the reward that was being
offered by the Silent Witness Program at that time.
I contacted PFLAG National to find out if it was appropriate to
expend PFLAG Phoenix money in the form of a reward. After
consulting with their attorney, PFLAG National gave us the go
ahead for the reward, with the stipulation that the reward was
for the arrest and conviction of those involved in the assault
and that we worked within the framework of the police
department's Silent Witness Program.
Our Board of Directors members were contacted and gave a
unanimous vote on proceeding with a reward of $1,000 for
information leading to the arrest and conviction of the
individuals involved in the beating of the two gay men that was
being considered a hate crime. I was told by PFLAG National
that no other PFLAG chapter had ever provided a reward in a hate
crime case involving a gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender
(GLBT) individual.
 After
several weeks of calls and follow-up calls with the Scottsdale
and Phoenix Police Departments, on Jan. 17, nearly one month
from the day of the assault on Mr. Rolland and Mr. Frost, I
presented Detective Ms. Icela Brown of the Phoenix Police
Department's Silent Witness Program a reward check for $1,000
from PFLAG Phoenix.
My anger hasn't gone away over this senseless act of violence
toward two members of the gay community, whose only crime was
holding hands in public. I am reading a book called
Created Equal: Why Gay Rights
Matter to America by Michael Nava & Robert Dawidoff. This
book discusses the violation of GLBT rights and the violence
perpetrated against GLBT individuals.
How we change the attitude of people who literally hate our
children, family members and friends is a major theme in this
book. The authors feel that arguments alone for GLBT rights
won't change the minds of these hateful individuals. The
authors feel that argument combined with getting at the feelings
of these individuals can change their attitude. When PFLAG
members use the expression "Changing Minds One Heart At A
Time," we are expressing what the authors of this book are
expressing.
We can't just argue with people about GLBT rights. Paraphrasing
the authors of the book, "We can get at anti-gay feelings if
we dramatize the situation of gay men and lesbians just enough
to challenge the hearts as well as the minds of our citizens.
If we can make the situation of homosexual Americans clearer, we
might engage the feelings as well as the reason of our fellow
citizens.”
If you have information
pertaining to this hate crime, please contact the
Silent Witness program at 480-WITNESS
(480-948-6377) or 1-800-343-TIPS
(1-800-343-8477). |
