Organizers move to sideline police at Pride festival

Twin Cities Pride organizers say they're still figuring out just how much of a police presence they'll agree to at this weekend's festival.

Earlier this week, organizers said they would not permit a uniformed police presence in the parade. That announcement followed the release of video footage from the police shooting of Philando Castile.

Like most parades, the Twin Cities Pride parade traditionally starts with a police patrol car clearing the street. But in recent years, as police have shown more interest in participating, they've added more squad cars with flashing lights and dozens of uniformed officers walking behind them.

That's not likely to happen this year. The video footage of the Castile shooting, along with the acquittal of police officer Jeronimo Yanez, has inflamed concerns about police violence, particularly among communities of color and the LGBT community. Eva Wood, director of the anti-violence program at OutFront Minnesota, said concerns were raised even last year, when it was announced there would be an increased police presence at Twin Cities Pride after the Pulse nightclub massacre in Orlando.

"A lot of the feedback from queer and trans communities of color in the area was that while this might make white people feel more safe, it's not going to make people of color feel more safe," she said.

Wood works with gay and lesbian, queer and trans people who have experienced sexual violence or hate crimes. She said that while police officers often respond professionally to calls for assistance, too often the encounter is less than helpful, even harmful.

The Minneapolis Police Department declined a request for an interview, but Chief Janee Harteau, who is openly gay, said in a statement that she was "beyond disappointed" she wasn't consulted before Pride organizers made their "divisive" decision.

Harteau, who three years ago served as the parade's grand marshal, went on to say, "Police officers are more than just officers; they are human beings with families who are also part of this community."

Officers assigned to work the parade will do all they can to ensure it is a safe and successful event, Harteau said.

St. Paul Deputy Chief Mary Nash said the officers in her department are also disappointed.

"I understand that people are angry, and we can have respect for their feelings if they can have respect for our disappointment also," she said. "But only when we work together to try to overcome differences and to have some understanding can we move forward. If we're not working together, it certainly becomes more challenging to become better as a community and to become better as a police department."

To understand the tensions between police and the Pride Festival, it helps to look back in time.

In the 1960s, police raids of gay bars were common. Officers would line up patrons; customers dressed as women were taken to the bathroom to verify their sex. Men dressed as women were arrested. But on June 28, 1969, the crowd at Stonewall Inn in New York decided it'd had enough. When the police raided the bar, the clients fought back. The riots lasted for days.

Eva Wood said Pride was born one year later, and the gay community has been marching every June since. "Pride commemorates people fighting back against police violence," she said.

The relationship with police has improved dramatically since then. Officers customarily have a booth at the Pride Festival where they answer questions and recruit potential officers. It's not clear whether that will happen this year.

Pride organizers declined to speak on the record, but said they are working to come up with a solution that is "inclusive of each perspective on this topic."