Gay Groups Endorse Police Reform Measure
A coalition of gay and lesbian activists added its voice Wednesday to the chorus of support for Charter Amendment F, the Los Angeles police reform measure to be voted on June 2.
Charter Amendment F, which would limit the chief of police to two five-year terms, “is at the heart of the healing process for the city--a feeling that the police work for us and are accountable to us,” said Michael Weinstein, executive director of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation.
Among the activists endorsing the measure Tuesday were representatives of the Gay & Lesbian Community Services Center, Gay and Lesbian Latinos Unidos, the Black Gay and Lesbian Leadership Forum, Colors United Action Coalition, Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund and the Gay Men of Color Consortium.
“This city has just witnessed the terrible consequences both to residents of Los Angeles and to officers on the street, of LAPD leadership that is neither responsible nor accountable,” said Mary Newcombe of the Lambda legal group in a press release. “We must address and begin to heal the fundamental rift that presently exists between minority communities and the LAPD.”
Roland Palencia of the Gay Men of Color Consortium said the measure “will allow us to form alliances with law enforcement to combat crime--including police brutality.
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