LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
A Sensitive Force |
by Fay Jacobs |
CAMP Rehoboth Conducts Its Ninth Year of Police Training
When it comes to straight folks being gay-friendly they either get it or they don't. Lots of people really understand what it means to be without prejudice. They recognize that it requires treating gay people and straight people exactly the same. Nothing more, nothing less. Sexual orientation becomes a non-issue. Camp Rehoboth Executive Director Steve Elkins and I had the privilege of conducting the sensitivity training for the Rehoboth summer police officers recently, and I hope that our time spent with the officers helped another group of people really "get it." Steve has been participating in the sensitivity training program each summer for most of the last decade. I've joined him for the last few years. But this year, rather than have the police conduct an hour training session, with us handling the last fifteen minutes, Chief Banks and Sgt. Bushey turned the whole evening over to us. It was a great responsibility and one I hope we handled effectively. Steve set the stage by describing how different the atmosphere is now than it was a decade ago when he first came to speak. He spoke of his own apprehension in speaking honestly before the police force back then, and noted how much progress has been made to bring the diverse communities in Rehoboth together. As he tried to dispel gay stereotypes ("not all gay men are effeminate, not all lesbians drive pick-ups") and explain what we expect from the police ("Exactly the same professional conduct as you show everyone else") the officers smiled at our stories and participated in an excellent dialogue. Some of the questions were terrific and really helped us make our points. One patrolman told of walking past some gay men, when one whistled at him and another said, "I'd sure like him to arrest me!" A nearby family pressured the officer to "do something" because the comments were "disgusting." Noting that he did nothing and walked away, the young officer asked, "What should I have done?" "Just what you did," said Steve. "If it was a group of young women who whistled and commented would you have done anything?" "No," said the officer. "So there you have it," said Steve. "Treat it just the same." Where upon we all smiled, and somebody said that the officer should have been flattered. The conversation continued in a very jovial mood. "Here's a question," said a new recruit. "Why is a hate crime different from a plain assault? Why do you need a hate crime law?" I explained that a hate crime takes place when a perpetrator attacks someone because he hates or fears an entire class of people, not just the person he is attacking. Steve added, "If someone calls me a damn faggot while I am walking down Baltimore Avenue in the afternoon, I would be taken aback, but I wouldn't fear for my safety. However, if I were walking alone at 2 a.m. and heard someone say, 'Let's get the faggot!' that would be different. That type of verbal assault, intended to make me afraid for my safety, could be construed as a hate crime. It is an assault directed toward a class of people, not just an individual. As long as those types of crimes take place, there continues to be a need for hate crime statutes." Some of the questions were fun. When I was noting that the officers would be seeing a lot of what they might think were unusual sights in town ("Two women and a baby carriage, men in lots of leather, groups of men arm in arm leaving an afternoon tea...") a hand shot up. "What's a tea dance, anyway?" asked an officer. "Yeah, what is it?" added several others. "It's an afternoon gathering or dance, after the beach and before dinner time..." I said. "That's it," I reiterated, having the feeling that the questioners had long thought it was some sort of secret ritual. "It got its name from English High Tea. Little old ladies, tea and sandwiches." I think the questioners were relieved. One of the last questions of the night was the most important, I believe. One officer told of having to detain two women because they were seen, unclothed, having a tryst, on the beach at night. "We had to arrest them, and I was afraid they would make a fuss and call it discrimination," said the arresting officer, "but I was glad when they didn't." "If you'd arrest anybody else in that situation, then what you did was right," said Steve. "We expect you to do your job, in a professional manner and not discriminate at all. That means that if you need to warn or arrest someone, we expect you to treat gay men and lesbians just like anyone else," Steve continued. With that comment, the officers were visibly assured. After years of hearing people decrying "special rights" I think they may have been afraid that hate crime laws meant that officers might be hassled when they did their jobs as it pertained to the gay community. "We want our police to protect us like they protect others and we want to be treated like others are treated, pure and simple," I said. "No better and no worse than anyone else." And after a few more questions, and a bit of joking, the evening came to a close. From the comments we received on the way out, I think they really started to feel comfortable with the concept of true equality and non-discrimination. And if there are those who are still a little unsure or continue to hold prejudiced views, they also know that they are welcome to their personal beliefs. Professionally speaking, however, they know they must be fair. And while fairness is all we ask, based on what we saw and heard that night, I think this summer's crop of officers will show us that they really do "get it." Fay Jacobs is Executive Director of Rehoboth Beach Main Street, and a member of the CAMP Rehoboth Board of Directors. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 11, No. 7, June 15, 2001. |