Newspaper Page Text
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VOL. l, NO. 9 PUBLISHED IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA 25 cents
Atlanta Gay Leaders
PRESS POLICE TO END
ENTRAPMENT TACTICS
ATLANTA, GA. Atlan
ta’s Metropolitan Commu
nity Church (MCC) was the
scene of a spirited forum on
police practices in the Gay
community. Police Inspec-
tional Services Division
Director Eldrin Bell, Lt.
Mock of the Vice Division
and Officer Parks of the
community Relations Divi
sion exchanged questions
with Joyce Burris, MCC
member, Roger Dottin,
acting Executive Director
of Atlanta Community Re-
1 at ions Commission,
Brooks Franklin, private'
attorney, Gene Guerro,
President, American Civil
Liberties Union of Georgia,
Commissioner Bill Smith
of the Atlanta Community
Relations Commission and
Director of the Gay Help
Line, and the Rev. Jim
Snow, Asst. Pastor of At
lanta MCC.
The forum moved quick
ly to the problem of Vice
Squad entrapment of gays.
Director Bell insisted that
present methods were used
primarily to protect homo
sexuals from those who
would prey on them. He
made referance to increas
es in robberies and as
saults of homosexuals, and
also of homosexual mur
ders. Citing statistics for
murders, Bell noted a rise
from two in 1972 to three in
1973.
Guerro and Smith con
tended vigorously that the
current mode of vice squad
operation completely failed
to reduce such crimes as
robbery and assault, and
demanded that vice officers
be removed from the com
munity and be replaced by
uniformed officers.
Lt. Mock of the Vice Di
vision cited one instance
where vice officers posing
as “hustlers” on Cypress
Street were fired upon from
a passing automobile, using
the incident as justification
of the existence of. Vice of
ficers to reduce assaults,
robbery-and murder of Gay
people.
Under questioning from
Commissioner Smith,
Mock admitted that the of
ficers failed to stop the as
sault or to obtain the auto
mobile’s liscense plate
number. Lt. Mock admitted
further that there are no
statistics on the number of
assaults on Vice Officers
when they posed as homo
sexuals.
Smith conceded th^t such
activities in areas like Cy
press Street may have
some good effect, out took
strong exception to what he
called, “those quiet con-
★★★ NATIONAL NOTES ★★★
Portland, Ore. - A new job rights ordinance in Portland,
Ore." has deliberately ommitted “sexual orientation”
from protection. The clause was dropped from the bill-
which specifies race, religion, color, sex national ori
gin and age as illegal grounds for discrimination-be
cause of objections from the local chamber of commerce.
New York City-National gay organizations are prepar
ing torally against a forthcoming “Marcus Welby, M.D. ”
series which revolves around the rape of a junior high
school boy by his male science teacher. The program is
tentatively scheduled for airing October 8, on ABC.
Bruce Voeller, Executive Director of the National Gay
Task Force, charged that the program will leave the
viewers with the impression that homosexuals are vic
ious, preying child molesters.
New York City-Intro 2, the controversial and once de
feated New York City gay civil rights bill has been rein
troduced into the city council by Carter Burden (D-Man
hattan} and fifteen co-sponsors. The first public demon
stration in support of the bill was staged by fifty mem
bers of the Gay Activists Alliance and the Gay Synago
gues, in front of the Rabbinical Council of America on
Continued on page 2
THE BARB'S STUD OF THE MONTH
Courtesy
Michael’s Of Florida
versations between Gays
and Vice Officers in the se
clusion of the Tree Trails
or the Scent Garden. ’ ’
Director Bell seemed to
sense the validity of the
panel’s questions, and pro
mised to make a stjudy of
Vice Squad methods. Bell
intimated that “if the pre
sent operation does not re
duce assaults and rob
beries, we will change,”
but added. “I have heard
nothing here tonight that
would convince me to make
that change right now.”
The panel did agree that
uniformed police personnel
need to be more sensitive
to the Gay community. Bell
Indicated that he would wel -
come suggestions for Gay
oriented sensitivity train
ing for police recruits. He
promised that no office in
the police department
would be closed to the ques
tions of homosexual citi
zens and that he was willing
to return to MCC for fur
ther discussion of the Gay
community problems.
Bell closed his remarks
by urging Gay citizens tq
work with the police de
partment in preventing
crime and to outline the
types of changes the com
munity feels are necessary
to provide the type of pro
tection that is needed.
