Monday 19 August 2013

Cops replace LGBT go between - Surry Hills

As always I take anything that comes out of a cops mouth with a huge grain of salt. On this occasion however this new cop go between for the LGBT community in Surry Hills looks sort of promising. At least he's talking the talk:
From the LGBTI community’s standpoint, 2013 Mardi Gras was not a shining moment in policing. It started with the YouTube video of Jamie Jackson going viral around the globe and ended with a public forum where the police came under fire. Community allegations included brutality, perceived homophobia, excessive force, strip searches and too many sniffer dogs at the party. 

At the time Crandell said he “had some work to do” and promised things would be different come 2014. Today speaking to SX, Crandell said he takes “full responsibility” for what happened at Mardi Gras, saying he understands why the community could be so outraged. 

“There’s a history there. You look at the history of Mardi Gras. You look at the fact it wasn’t until 1984 that homosexuality was decriminalised, for goodness sake. The history prior to that was awful. 
“I can understand people not having that trust in the police. I can understand why they would be outraged. For the LGBTI community, they looked at the 2013 parade and it looked like 1978 to them. I don’t ever want to go back to that. I don’t ever want the community to feel that.” more
But you know I'm jaded as hell with the NSW police. We will see next Mardi-Gras in 2014 if the policing situation has changed.

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