Healing and Safer Communities
From multiple reports, including a 2016 report from SDSU and a 2019 report from Campaign Zero and the ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties, we know that in San Diego County, certain marginalized communities – specifically, Black and brown people as well as people perceived to be LGBTQ or people with disabilities – face biased policing and disproportionate violence from San Diego’s law enforcement agencies.
San Diego Pride stands with community partner organizations and community leaders in taking steps toward addressing these injustices in order to keep our communities safe.
Supporting Organizations:
- San Diego Black LGBTQ Coalition
- PFLAG San Diego County
- San Diego Women’s Chorus
- TransFamily Support Services
- Indivisible San Diego
- Change Begins With Me
- Passion Planner
- North County LGBTQ Resource Center
- The Humanity Movement
- Lambda Archives of San Diego
- North County San Diego Women’s March
- Gender Phluid Collective
Over 70 regional LGBTQ-serving organizations initially signed on to our proposal, but due to racist retaliatory threats, Pride went back to these organizations to give them the option to be listed publicly or not. These organizations will still be engaging in the process. If you feel your organization was left off in error, please email [email protected]
Community Leaders:
- Matt Morrow, Executive Artistic Director, Diversionary Theatre
Healing & Safer Communities Committee
Five committee members have joined us to guide these difficult conversations with the community, the organization, and law enforcement. All are members and leaders of the Black LGBTQ+ community, and represent both themselves and two community organizations: the San Diego Black LGBTQ+ Coalition and The Humanity Movement.
Committee members:
- Alex Villafuerte
- Angelle Maua
- Charlie Brown
- Dwayne Crenshaw
- Gloria Cruz
- Jeremy Wells
- John Greenwell
- Mark Maddox
- Max Disposti
- Neill Kovrig
- Olga Cortés
- Rickie Brown
- Ronald Epps
- Sakeenah Gallardo
- Wendy Schlater
- Pride staff liaison: Jen LaBarbera
To contact the committee, please email [email protected]
See the blog below for regular updates about the progress of these phased conversations from Pride staff and our Healing & Safer Communities committee.
Community Survey
Our community survey will solicit feedback from all Pride stakeholders and members of the community – Black, Indigenous, people of color, and white folks – as part of a larger phased effort to better understand the experiences and needs of the Black LGBTQ+ community with regards to law enforcement.
Confidential data from the survey will be used to identify tangible reform, accountability, and transparency goals for law enforcement agencies, while helping Pride understand the best path forward for the organization’s relationships with these agencies.
Black LGBTQ-Centered Conversations and Decisions
All conversations, goals, and paths forward will center the Black LGBTQ community at all phases of the phased conversations and data collection that have been laid out in the Path to Healing and Safer Communities plan. The Healing and Safer Communities committee, made up of Black LGBTQ community activists and leaders, will help guide Pride’s path forward.