The Department of Community Justice (DCJ) joined the annual Portland Pride Celebration (http://pridenw.org/) at the Tom McCall Waterfront Park on June16th -17th, 2012. DCJ managers and officers in the bike patrol rode and walked in the parade, while other employees staffed the booth along with Portland Police Bureau, Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, Portland Fire Bureau and other Sexual Minority Round Table members. Staff handed out candy, stickers, charms, DCJ Pens and crayons to the crowd and helped answer their questions about DCJ. Employees who volunteered for the event were representing both members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, and Queer (LGBTQ) community and supporters of the LGBTQ community. This year was a record turnout:
- Joslyn Baker
- Mindie Everett
- Donica Fields Addy
- Odelia Garcia
- Diego Cervantes
- Kathleen Treb
- John McVay
- Cassandra Hernandez
- Ashley Freeman Pruen
- Barbara Fletcher
- Jocelyn Kline Johnson
- Lisa Lewis
Angel Harp, Business Process Analyst and DCJ’s Pride Celebration Coordinator, and Joslyn Baker, Collaboration Specialist, also provided additional technical assistance in support of a survey for the LGBTQ community developed by Portland Police Bureau. The survey will shed light on the experiences of the LGBTQ with law enforcement and how the community would like to interact with the Sexual Minority Round Table members. Angel Harp shared, “It was fun to help gather the survey responses during the festival and I believe DCJ could also benefit from learning the results. This is an opportunity for Public Safety officials to hear directly from the LGBTQ community about how they want to communicate and share information”. Results are expected to be made available in the Fall.