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Pride Toronto Welcomes Police to Attend Parade (Without uniforms, weapons, cruisers)

C

CazTGG

Member
The organizers of Toronto’s Pride parade say they welcome police participation in the event in so much as uniforms, weapons and cruisers are left at the police station.

A statement released by Pride Toronto Sunday night states “LGBTQ+ police officers and their allies are not banned from the parade.”

“We welcome and encourage their participation to add to Pride this year as members of our community,” the statement read. “LGBTQ+ police officers and their allies can march in the parade with community groups, with the City of Toronto, or even create their own group.”

“We are simply requesting that their participation not include the following elements: uniform, weapons, and vehicles.”
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Source: http://globalnews.ca/news/3433966/toronto-police-pride-parade-ban/

Make perfectly reasonable demands that clarify what we've all been saying if old.
 
A

Angelus Errare

Banned
Hey look it's the same thing Pride has been saying forever.

Watch people continue to be purposefully obtuse and talk about the poor police are being discriminated against and other stupid shit.
 
W

weekev

Banned
I don't get it. So if there's trouble because some ignorant asshole tries to intervene they don't want the police to do their job and protect them? I'm also not sure dictating what the police can and can't do is a smart move.
 
D

Dongs Macabre

aka Daedalos42
weekev said:
I don't get it. So if there's trouble because some ignorant asshole tries to intervene they don't want the police to do their job and protect them? I'm also not sure dictating what the police can and can't do is a smart move.
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No, police are still doing police stuff. They just won't be in the parade in uniform.
 
A

akira28

Member
weekev said:
I don't get it. So if there's trouble because some ignorant asshole tries to intervene they don't want the police to do their job and protect them? I'm also not sure dictating what the police can and can't do is a smart move.
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i don 't think they're saying police can't do crowd control. just that they don't do their police float, and they don't do any parade participation activities in uniform.

That's reasonable isn't it?
 
R

Ryuuroden

Member
weekev said:
Ah ok, fair enough then. So this is because of historical abuse of the community? Yeah I guess I can see how that makes sense.
Edit yep Akita that's reasonable.
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There is a feeling in the black community that police do this as tokenism to excuse the fact that outside of these events they purposely terrorize and kill minorities for fun. "how can we hate minorities and such when we march with them" I understand the hate of the police because it is literal fact that there is a very document able trail of evidence that points to there being a general lack of empathy or care in the police force toward minorities.

As to weather this is reasonable request, I think if people are uncomfortable with police presence in the actual parade due to historical context then I do think they have this right to request that the police who want to participate don't wear the uniform. As long as police aren't showing off their blues and weapons then they are welcome. AKA don't ask, don't tell, wearing the uniform is kind of an affront to minorities until systematic change happens so support but don't broadcast your affiliation. Be proud to be a supporter as a human rather than part of a organization with a bad history. It has nothing to do with not wanting police to protect the event.
 
A

Angelus Errare

Banned
Ryuuroden said:
There is a feeling in the black community that police do this as tokenism to excuse the fact that outside of these events they purposely terrorize and kill minorities for fun. "how can we hate minorities and such when we march with them" I understand the hate of the police because it is literal fact that there is a very document able trail of evidence that points to there being a general lack of empathy or care in the police force toward minorities.

As to weather this is reasonable request, I think if people are uncomfortable with police presence due to historical context then I do think they have this right to request that the police who want to participate don't wear the uniform. As long as police aren't showing off their blues and weapons then they are welcome. AKA don't ask, don't tell, wearing the uniform is kind of an affront to minorities until systematic change happens so support but don't broadcast your affiliation. Be proud to be a supporter as a human rather than part of a organization with a bad history. It has nothing to do with not wanting police to protect the event.
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Pretty much.
 
A

akira28

Member
maybe an invitation to the empathy buffet, not so much a negotiating table. provided they leave their guns and their badges at home, since they can be an impediment.
 
A

Angelus Errare

Banned
Escape Goat said:
I don't understand what they're trying to get by making the demand in a LGBT parade. Is this supposed to bring law enforcement to the negotiating table?
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No. Pride TO is just refusing to normalize the narrative that police brutality towards these terrorized groups is overstated because "they were in their parade".
 
W

weekev

Banned
Ryuuroden said:
There is a feeling in the black community that police do this as tokenism to excuse the fact that outside of these events they purposely terrorize and kill minorities for fun. "how can we hate minorities and such when we march with them" I understand the hate of the police because it is literal fact that there is a very document able trail of evidence that points to there being a general lack of empathy or care in the police force toward minorities.

As to weather this is reasonable request, I think if people are uncomfortable with police presence in the actual parade due to historical context then I do think they have this right to request that the police who want to participate don't wear the uniform. As long as police aren't showing off their blues and weapons then they are welcome. AKA don't ask, don't tell, wearing the uniform is kind of an affront to minorities until systematic change happens so support but don't broadcast your affiliation. Be proud to be a supporter as a human rather than part of a organization with a bad history. It has nothing to do with not wanting police to protect the event.
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Thank you for your explanation. I'll be the first to admit I'm genuinely ignorant about the issue and this makes complete sense. I can see both sides of the argument however. If I were a current serving police officer I'd want to show that that wasn't what I was about and show that as a police officer I'd stand alongside the LGBT community, so I'm glad the organisers clarified the ban didn't exclude them, only their uniforms and stuff.

Expect they will attend as a group with "PRIDE in the police" t-shirts or something similar.
 
R

Ryuuroden

Member
Escape Goat said:
If you want realistic reforms, yes, there is. Otherwise wed have solved this by now.
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Or you could argue there hasn't been reasonable reforms because the police see victims of police terror as something to bargain over rather than something that should just be unacceptable period? I'm sure it gets a bit tiring for minorities to hear "oh don't worry, we will gradually stop abusing you" "You just need to tolerate it for a few more generations what you have been living with for many generations already."
 
A

akira28

Member
reforms weren't really coming before, so what changes with this? "we can't have our police float, now we're really annoyed with you. you can forget those reforms negotiations we weren't having. lack of police floats really sours my stomach at the thought of reform"
 
R

Ryuuroden

Member
akira28 said:
reforms weren't really coming before, so what changes with this? "we can't have our police float, now we're really annoyed with you. you can forget those reforms negotiations we weren't having. lack of police floats really sours my stomach at the thought of reform"
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Well if that's how the Police come out in their hot take of this then that just proves BLM's fucking point doesn't it?

EDIT: As in, if the police feel insulted by this then it kinda proves the belief that they are just there so they can point at it and say "see look at us, we support discriminated groups, we are in their parade," when they commit another act of terror on a minority. A police member who truly supports the community really should have no reason to be mad about this. The community can find the police that really do support them with this method. The police members that actually understand their complaints and acknowledges it by supporting it as a member of the community not as a member representing the uniform.
 
E

Escape Goat

Member
Ryuuroden said:
Or you could argue there hasn't been reasonable reforms because the police see victims of police terror as something to bargain over rather than something that should just be unacceptable period?
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You're going to get unanimous agreement that a biased police force is unacceptable. That's easy cover. How do you get people to say we need changes to stop another Trayvon Martin or Eric Garner situation and all of these other unnecessary deaths from happening? That's going to take negotiations with Conservatives. I don't think saying you can't wear your uniform in a Pride parade advances this goal.
 
A

A Link to the Past

Banned
Escape Goat said:
I don't understand what they're trying to get by making the demand in a LGBT parade. Is this supposed to bring law enforcement to the negotiating table?
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I don't know why people keep characterizing BLM as being uninvolved in the LGBT community. Trans POC for example are significantly more likely to be the targets of violence.

Escape Goat said:
You're going to get unanimous agreement that a biased police force is unacceptable. That's easy cover. How do you get people to say we need changes to stop another Trayvon Martin or Eric Garner situation and all of these other unnecessary deaths from happening? That's going to take negotiations with Conservatives. I don't think saying you can't wear your uniform in a Pride parade advances this goal.
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Negotiations have failed. The most innocuous suggestion of police reform is met with the most fiery rhetoric and chest beating over police. Why should we continue to try a failing strategy instead of a different one? Maybe if we ignore conservatives and move on into the future, that will be what advances the goal?
 
E

Enzom21

Member
Escape Goat said:
He was acting in place of one as a rent-a-cop. Trayvon death didn't have to happen and yet Zimmerman is a free man.
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Wasn't a rent-a-cop either. He was a self appointed "neighborhood watch captain" and he wasn't acting in place of any type of authority.
 
E

Enzom21

Member
Escape Goat said:
I am aware of that. But let's keep nitpicking. It's fun.
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No, doesn't seem like you are.
There is no nitpicking here, you keep stating incorrect information and people are correcting it.
So what is there to negotiate when it comes to police brutality?
 
E

Escape Goat

Member
Enzom21 said:
No, doesn't seem like you are.
There is no nitpicking here, you keep stating incorrect information and people are correcting it.
So what is there to negotiate when it comes to police brutality?
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It feels like your just looking for an argument and not realizing we are on the same side. Please read my posts.
 
E

Enzom21

Member
Escape Goat said:
It feels like your just looking for an argument and not realizing we are on the same side. Please read my posts.
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Not looking for an argument, I am looking for clarification to your posts.
You don't seem to understand why BLM would make demands of an LGBT parade(as if there no black LGBT members).
I think it is pretty obvious why BLM would not want police celebrated at a pride parade.

I don't think there is anything negotiable about how police treat black people, so you and I are very much not on the same side.
 
G

gutter_trash

Banned
Enzom21 said:
Not looking for an argument, I am looking for clarification to your posts.
You don't seem to understand why BLM would make demands of an LGBT parade(as if there no black LGBT members).
I think it is pretty obvious why BLM would not want police celebrated at a pride parade.

I don't think there is anything negotiable about how police treat black people, so you and I are very much not on the same side.
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same BLM chapter that branded Justin Trudeau as a White Supremists?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWWI6lQ1JwA
 
A

akira28

Member
Ryuuroden said:
Well if that's how the Police come out in their hot take of this then that just proves BLM's fucking point doesn't it?

EDIT: As in, if the police feel insulted by this then it kinda proves the belief that they are just there so they can point at it and say "see look at us, we support discriminated groups, we are in their parade," when they commit another act of terror on a minority. A police member who truly supports the community really should have no reason to be mad about this. The community can find the police that really do support them with this method. The police members that actually understand their complaints and acknowledges it by supporting it as a member of the community not as a member representing the uniform.
Click to expand...

lol I'm not sure if it was Pride Toronto or another city, but the police tried to have the parade defunded after they were disinvited. That speaks volumes. If they wanted to show up as men and women, lgbtq and not, in support of pride, that's one thing. But it really does seem like unless they can represent The Police, floats, photos and social media galore, they become much less supportive.

Miles X said:
No? Why on earth would it be.
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It seems reasonable. What makes you say that it is not reasonable?

I know it does make it harder on them, they actually have to be supportive instead of just looking it.
 
Astral Dog

Astral Dog

Member
Huh. i thought they were asking about going without shirts
images
 
A

AntraxSuicide

Banned
Alienfan said:
Do the police normally rock up to pride festivals with weapons and vehicles?
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Not usually, but I'm sure some well-meaning cops who are allies or LGBT might want to show support as cops. But that can be more trouble than the payoff is worth since cops freak people out when they're decked out.

I'm sure the Pride organizers wouldn't mind if cops marched in Toronto PD T-shirts or something.
 
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