“A Gay Officer Caught Between Two Worlds”

“Brian Downey says he was destroyed. It was a day after the mass shooting in Orlando and the detective was walking away from a vigil where his boss, New York Police Commissioner William Bratton, spoke to a crowd of mourners outside of the Stonewall Inn. As Mr. Bratton spoke at the historic gay bar, some in the crowd chanted, “You kill people.” “That vigil was not an accurate portrayal of who the [gay] community is,” Detective Downey said. He added, “The police commissioner is not a killer and I’m not a killer.” The massacre of 49 people in an Orlando … Continue reading “A Gay Officer Caught Between Two Worlds”

Sensitivity Training: LGBT Issues

“Educate and provide sensitivity training for non-LGBTQ law enforcement officers/personnel with respect to issues of employment of LGBTQ law enforcement officers/personnel and providing services to the LGBTQ community at large.” The photo above is a recent photo taken on July 18th, 2017 of some Philadelphia G.O.A.L. members (including myself) as well as Philadelphia’s executive director of LGBT affairs, Amber Hikes, at the Philadelphia Police Academy. Ms. Hikes as well as the members of G.O.A.L. take the time out of their personal schedules to go and teach each and every academy class of new recruits on cultural diversity, sensitivity training, and … Continue reading Sensitivity Training: LGBT Issues

Blog 3: Material

Whether it is published news articles, personal photos that captured a moment, or a video production show casing interviews, all of the material used within this archive is digital artifacts that capture the perspectives and moments lived by the officers of G.O.A.L. in the moment. The material I used in this archive is very reliable because it is all for the most part first hand primary source material that I was a part of or the material was created based upon an event I was a part of. I chose to use mostly photos because I believe a photo lasts … Continue reading Blog 3: Material