On Saturday afternoon, a town hall hosted by Hampton Roads Pride aims to bridge the gap between members of the LGBT community and local law enforcement officers. Southside residents are invited to participate in conversations that HR Pride President Michael Berlucchi said he hopes will address common misconceptions about both communities.
The goal of the town hall, Berlucchi said, is to better educate attendees on issues that the LGBT community faces and continue to build trust between police officers and members of the marginalized group.
For the first time, the police chiefs of all “Seven Cities” will gather to discuss the community’s needs at 2 p.m at the Chrysler Museum of Art.
“There aren’t many times when all seven of the chiefs are all at the same place at the same time, Berlucchi said. “It’s a really big deal and we’re all truly grateful that they’re doing that. I hope it will be the first of many conversations.”
The idea for furthering conversations came to Berlucchi last year while working with the Norfolk Police Department to heighten security for Pride Fest. The yearly celebration took place just five days after gunman Omar Mateen entered an Orlando nightclub and killed 49 people, many of them members of the LGBT community.
“We just had these very comprehensive and meaningful dialogues with law enforcement agencies to address our security needs,” Berlucchi said. “And we realized that an incredibly important tool in police departments were the appointed LGBT liaisons.”
The liaisons, Berlucchi said, help to facilitate conversations and are essential in connecting him with the appropriate law enforcement officials. The liaison positions were first appointed in Norfolk and quickly followed by Virginia Beach.
Norfolk LGBT liaison Sgt. Craig Lovelace, who has been openly gay since the ’90s, said that they heavy police presence at Pride Fest was as advantageous for the department as much as it was for festival-goers.
“We had more law enforcement in that immediate area that day, and it wasn’t just Norfolk,” Lovelace said. “It was good for members of our department to see that crowd and the number of people in the area that are either LGBT or were there to support their family members.”
Lovelace said that Norfolk Police Chief Larry Boone’s participation in the town hall shows how high the support goes in the department and that they’re invested in continuing to develop the lines of communication between the two parties.
“It’s a two-way street,” Lovelace said, “not just one direction. We’re open to listening, too.”
Sgt. Shelly Meister, the liaison for Virginia Beach police, said the position not only benefits members of the LGBT community but has served as an important educational tool for police officers. Having served in police departments for nearly 18 years and a member of the LGBT community, she’s able to answer questions and address concerns on both sides of the conversation.
Meister said she draws inspiration from a quote from her chief.
“It’s hard to hate up close. Our chief says that a lot,” Meister said. “When you start to talk to people and start to understand them, you can really eliminate a lot of preconceived notions or misconceptions about a community that you might not be a part of.”
All but two of the seven police departments have appointed these liaisons, but Berlucchi said he hopes the town hall will change that.
Berlucchi said another intention of the town hall is that it will show police departments that, in a time when criticism of law enforcement has grown, the local departments are appreciated. Not only are the conversations meant to help the position of LGBT citizens, but they also aim to repair perceptions of police officers.
“There’s a bad apple in every basket. There’s no doubt about that,” Berlucchi said. “But the vast majority are caring, passionate and dedicated public servants, and we want to make sure that we get that word out, too.”
