Gay Street Patrols Guard The Castro

[davidinalameda]

http://www.365gay.com/Newscon06/11/112506sfPatrol.htm

Three men in orange ball caps and jackets walk through San Francisco's predominantly gay Castro neighborhood. It's after midnight on a Saturday night and the street is busy with people heading to the area's bars and clubs.

Ordinarily the pair might look as though they are members of a team on their way to a team function. But they are part of a new community street patrol aimed at stomping out homophobic attacks before they can get violent.

Police say crime in the Castro has not risen noticeably, but many residents disagree.

On Halloween night a shooting spree wounded nine people and left another person injured in the ensuing panic. Several weeks earlier police confiscated a gun from a man stopped on the street. In late summer two men reported being attacked and raped on the street.

[wake.up.america]

1. In addition, more education concerning gays - there is a lot ignorance about...

the gay community, which leads to fear and subsequent violence.

[xchrom]

2. k&r

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. A really good idea

I like the fact that the patrol goes with the cops to act as witnesses and community liasons--and the whistles are a good idea.

[William769]

4. I wished we had this in more cities.

[mitchtv]

5. The problems occur a block or two away

where the predatory punks hide in the shadows and fall upon those who walk home alone. I wonder how my old friends of Gay Guns(predecessor of Pink Pistols) are doing?