Not something that I wanted to see. Nor should any of you.
This is Police Chief Bryan Reyes of the Palm Springs Police Department and he could just as easily be looking at a picture of my face, Christopher Monti's face, Benjamin Katzenberg's face, Anthony Dabiere's face, Bryan Anderson's face or any number of the victims of electronic harassment here in Palm Springs, California. Unfortunately, in this picture he is looking at the picture of one of two police officers from his department gunned down in a senseless act of violence caused by the ambush of his officers by a man that "wanted to kill the police". What the hell is going on in this country? This man should not have to have this look on his face again.
I've had a lot of bad things to say about this guy pictured above. I stand by them. One thing that I will not say is that I don't feel badly for him today. No police chief should have to feel what he is feeling right now. Police officers should never ever be killed in the line of duty protecting the citizens of their community. I have sympathy for this man and I have tremendous sympathy for their families. I know what it feels like to be ambushed. I too have lost friends to the ambush tactics of Laurie La Tweeker. I know that it is painful and I too am responsible to the police, to the families of the victims and to the public to let them know that I am still doing every single thing that I can to stop the crime of electronic harassment in the LGBTQ community of Palm Springs, California.
In some ways, I am in the exact same position as Chief Bryan Reyes. I have a commitment to the parents of the victims of this crime. As an advocate and champion for the families and as an informant for the police department here and in San Diego, I have to go above and beyond to protect the innocent men and women that I work with to ensure that my team and their loved ones don't meet with the same tragic and senseless violence that Chief Reyes' officers met with three days ago. Nobody should lose in the cause of protecting innocent lives in the interest of justice and peace.
On one hand I have a commitment to law enforcement on several levels. I committed to federal law enforcement when I was employed with the U.S. Department of Justice. Then I committed with the Palm Springs Police Department with Christopher. I've since recommitted with the San Diego Police. I have to be true to what the law requires of me as a victim, witness, advocate and as an informant. I have to follow the law. That means I have to make sure that what I do is legal. I want to ensure the public's faith in the system that wasn't ever really fair to myself or most of the victims in this case. That's not an easy thing to do. I believe in our justice system when it is given a fair chance to work. When it is left to what it true and legal it works. When it is compromised it is jilted into a position that is not fair to the accused or the innocent. That is what is causing a lot of friction these days.
On the other hand I've been on the receiving end of the police ambush as well. I've been the minority. The angry citizen. The minority arrested for no reason over and over again. The raped and released and uninvestigated. The civil rights forgotten and destroyed. I know it isn't easy and it is humiliating. I know the struggle and I know it is completely unfair. I know both sides of the paddle. I know what I've endured isn't fair or just and I've lost much more than I've gained. I've lost a lot of respect for law enforcement over the years in some areas. I'm not easy to convince that change is possible, but I'm still of the mind set that communication and that there are still good positive ways to correct this system without decimating the police department with scandal and improving the relationship between law enforcement and the LGBTQ community. There has to be honesty and integrity. Thus far it's been a lot of take, but not much give. The police have to understand that in a culture of violence against them, this is a potential powder keg of negativity without the support of a team like ours helping them to find a solution and teaching other police departments how to avoid this in their own situations across the country.
Nobody is innocent here. What happened in Palm Springs three days ago is a tragedy that might have been avoidable with better preparation or better communication, but it happened. Now it's a matter of understanding that it could get worse if this Laurie thing isn't handled with honesty. Police potentially spying on citizens? Police ambushing citizens that ended up dead? Guns drawn on citizens? Guns drawn on people walking? People jailed for no reasons? This doesn't make the police look good at all and gives the public ammunition to protect themselves. That creates a hostile environment without an explanations as to why they were like this. My team is ready to help explain this with the police...we want to help. We want to be there to show that we want to stop the violence between the police and the LGBTQ community and the violence between the community vs. the police. Let's come together to explain the animosity in our community to help other communities do the same and at the same time show the world that there is a serious crime happening right now that everyone needs to know about. Save each other.
