Disruption at Pride backfires
The standoff between Black Lives Matter (BLM) and Pride was a sad example of opportunism and capitulation. BLM has some very valid concerns; and I suspect that, had they presented them to Pride in a rational and businesslike manner, Pride would have addressed them appropriately.
But for BLM to disrupt a parade to which they had been specifically invited was discourteous and shameful. As for Pride’s signing a document accepting their demands, it’s hard to say no when you have a gun to your head.
Perhaps Pride will reconsider inviting this group to their parade again next year. As for the odious requirement that police floats be barred from subsequent parades, the City should deny a parade permit to Pride unless both parties find a way to rescind this part of the deal.
The police do make mistakes, as do we all. But BLM has to realize that if this represents the regard in which they hold police, then they should not be surprised if the police treat them with an equal measure of disrespect. Ronald Weir, Thornhill I have completely lost my respect for BLM, an organization for which I previously had the utmost sympathy. Holding the Pride parade hostage and extorting concessions are the actions of a criminal body not one seeking just social change.
LGBTQ people have struggled mightily to gain equality in this society, as have black people. For BLM to try to coerce Pride into playing their game is disgusting. And to try to ban police participation in Pride, after it took years for Pride to gain a better relationship with the police — please!
BLM sees no other path than aggressive confrontation, and is trying to force other groups to follow the same path. Beware. Greg Terakita, Toronto BLM pulled quite the stunt. That there remains a great deal of work to be done between the police and the black community is no secret. The LGBTQ community has been there. There are still homophobic police, but the relationship between us has improved dramatically. The police are welcome to march in my parade. Perhaps BLM’s cause would be better served by meaningful dialogue at the table instead of refusing to sit at it. Rob Graham, Toronto The public response to the BLM sit-in has been mostly met with disappointment due to the disruption of a parade schedule, which is challenging to reflect on because Pride is a sociopolitical event. It has to be until LGBTQ persons are safeguarded and fully supported by law, citizens and institutions.
How are we of colour to take Pride? Alternative tactics are being offered to radical moves such as delaying traffic and parade sit-ins, but we of colour read these suggestions as they are surrounding by news of two more black men killed in America: Alton Sterling and Philander Castile. Two more black lives taken by police and, ironically, the conversation to be had is about the pros and cons of taking others’ time.
The question is “Who cares?” And not as a reductive jibe, but who is down for the cause of supporting and safeguarding the value of black lives? This world has yet to convince me that we matter as much as we inherently ought to. Ryan del Sol, Brooklin, Ont. While attending the Gay Pride parade, I reflected upon how fortunate we are to live in such a great city — one of diversity, acceptance and inclusivity.
Unfortunately, my mood was dampened upon discovering that Pride executive director Mathieu Chantelois agreed to the demand of BLM to ban police floats from future parades. I’m appalled at how someone in that position could fall prey to such bullying and could condone such blatant disrespect for the people who serve and protect us.
Yes, black lives matter, all lives matter, and our police services matter! Who ya gonna call, Mathieu? Rebecca Jubis, Newmarket A cagey but disrespectful move by BLM. The right to demonstrate doesn’t mean that one can stomp on the rights of others.
The parade was launched 40 years ago by a small group as a statement of their right to be gay and to invite everyone in future years to take pride in being a member of the LGBTQ community and to express that pride through the event, which now includes a million people from around the world.
Why would BLM want to interrupt that celebration and bully organizers to agree to demands like the exclusion of the police float? Pride has done a great job of making the event inclusive and has worked with the police and politicians to better understand the LGBTQ community and their rights.
BLM’s message and mandate is strong and necessary. But there is timing for everything that matters. To step on the rights of Pride because you have a beef with the police is not acceptable, drains support for your cause, and is simply wrong.
Congratulations to everyone who kept their cool dealing with such a blatant intrusion of their rights on a special day and to Pride’s Mathieu Chantelois for his reaction under fire. Mike Faye, Toronto As a white male, I have no frame of reference for the type of oppression at the core of this situation. However, as a gay man I know about intolerance.
And I disagree with the notion that the police should be excluded from the Pride parade.
After the bathhouse raids of 1981, gay men felt angry and persecuted. It took a lot of time and effort, and many community meetings, but eventually the two sides opened a productive dialogue, which led to the relationship we have today. Is it perfect? Absolutely not. But I am a firm believer in working together to solve problems.
The police are necessary to keep order in any community. While the people involved in BLM no doubt have legitimate grievances, keeping the police from participating in Pride will serve no purpose but to widen the divide. John Osmond, Toronto The BLM demonstration shows just how out of touch some members of the black community are in regard to gaining equality in our society. The gay movement came out of a situation of abuse and discrimination by the police to reach a position of respect and equality in the eyes of economic and political bodies. Demonstrating at a parade of people who successfully gained the attention of the government is useless and embarrassing to black communities and BLM.
We as black people don’t have to demonstrate, riot, call people down, trash politicians, complain about abuses, etc. All we have to do is minimize the conflict in our communities, respect others, defend ourselves, and turn our efforts inward. Calvin Lawrence, Toronto Gay Pride, Black Pride, Senior Pride — and the list grows, inclusive of each and every human dynamic in our spectrum. The Pride Parade is a symbolic, colourful, fun and deeply meaningful expression of what the human condition should be, along with the depth of appreciation to those who express it including BLM and our police forces. I take no pride in any group that hijacks any celebration of life. The Pride leader did what he had to do. He should not have been forced into that corner.
There is a time for pride, parades and for protest. But timing is everything. Don Graves, Burlington BLM should remember that if they persist with their rude behaviour at Pride, this might turn off other guests with common interests from coming to their own party to promote the BLM cause. Like all good causes, BLM should resist embracing the values it hates. A good guest knows how to host others. Tony D’Andrea, Toronto Former prime minister Pierre Trudeau envisioned Canada as a “Just Society” in which “the rights of the minorities will be safe from the whims of intolerant majorities.” BLM got it wrong and bullied Pride Toronto so that the rights of the majority — Pride participants and others — were not safe from the whims of the intolerant minority. Dennis Kucherawy, Toronto There’s a time and a place for everything but certainly not here. BLM didn’t garner much support for the cause from those in attendance or watching with this kind of disruptive behaviour and then holding the parade hostage for a signature. And no uniformed or police presence for future parades (and gatherings)? In these times and conditions that certainly sounds just a little crazy. Marty Fruchtman, Toronto Our taxes pay for policing. If we ban police floats, perhaps no taxpayers should be allowed to attend future Pride parades either since they are the ones financing and enabling the police force. Omar Sharif, Toronto BLM has a legitimate case to make. I am saddened, though, that its expression seems to come at the cost of the Pride parade. Such, I guess is life. But I don’t want to see our Pride torn down. Kathleen Gallagher Ross, Toronto If BLM wants to protest something, let them protest the number of black youths killing black youths in our city. It’s not up to them to decide who marches in the Pride Parade. Gary Slippoy, Toronto BLM’s action did not help their cause and tarnished the Pride organization by giving into their demands. I thought the idea was to work with police, not to alienate black people from our police force. They are making police out to be the enemy. They might focus their attention on the gun violence and killings in the predominantly black neighbourhoods, where black lives matter. John Petersen, Uxbridge There was no victory. Contracts signed under duress are unenforceable. Gordon Phillip Brown, barrister, Toronto The day when saying “I am gay” or “I am straight” has the same impact on every facet of our lives will be the day we will finally be a fair society. Rochelle Hatton, Toronto BLM Toronto is, for me, like the Toronto Maple Leafs. I want very much to support them but their actions just keep making it harder and harder to be a fan. Jeff Burke, Toronto BLM has worthy goals for the black community, but disrupting this event has only alienated many people. It’s true that there have been some police shootings of blacks that were somewhat suspect, but the same police are protecting ordinary citizens who wish to enjoy these events so that there isn’t a repeat of the Orlando tragedy. Relations be- tween police and the black community are already strained. Actions such as this will only exacerbate the situation. Warren Dalton, Scarborough
“Relations between police and the black community are already strained. Actions such as this will only exacerbate the situation.” WARREN DALTON SCARBOROUGH
This kind of manipulative behaviour should not be tolerated in future. Public sympathy and support for BLM will not continue with this kind of action. Sunday’s display was arrogant, outrageous and totally unacceptable. Of course, black lives matter — all lives matter! Beverley Royston, Toronto Re Black Lives Matter protest scores victory, July 4 Why would the Star proclaim this in a loud headline? How can any victory be achieved by blackmail and, indeed, extortion? How can a victory be ascribed to a group of misguided individuals disrupting a celebratory parade and choosing to bully the celebrants and participants. Blackmail and extortion should never result in any victory and the Star should not have proclaimed such. This parade should be about inclusion and tolerance, not intolerant exclusion. J. Brunins, Britt, Ont. The juxtaposition of the story covering the disruption of the Pride parade by BLM (and the subsequent radio and TV interviews about that little bit of street theatre) with that of the vigil held in Jamestown for murder victims Candice Rochelle Bobb and her unborn child (on which there were no similar subsequent interviews), is not merely telling but damning. It is further proof that for both the media and the city’s self-anointed guardians of social and racial justice (in some cases the same people), some black lives matter more than others. Adam Lynde, Toronto The parade was dedicated to the Orlando deaths and Tuesday’s news should have reflected that. To allow an “in your face” group, which has not had a gay agenda, to hijack the parade and the followup press is unacceptable. I live in the middle of the celebrations. I want more police on my street. I do not want some group and the head of the parade jeopardizing the police presence on the street.
The head of Pride Toronto should resign from any further involvement. When faced with blackmail, you say no. Ken Demerling, Toronto I was in the parade at Yonge and College and the crowd was far from supportive of the sit-in. After a while chants of “move the truck” resonated, and not just from the crowd but from the First Nations group that followed the BLM truck in the parade. When the BLM group finally moved, the crowd let out a resounding cheer. While the Pride committee may have signed off on BLM’s demands, both groups diminished their own positions by this co-opting of the celebrations. How does the committee reconcile the notion that the parade is about inclusion by then specifically excluding one group? David Pelletier, Toronto The Pride parade was an outstanding event until BLM decided to include themselves. Who the hell do these people think they are? Who gave them the right to decide who does and doesn’t appear in the Gay Pride parade? A sad day for our city that these bullies get their way again. Gary Slippoy, Toronto Our Pride event was taken over by a group of people who pushed their own agenda over the beliefs and values upon which the event was founded. They halted the parade in order to push their own agenda and harnessed the opportunity of the public stage to further their own beliefs. A contract was then signed to exclude an organization from future events. How is this in the spirit of inclusiveness? Shame on Pride organizers. This group overtook an event in support of the LGBTQ community and made it theirs, when it didn’t involve them to begin with. They were honoured guests at the parade this year, and took full advantage of a loving and welcoming community Daren Goodchild, North York