Hamilton police making headway on Pride report

The Hamilton Police Service is making progress on implementing recommendations that came out of an independent review into the failed response to violence at local Pride celebrations in 2019.

According to a recent update at a police board meeting, the service has fulfilled 22 of the 38 recommendations lawyer Scott Bergman, who led the probe, included in his report. The remaining 16 are still being worked on.

Deputy chief Ryan Diodati said some of the recommendations can't be completed until the next Pride event.

Some of the recommendations that are still outstanding include:

• Staff training on equity, diversity and inclusion; diverse communities; two-spirit and LGBTQ matters; and implicit bias, harassment and discrimination.

• Subsidizing the costs of paid-duty officers at Pride.

• Appointing a facilitator to mediate future community meetings.

• Officers and the LGBTQ liaison officer should meet with Pride organizers to review public safety issues after an operational plan is drafted and before the event takes place.

• The operational plan should be available for officers to review two weeks before Pride in 2022.

• On the day of the event, supervising officers should arrive at the park and connect with organizers well in advance.

The recommendations came from Bergman's report, which found police's response was inadequate" in its deployment to anti-LGBTQ-fuelled violence at 2019 Pride celebrations in Gage Park.

Last year, McMaster conducted a survey on behalf of police to help heal the fractured relationship. A report was created on the findings, which included identifying key qualifications for a potential facilitator for future community meetings between the two-spirit and LGBTQ community and police.

Participants in the McMaster survey want deep changes" in the Hamilton Police Service and to see the service publicly recognize their history of mistreating two-spirit and LGBTQIA+ Hamiltonians," according to the report.

The LGBTQ liaison officer, Sgt. Rebecca Moran, said police are putting out a three-week long public survey to submit names for potential facilitators and review the report.

Beatriz Baleeiro is a reporter at The Spectator. bbaleeiro@torstar.ca