WILTON MANORS DISCUSSES GROWING SAFETY CONCERNS

By John Hayden

With state sanctioned oppression and rising vigilante threats, the definition of what constitutes safety and a safe environment is in flux for the LGBT community.

On May 8, HotSpots! held HotTopics!: Town Hall What Is Safety? at Island City

Rogers asked if the survey collected data such as racial demographics. Blocker said it did not, but acknowledged it was a good idea and would consider it when the survey goes out again in this autumn.

Stage.

Jasmine Rogers and Jameer Baptiste moderated the panel of community servants and activists. They include Wilton Manors Commissioner Chris Caputo, Assistant Police Chief Darren Broadsky, Police Chief Gary Blocker, Carvelle Estriplet, a trans woman and business owner, World AIDS Museum Executive Director Terry Dyer, and Equality Florida field manager Mary EakinsDurand.

All shared their experiences interacting in and around Greater Wilton Manors. Each had a unique perspective and story to share. Dyer talked about being attacked while walking home from The Drive. The incident left him shaken.

The packed house listened to each story and statistic, then submitted their questions in written form.

Baptiste and Rogers kept the forum moving, while also stopping at key points to ask follow up questions. At one point, Chief Blocker was discussing the quality-of-life survey the city puts out to gauge feelings about WMPD.

Rogers asked if the survey collected data such as racial demographics. Blocker said it did not, but acknowledged it was a good idea and would consider it when the survey goes out again in this autumn.

After several topics, action points were noted and benchmarks for success were discussed.

You can watch the entire forum online at hotspotsmagazine.com.

May 18, 2023 • Volume 10 • Issue 10

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