Comments
Please wait...
Comments are closed.
Commenting on this item is available only to members of the site. You can sign in here or create an account here.
is a proud member of the
media network
media network
All contents © Index Newspapers LLC
800 Maynard Ave S, Suite 200, Seattle, WA 98134
800 Maynard Ave S, Suite 200, Seattle, WA 98134
The police might not be apathetic but city revenues aren't exactly increasing and the Seattle still has a freakishly small number of officers.
Jobs, safety, community: done and done.
I did just tell you that isn't what they really wore. God I hate the Slog.
Dan, the police were on our side well before Q Patrol / Q Safety Patrol "fizzled." As your rival notes, the group(s) disbanded because gay bashings were becoming less frequent. And I'd speculate that the incredible amount of time, energy and money involved also worked against the group's long-term survival.
If you hate it, e, why do you still comment?
"I'd speculate that the incredible amount of time, energy and money involved also worked against the group's long-term survival."
Yeah, God forbid you might take too much time away from going to the bars and the baths...
a Republican Mayor
Q Patrol wore: black pants, white t-shirt or sweatshirt with the blue Q logo on it and black (or red, designating leaders) berets. Oh, and it was started by and mainly populated by women - I often get the sense from comments that people have this mythical swishy drag queen image of the patrol that just isn't true.
I have no idea if or where there might be stats on crime prevention, especially in terms of gay-bashing. The patrol was there for everyone. But I do know first hand that there were many instances where the patrol was able to de-escalate situations or break up fights in progress - although most of the time we were a roving information booth. The Patrol worked WITH the SPD and developed a pretty good relationship with them.
I agree with Dan that the need for having a civilian patrol has changed significantly (and especially the point that lots of people are clamoring for Q Patrol to start again but no one seems to be stepping forward to do it themselves), but there are plenty of people involved with the leadership of Q Patrol still in Seattle. Why not talk to them?
what about pink panties?
Between the classes on non confrontational confrontations, the actual patrols, learning self defense and the amount of time with community leaders discussing their effectiveness and/or their wardrobe selections...ya they didnt have time for the bars or baths. 'Cause we all know how the baths and bars are just overrun with lesbians....@12 your ignorance is astounding.
Thank you for telling your story.
It's not surprising that it was the lesbians that started it. WAAAY too many gay men buy into the "weak and powerless" stereotype.
I'm not stupid. I may not be Mr. Gay Northwest, but I do I know that lesbians don't go to bathhouses, OK?
oh right.
Dinkins and his sidekick the Easter Bunny.
@12 "Yeah, God forbid you might take too much time away from going to the bars and the baths
@23 "WAAAY too many gay men buy into the "weak and powerless" stereotype
You dont have to be Mr Gay NW to recognize internalized homophobia trying to be disguized as really bad humor. Come on up to Seattle and see how we roll up here before you make a bunch of snarky comments that just make you look like your education of "gay lifestyle" has been handed to you by BRAVO. There were gay men that participated in QPatrol, gay men who could most probably hand you your ass while wearing pumps and pink panties and lisping "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"...when you're signed up for QPatrol and your time is over taxed trying to make your commmunity a safer place from queerbashing frat boyz who believe all gay men embody "Jack" from Will&Grace THEN I'll give you a break...OK?
Dan is right, "But everyone seems most interested in someone else bringing back Q-Patrol." Too bad no one wants to do the heavy work.
Second Point: Gay men seem be taking the most beatings and who the hell stands up, with the Big Boobs and does the bulk of the work? THE LADIES!
Gay men are such whiners and babies it's an embarrassment.
In Seattle it was first an extension of the Guardian Angels but only for a few months, then became independant and rapidly built into a real class Queer act which was on the streets, visible, well trained and beloved on the Hill after a couple of years.
I was involved, and SGN was one of our our biggest solid long term supporters, bought us gear and gave us free space to assemble and have a desk, and keep/store our stuff.
It could be revived by ACTIVist energy, don't wait for Pride or the GSBA to offer any real help. Not their style.
The cops tried to block the patrols, very defensive about an un invited crime fighting all citizen thing as forced partner fighting crime. Again, after several years the relationship got very cozy and mutual. The East precinct worked well and very closly with Q-P. after some trust was established.
Do we need it again. I say, YES. For all the good reasons stated so far. The problem is the new activist wave is young, getting a long term project together needing some money and hundreds of hours this far - that has not emerged for any project..... now if it could be done online .....
Are the cops really much better - yes, but remember they are now really good at PR as well, so I wonder sometimes if much has changed at the nitty gritty precinct level.
The bottom line: people are still getting bashed in OUR hood, and naturally, we want to do a better job defending ourselves. As helpful as the police are, they can't be everywhere at once.
Anything we can do to make the bashers feel like their being watched would be helpful, whether it's Q-Patrol, neighborhood watch signs, surveillance cameras, or more butchy gay and gay-friendly guys willing to hang around late at night and pound some basher skulls if need be.
When they said "No", I told them to "Knock the shit off, you ain't cops. And if you are going to try and intimidate people, make sure you can back it up with force."
Maybe something like this would be more useful? Or some sort of text/iPhone/cellphone service which let people say where they were and where they were going and help people find a "buddy" to walk home with? There must be some unemployed computer genius in town who could figure this out.
Symbolic patrolling seems a little dated, but some sort of active helping presence might work.
That's it? Your story makes no fucking sense, dude. One night you thought these guys were staring at you and that told you how they spent all their time? Come on.
I realize that you are an ignorant jerk whose mind can't be changed on the subject, but maybe there are some others out there who are willing to
@25 Thanks for not reading my post, much less clicking through the first link I provided. Nowhere did I say (as you imply) that Dinkins was responsible for lowering NYC's crime rate. I did imply that Giuliani can't be given credit for lowering NYC's crime rate.
I realize that you are an ignorant jerk whose mind can't be changed on the subject, but maybe there are some others out there who are willing to stop drinking the Kool-Aid.
It is not a story. That is what happened. It was not two dudes, it was a very butch girl and a guy.
I guess my agro appearance did not agree with them as to who should be able to walk around in capital hill. I am a traditional (non-racist) skinhead. They were staring and trying to intimidate me, it was laughable to say the least.
So a group who goes around trying to prevent people being harassed due to their perceived appearance, were harassing me because of my perceived appearance.
To The Homophobes It May Concern:
I am Q Patrol. I am a patrolman of one. I do not wear a baret of any color or a T-shirt with a logo. What I do wear is a Glock 9...it matches my handbag. I'm that femme-boy you yell "faggot" out the car window at as you speed by. Fine. You do that...but remember the "speed on by" part. Because if you and your buddies do decide to, oh I dunno, pull over and jump out of your car and beat down a girly faggot the size of a 12 year old girl...um, well I AM a Q Patrol of one and you'll see just how tough a faggoty looking kid with hardware is. I assure you that lavender bullets kill just as efficiently as a straight guy's bullets.
Just an FYI.
Enjoy your evening out, but stay the hell away from me.
xoxoxoxo
Oscar Wilde-Childe
All it takes is one or two front page stories about a homophobe getting taken out by a badass twink and the bashings will stop.
@40: Skinheads as a whole are not racist, only a small faction that co-opted the dress are.
As a note, I have defended plenty of gay friends. But the Q patrol might have started out as something good, but it turned into something REALLY stupid, just like the Guardian Angels did.
@40: Skinheads as a whole are not racist, only a small faction that co-opted the dress are.
As a note, I have defended plenty of gay friends. But the Q patrol might have started out as something good, but it turned into something REALLY stupid, just like the Guardian Angels did.
Here's where I'm coming from: I'm a gay guy, but I don't really fit into any gay "mainstream," which, honestly, is mostly geared toward twenty- and thirty-somethings. But I do go to the bars about once a month (and am able to tolerate the soulless club music for a few hours), and I see enough to be able to recognize some general truths about the gay male community. (I can't and won't say anything about the lesbian community because, frankly, I don't know enough about it.)
For one thing, I really do see more shallowness and materialism among the gay male population than I do among the general population.
Another thing is, you see SOOO many guys buying into the stereotypes (benign and not-so-benign), and yes, you can argue that it's straight society throwing that stuff at us, but we, as independent, thinking individuals, DO HAVE the option of rejecting that shit and saying, "Fuck you, I like the way I am!" Too many don't take that option. I guess it's just the same conformism that you see among straight folks, but it makes me sad to see it. And to see a young gay guy buy into the "I'm weak and helpless" stereotype is even sadder. (Major props to Oscar Wilde-Childe! I hope that you're for real, kid.)
Finally, there's the issue of nobody wanting to step up to the plate in gay organizations, which has been brought up by others. In my (out) life, I've been very disappointed with the vast majority of gay organizations I've joined or tried to join or looked into joining, so I'm skeptical of the attempted start-up (or revival) of ANY gay organization. In my experience, they're either falling apart when I join, or don't get off the ground at all. A problem of "nobody stepping up to the plate"? Maybe. But maybe not; I see other factors, like gay male bitchiness, at work here.
Now, it IS fair to ask, "Why didn't YOU step up to the plate?" Well frankly, I never saw enough interest or committment on the part of the rest of the membership (or potential membership) of any organization I've looked into to make it worth my time. And the few that WERE well-run and drama-free didn't need me to step up like that. I doubt that I'm alone in saying this.
I know I'm pretty pessimistic in my attitudes towards "my community" (I know there's the old taboo of not washing your dirty laundry in public), and I wish I wasn't that way, but I can't help what I see.
You keep repeating that you're not one of those racist skinheads -- but nobody asked if you were racist. The problem is that even "traditional" skinheads who claim to not be racist are still violent, and they still target queers.
Nobody wants skinheads around. Least of all in a gay neighborhood. You fucks can't even be around each other without somebody getting stabbed. Tell the truth: it isn't just the Q Patrol that gives you the stink eye. Every-fucking-body gives you the stink eye. Take the hint, dumbass.
If I could get five buddies of mine to go patrol the streets, I think that could be great. But attempting to form some big queer coalition with a mission statement would only result in me walking off angry after watching it degenerate into arguments over socialism, gender identity, and gay white male oppression.
And that's if things went well.
I know a lot of skinheads claim to be nice people, but nobody else says that about them. Kind of like Crips, Hells Angels, Nazis and other type vermin. If somebody says "I am a Crip" or "I am a Nazi," I don't really care if they say they're the nice kind of Crip or Nazi. Everyone knows there isn't a nice kind. Only suckers believe that PR bullshit about how it was those other guys who ruined their sterling reputation.
But if you like them so much, invite some fucking skinkeads over for tea. No doubt it will be fun for all.
This came up in an earlier post, but I want to repeat it. Your situation may be different, 38, but for most people enjoying a night out on Capitol Hill, carrying a weapon is impractical, illegal and potentially dangerous. Weapons are prohibited in any 21+ area of an establishment, CPL or not. Handling a weapon after drinking is irresponsible. Brandishing a weapon is rarely a good choice for deterring an attacker. Furthermore, in a dense neighborhood, the chance of having a safe shot without injuring nearby people is practically non-existent.
Seriously.
And Glock 9's are worse for a number of reasons, all having to do with people being, on average, really really stupid about gun safety.
Just. Say. No.
as all the police seem to want to do is be the PORN POLICE Lately
It wasn't necessary that they prevent or intervene - just there presence and eyeballs were enough to keep people civil. I would love to see the Q Patrol return. I'll take them cookies and juice when they pass by :)
As I recall, from what I learned after joining in '97, the Q Patrol came out of a desire by several people to DO something about the violence in-and-around Capitol Hill. Initially, the training appeared to be more "traditional martial arts" type of stuff, but at some point early on - the Guardian Angels heard about this and offered to train them in the tactics and methods that they had developed over years. This "co-habitation" of GA and QSP lasted for some amount of time, with members alternately wearing either the GA uniform or the QSP (red berets vs black, red "Angel" symbol vs the coiled snake, black fatigue pants, non-steel toe combat boots). Evidently, at some point in...late 1996? The QSP more-or-less "broke away" from the GA and at that point, all you would see were street patrols in QSP uniforms. Some might have thought we were "goofy", there were even some folks who thought we were a "rap group". But "Group recognition as a visual deterrent" was very real, and incredibly effective.
Did it make a difference in the community? More than, I honestly believe, could EVER be measured. There were numerous times when we would be walking along Broadway and someone would say, "Hey, you know when you were all down at Pine? A fight was about to break out and then you all came around the corner and everyone suddenly found somewhere else to be instead." Did we break up fights? Absolutely. Did we also help people who needed a blanket, or an escort to their car in the dark, or information on somewhere to go to get something to eat or shelter? All the time. Some of the most rewarding, meaningful "work" I have ever done in my life. But people change, environments change, I don't know - exactly - but there is that stigma where when nothing is happening, people wonder why should there be a patrol? We had so many QSP members in the height of it - "25 brothers and sisters you never knew you wanted" and any sacrifice was completely ignored in the opportunity to be a part of something bigger then any of us. Does that "spirit" still exist? Who knows. Are there that many people willing to walk in the freezing rain for hours and not feel like quitting when *nothing* happens by the end of the night? Probably. Wasn't any of us, but that's just how it was back then. It saddens me that the patrol fell apart after I moved away (not that I was the "glue" holding the group together by ANY means), and I cheered every time I saw an article talking about the QSP coming back....but it doesn't seem like it has really happened yet.