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Pittsburgh LGBTQIA+ Commission to Draft Statement After Police-Led Compliance Check at Local Bar
Summary
The commission heard from Commander Eric Baker and commissioners about a recent multi-department compliance check at a bar hosting a fundraiser, raised concerns about transparency and trauma, and voted unanimously to draft a public statement and pursue policy/training follow-ups.
The Pittsburgh LGBTQIA+ Commission voted unanimously on May 20 to draft a public statement about a recent multi-agency compliance check at a local bar that commissioners said alarmed patrons and organizers.
Commissioners discussed the event after the commission’s chair invited Commander Eric Baker, the LGBTQIA liaison to the police department, to explain the city response. Baker described the aftermath and said he was troubled by the department’s “almost zero organizational empathy” in follow-up conversations inside his agency. “I was surprised to find … the sort of lack of interest, the disinterest was alarming,” he said.
Commissioners said the check — described in the meeting as involving a task force of multiple departments and as many as 20 or more people — took place during a fundraiser for True Tea and involved armed personnel among inspectors and officers. Several commissioners said the…
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