After mounting pressure from local residents and community activists, District of Columbia Mayor Adrian Fenty has agreed to meet with Gays and Lesbians Against Violence (GLOV) on January 16 to discuss increasing incidents of violence against LGBT people in the Washington, DC area. Here's their press release:
JANUARY 1, 2009 — Mayor Fenty took a significant step forward in showing DC's GLBT community that he is serious about the issue of violent crime by recently granting a meeting with GLOV. The meeting is scheduled for January 16, 2009 and Police Chief Lanier will also attend. "Mayor Fenty has shown great foresight by inviting Chief Lanier to the meeting," said Chris Farris, Co-Chair of GLOV. "We know that our police play a crucial role in solving the problem and we look forward to hearing how he and the MPD are working to end the violence plaguing our community as well as how he plans to see that justice is served on behalf of the victims." GLOV has already met with police officials, prosecutors at the U.S. Attorney's office, members of the D.C. Council, and members of other community groups in an effort to better understand the problem and advocate for solutions. "The problem of bias crimes is complex and we believe the Mayor understands that it must be addressed on multiple levels," said Todd Metrokin, GLOV Co-Chair. "We applaud his leadership on this issue and are looking forward to seeing progress."
The Metropolitan Police Department is still offering a $50,000 reward for the murderer of Durval Martins, a gay man I was acquainted with who was killed on December 16.
