Stonewall Among 10 Groups to Nominate to Proposed Civilian Review Board
February 10, 1998 At a press conference held today at City Hall, City Manager John Shirey, the Reverend Damon Lynch, attorney Alphonse Gerhadstein, and U.S. Department of Justice Mediator Jesse Taylor announced an agreement resulting from several months of mediation between the City of Cincinnati and community groups including the Baptist Ministers Conference, the Cincinnati NAACP, the Urban League of Cincinnati, Metropolitan Area Religious Coalition, Rainbow PUSH and Housing Opportunities Made Equal.
Among the proposals contained in the agreement that will now go to City Council is the creation of a nine-member civilian police review board that would review any complaints of misconduct on the part of the police department. Nomination for six of the board positions would come from 10 community organizations, each of which will nominate two people. From these, the City Manager will select six people. Stonewall Cincinnati is one of the groups listed in the agreement to nominate members of the board. In addition to those listed above who have been involved in the mediation process, the other groups are: Jewish Community Relations Council, Urban Appalachian Council, Women Helping Women, and Hamilton County Community Mental Health Board.
Although involvement in the nomination process does not guarantee representation on the board, Stonewall's invitation to participation in the process is a significant achievement for Cincinnati gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgendered community, showing that the greater community recognizes the need to include g/l/b/t representation in this overall community effort.
Contact: Lycette Nelson
Stonewall Cincinnati
651-2500
