San Francisco police communicated to the public that they would not be marching in this year’s Pride Parade. This is in response to the organizers’ conclusion to not allow officers to wear their uniforms during the annual event.
The San Francisco Police Officers Pride Alliance declared the decision Monday; firefighters and sheriff’s deputies expressed they, too, would not march during The parade down Market Street.
“We need to allow the public to see that our uniformed law enforcement officers are good, they do reflect our community,” declared Jonathan Baxter, who is a San Francisco Fire Department spokesman.
The SFPD will provide security for the Officers who are part of the Pride Alliance. According to the group, it has been talked over with San Francisco Pride Committee regarding including uniformed officers in the
LGBT event, however, could not reach a settlement with the committee members.
Mayor of San Francisco London Breed stated Monday that she would be missing this year’s Pride Parade in reaction to the policy.
“I love the Pride Parade, and what it means for our LGBTQ community and for our city. It’s one of my favorite events of the year. However, if the Pride Board does not reverse its decision, I will join our city public safety departments that are not participating in the Pride Parade. I’ve made this very hard decision in order to support those members of the LGBTQ community who serve in uniform, in our Police Department and Sheriff’s Department, who have been told they cannot march in uniform, and in support of the members of the Fire Department who are refusing to march out of solidarity with their public safety partners.”
In 2019, anti-corporate protesters barricaded the parade trail and were arrested and assaulted by police allegedly. After The murder of George Floyd in 2020, the parade organizers determined to make community members feel safe. As a result, uniformed officers would not be permitted to march in the 2021 parade. The 2021 parade did not take place due to other reasons.
The pride committee of SF responded by creating the untried policy as they followed other major cities around the country that either restricted or denied officers the leisure of participating in the annual celebration. New York City has restricted officials from participating in its parade entirely.
According to sources, the decision was made with respect to the broader community, especially people of color who may not have had positive interactions with police in the past.
Law enforcement responds that they also want to make people feel safe and welcomed. The San Francisco Pride Parade will be carried out on June 26, 2022. It will be the first public inperson parade since 2019.
