NYC Pride on Friday announced that it
will reduce the presence of law enforcement at its events.
According to The New York Times,
uniformed police and corrections officers will not be allowed to
march in New York City's annual Pride parade. Heritage of Pride,
which organizes the parade and related events, said that it would
reconsider the ban in 2025.
“NYC Pride is unwilling to contribute
in any way to creating an atmosphere of fear or harm for members of
the community,” the group said in a press release.
Heritage of Pride said that it would
instead use private companies to help keep their events safe.
Police will also be asked to keep a
one-block distance from all in-person events.
Heritage of Pride said that the move
was sparked by an increase in violence against marginalized groups,
specifically BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) and
transgender communities.
“The sense of safety that law
enforcement is meant to provide can instead be threatening, and at
times dangerous, to those in our community who are most often
targeted with excessive force and/or without reason,” the group
said.
“NYC Pride is unwilling to contribute
in any way to creating an atmosphere of fear or harm for members of
the community.”
“The steps being taken by the
organization challenge law enforcement to acknowledge their harm and
to correct course moving forward, in hopes of making an impactful
change,” the group added.
According to the Times,
the ban extends to the Gay Officers Action League, a group of LGBT
police.