After a series of violent incidents, some in the Amsterdam rainbow community are wondering what the results of a report or declaration via Roze in Blauw. The police network, founded in the late 1990s for and by queers, says it understands the frustration but – just like elsewhere in the police force – it is struggling with understaffing. President Faycal el Ouaret emphasizes the importance of reporting. “Tell us, we are here for you.”
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Absolutely, says Donald Collins: the Pink in Blue police network helped him a lot with his report. “They facilitated it well, I think. And they were compassionate.” Collins, better known by his drag queen alter ego Skyla Versai, was refused a taxi the Sunday after the 2023 Pride. Video footage shows how the driver then appears to deliberately turn the car towards Collins, hitting him hard as he speeds away.
The empathy of the officers, who voluntarily do their Pink in Blue work in addition to their regular duties, was a boost for Collins – especially because he did not feel heard by the regular police during his first attempt to report the crime. “They gave me a piece of paper with a telephone number. I had to call it.” He can still get angry about it. “How can you brush someone off like that when someone just tried to kill him with a car?!”
Threshold-reducing
That is precisely why Pink in Blue was created in the late 1990s: to keep the threshold for reporting gays, lesbians and other queers as low as possible. “We are also a place where pink police officers can meet each other, for camaraderie,” says Faycal el Ouaret, chairman of the Amsterdam Pink in Blue network. “And other agents can contact us for questions with a pink edge.”
But the supervision of tax returns does not always go smoothly either. Steven Gibbs, also a drag queen, is pushed to the ground and beaten up by a number of men at the end of November. “I thought the reporting started slowly.” Because an agent is only available a few days later.
Steven Gibbs, right, has been wearing a sling since the attack – NH Media
Because an error was made during the report, victim assistance for Gibbs was also delayed. Gibbs, who suffered a torn tendon from the attack and requires surgery, is currently unable to perform and has seen his income drop significantly.
Research
The critical notes of Gibbs and Collins do not stand alone, says Laura Jak. As a researcher at Movisie, a knowledge center that deals with social issues, she questioned Roze in Blauw agents and queers about the functioning of the network. “The results of this research will be known in the spring, but outside of this research we often hear that cases are sometimes handled slowly, according to the experience of victims.”
“We advise that Pink in Blue should communicate well what they can and cannot do for someone”
Laura Jak, researcher
Communication is also a point of attention, says Jak. “Then someone made a report, and then they no longer heard what was happening with the case. While: someone shares something very personal and sometimes a traumatic experience and then you have the feeling that it is not being handled sensitively.”
That also happened to Donald Collins. “The last I heard was that it would be sent to the Public Prosecution Service. After that I didn’t hear anything anymore.” Gibbs also initially heard little about his case, but was informed in February that a number of suspects were in the picture.
Communication
Another problem is that the queer community sometimes has unrealistically high expectations of Pink in Blue: members of the network help with reporting, but the investigation proceeds just like any other case. “We do indeed see one there disconnect“, says researcher Jak. “We therefore advise that Pink in Blue should communicate well what they can and cannot do for someone.”
Donald Collins at work as Skyla Versai in Blend XL – AT5
According to Collins, the willingness to report crimes within the queer community is now under pressure. “It feels like no one cares. And I’m not the only one who feels this way. People walk around with guns because they’re afraid.” Collins doesn’t find this surprising: “If you can be attacked on the street without consequences, what’s to stop someone from beating someone up again?”
Pink in Blue chairman El Ouaret understands the frustrations and points to the staff shortages that also affect other parts of the police force. “But please keep reporting. Tell us, we are here for you.” Because what comes first for him: discrimination and intimidation cases such as Roze in Blauw, which he often receives, have absolute priority for the Amsterdam police. Moreover, the reports and reports can help to visualize the incidents – and thus contribute to the police policy of the future, says El Ouaret. “Roughly speaking: we have to be able to prove it. Otherwise we cannot demonstrate the feelings of insecurity.”
Have you faced discrimination or harassment because of your sexual orientation or gender identity? Pink in Blue is available 24 hours a day on 088-1691234.
Do you not want to file a report, but do want to report an incident? You can report discrimination to rural of regional reporting point .
2024-02-26 06:03:11
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