CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, Ill. (WAND) – In what is being called a “statement of solidarity”, Uniting Pride of Champaign County will no longer allow law enforcement agencies to take part in the pride parade.
“As protests in solidarity with George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and so many other Black lives cut short by police violence spread across the country, it is essential that we look at the ways that police brutality, racism, and mass incarceration affect our community here in Champaign County,” the group said in a Facebook post.
As part of the announcement, UP Center of Champaign County announced while it will no longer allow uniformed police officers to march in the pride parade, it will work with the Champaign Police Department “to find alternatives to using squad cars for road closures, traffic blocks and parade marshaling.”
“LGBTQ+ organizations in particular have a responsibility to all those who take to the streets to fight for justice,” the post said. “As we re-examine what pride means over 50 years after the Stonewall Riots, we know that it is no longer enough to celebrate this month business-as-usual. We take into consideration the case of Aleyah Lewis, a Black woman who was beaten and arrested by Urbana Police Department officers responding to an unrelated 911 call. We take into consideration the 27 protesters on Sunday, May 31st who were met by police in riot gear who escalated the situation in a blatant show of unnecessary force.”
The group will allow police officers in plain-clothes to take part in events. UP Center of Champaign County also announced that after reflection of its own, it would be making changes as well.
“Some of the steps we will take to work toward a racially just and anti-racist movement include openly supporting the work of groups working against racism and/or on behalf of youth and communities of color (e.g., signing on to petitions, attending events, co-sponsoring events), ensuring that we advertise our events and meetings in ways likely to reach LGBTQ+ people of color, (and) collaborating with organizations and groups that employ and work with people of color.”
