Executive Director of Equality Florida violently arrested for handing
out a flier
The two largest national lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgender (LGBT) rights organizations — the National Gay and Lesbian
Task Force and the Human Rights Campaign — yesterday condemned the Feb. 27
arrest and detention of Nadine Smith, executive director of Equality Florida.
Smith was arrested during a heated hearing before the Largo City Commission in
Florida, during which the commission voted 5–2 to begin the process of
firing its 14-year city manager, Steve Stanton, because he announced his plans
to transition from male to female.
The arrest occurred when Charlie Deppish of Tampa
approached Smith and asked her for a flier that said only “Don’t
Discriminate.” According to witnesses, Sgt. Butch Ward confronted Smith in
the lobby and ordered her to take back the flier. When Smith asked why, Ward
reportedly forced her into a side room where several officers violently shoved
her to the floor and arrested her. She has been charged with resisting arrest
with violence, a felony, and disturbing others’ assembly, a misdemeanor.
Smith has been executive director of Equality Florida, the state’s leading
LGBT advocacy organization, since 1997 and is nationally recognized for her
leadership.
Both organizations called
upon the Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney’s Office to immediately investigate
the incident and drop the
charges.
“We condemn this
outrageous and unprovoked attack on one of our community’s leading
advocates,” said Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and
Lesbian Task Force. “This directly associates the Police Department of
Largo with the appalling bigotry expressed by the hundreds attending the
poisonous hearing attacking an outstanding public servant, Steve Stanton. We
honor Nadine’s courage and dignity through this
ordeal.”
“HRC joins the
Task Force in condemning these actions by Largo police. Arresting a community
leader for simply handing out a flier is disgraceful,” said Joe Solmonese,
president of the Human Rights Campaign. “The city’s bigoted action
against Steve Stanton was shameful in and of itself; its treatment of a citizen
standing in support of Stanton is doubly appalling. We hope actions are taken
immediately by city leaders to remedy both intolerable
situations.”
Posted: Friday - March 02, 2007 at 12:27 AM