The Impact of Police Trauma on My Life

Here Come the Police Last night, a friend stopped by with some meals for me. I jumped in the car with her to avoid the torrent of rain. She was parked behind my house in an alley, but under a streetlight. We chatted about our days, caught up on assorted things. It was maybe 20 […]

My Fear of the Police Kept Me From Rallies in the Street

Two pairs of handcuffs

I really wanted to participate in a No Kings rally today. But I was afraid. For 22 months, I’ve coped with the traumas of my interactions with police during and following the fraudulent involuntary civil commitment authorized by Allegheny County OBH on Sunday, August 27, 2023. The police failed me that day and on ensuing […]

Black Trans Man Tony McDade Killed by Police in Florida

The fatal police shooting we aren’t discussing involved a 38-year-old Black trans man named Tony McDade. Tony was killed by police this past Wednesday in Tallahassee, Florida. He’s accused of stabbing another man to death immediately prior to being shot five times by a police officer. His final Facebook live shares his plans to retaliate […]

I Have Never Had To Put My Hands Up For The Police

Hands Up Don't Shoot

UPDATED Earlier this week at 1 PM, I stood outside my home in observance of the 4.5 minute tribute to Michael Brown. I wasn’t able to join my Northside neighbors a few miles up the street so I stood alone on my block in the freezing sleet. It was definitely uncomfortable, but not just because […]

Five Essential Lessons From Pittsburgh Pridefest 2014

Pittsburgh Pridefest

I am breaking my silence on events that unfolded at Pittsburgh Pridefest. As some of you know, my partner of eleven years is an investigator with the City’s Office of Municipal Investigations so I do not comment publicly on active investigations of alleged police misconduct. But there are some serious problems with how the LGBTQ community is responding to this […]