San Francisco's chief of police apologized to the city's LGBTQ community for the way the police officers have treated lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer residents over the years.
It came during a Reflection and Reconciliation session hosted by the Police Department and Glide Memorial Church on Monday night that was billed as an effort to increase trust between the LGBTQ community and police.
"I, and the men and women of this police department, are truly sorry," said Police Chief Bill Scott to the audience. "We're sorry for what happened, we're sorry for our role in it, and we're sorry for the harm that it caused."
Many agreed the apology was long overdue. So why, some asked, is it coming now?
"Because we are listening. We hear you. And because it's time," Scott responded.
But others said simply saying "I'm sorry" isn't enough.
"If you truly want to apologize for something, you have to stop what you are doing," said one person in the crowd, referring to the harassment that homeless people, many of whom identify as LGBTQ, say they experience at the hands of cops. "Every night, homeless youth and other homeless people are targeted by sweeps and being brutalized."
The event came on the 53rd anniversary of the Compton's Cafeteria riot, which, as reported by The Advocate, broke out when San Francisco police were called to evict transgender people who had gathered at Compton's Cafeteria in the city's Tenderloin neighborhood.
