Lansing City Council members will hold a public forum this week to discuss ways to make the city safer for transgender community members.
The meeting was scheduled while several transgender community members and allies were speaking during last week’s City Council meeting about alleged threats made at The Avenue Cafe, which police are investigating.
Lindsey, who asked to not share her last name, is one of the organizers behind Lansing Advocates for Trans Safety.
She said the group is asking the city to release a statement on LGBTQ safety, form a LGBTQ board and allocate funding for queer businesses to implement their own safety measures.
“The city needs to say something. The city needs to condemn the attack,” Lindsey said. “They need to reaffirm their support for queer people and the right to be queer in the city of Lansing.”
She said she is optimistic about the meeting.
“The fact that they were willing to give us this meeting so quickly, you know, without any bureaucracy, I think that’s a good sign that the city definitely is willing to listen and definitely willing to care,” Lindsey said.
While Councilman Brian Jackson said the Lansing Police Department would be invited to the forum, some members have asked the city to not have police participate and don’t view increased policing as a solution.
Lindsey said businesses with their own security can respond to any potential situations before they escalate more quickly than police would be able to.
“They’re only able to conduct an investigation and maybe put up some surveillance stuff in the future, which I don’t think is really proactive in actually keeping people safe,” Lindsey said. “I think more surveillance tends to keep people a little bit more on their toes and on edge.”
The Avenue said in a Facebook post that they have increased security procedures at the doors and within the building.
The meeting will be held Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. in Lansing City Hall.