hillcrest under fire: our community's call to action 🌈

surveillance? nah. let's bring back stonewall's spirit, with extra sass.

tl;dr: hillcrest's been hit with hate crimes, cops want more cameras, but we're saying "no, gracias" to big brother and "hola, hermana" to community action. keep reading for the juicy details.

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oye, mi gente bella - hiiii.

grab your cafecito and settle in, because we need to have a serious heart-to-heart about our beloved hillcrest. this isn't just another blog post. this is a rallying cry, a call to arms, a demand for action.

our beloved hillcrest, our rainbow-draped sanctuary, is under attack. and it's time we did something about it.

let's start with the harsh truth, because unlike my dating profile, we're keeping it real here. on may 18, 2024, some pendejos decided to play grand theft auto: homophobe edition. they did a drive-by with pellet guns, targeting our lgbtq+ hotspots - rich's, the rail, number 1 fifth avenue, pecs.

three of our familia got hurt, including eddie reynoso, who got shot in the eye at rich's. talk about a bad night out - and eddie wasn't even the one making questionable choices at 2 am, he was at work.

but here's the kicker: this isn't just a one-off incident. it's part of a trend nastier than the porta potties after pride weekend’s over.

according to sdpd data, hillcrest has seen 25 reported hate crimes since 2016 - more than any other neighborhood in san diego. and honey, that's just the reported ones.

how many more go unreported because of fear, shame, or just being too damn tired of this nonsense?

now, sdpd chief scott wahl has announced the installation of 14 new surveillance cameras in hillcrest, saying it’s to protect us during this pride this weekend. on the surface, it sounds good, right? like when that cute guy at the bar says he'll call you tomorrow. but we all know how that usually turns out - let’s not forget our history.

let's take a stroll down memory lane, shall we? and no, i don't mean that time you drunk-texted your ex at pride. the "fruit files" sdpd kept on gay folks in the 70s. the raids on the brass rail and the verde in the 60s and 70s. surveillance has been used to persecute us before, and like bad fashion choices, it can happen again.

just look at what went down in seattle this year - cops using "routine inspections" to raid queer bars and accuse folks of lewd conduct for wearing jockstraps. excuse me, but since when is a jockstrap lewd? in my book, it's practically formal wear!

now, i know what some of you are thinking. "but edgard, i've got nothing to hide!" well, honey, neither do i - except maybe my age and my taco count. but this isn't about hiding; it's about living freely without fear of persecution.

and to those saying, "if you're not doing anything wrong, you shouldn't worry," i say: tell that to every queer person who's been harassed, arrested, or worse just for existing.

and to my pro-police friends: more cameras won't stop another pellet gun drive-by. they might, however, be used to harass our trans siblings or target our undocumented friends - especially if trump is re-elected this november. and let's be real, we've all had bad hair days we'd rather not have immortalized on camera.

but here's the truth bomb, mi gente: saying "the community can protect itself" isn't enough. it's like saying "thoughts and prayers" after a tragedy - nice sentiment, but where's the action? we need to put our money where our mouths are, and maybe take those mouths off the gossip train for a hot minute to actually do something.

the hillcrest stonewall watch

so, what's the plan? what if we brought back the spirit of the stonewall citizen's patrol, but we're making it fiercer than rupaul's werkroom and more organized than a type-a lesbian's toolbox? now, this is not an original thought but i’m an idea person.

so say hola to the hillcrest stonewall watch - this could be a non-profit group that would be a massive collaboration between different hillcrest residents, workers, and businesses. this group would potentially build relationships and partnerships with the kiwanis all-inclusive club of hillcrest, the hillcrest town council, the hillcrest neighbors association, the hillcrest business association, vibrant uptown, and any other hillcrest-based organization willing to step up.

on how to get involved in hillcrest

what should the hillcrest stonewall watch do:

1. community patrols: the hillcrest stonewall watch would organize volunteer patrols to keep an eye on our streets, especially during events and peak hours. think of it as a neighborhood watch with better outfits and sassier comebacks.

   1. i envision this organization having a close partnership with san diego pride and perhaps even receiving funding from them or sponsors to help with security and clean-up.

2. training programs: the organization would partner with organizations for training in de-escalation, first aid, and cultural sensitivity. because the only thing that should be bruised is a fragile straight ego at a drag show.

3. safe spaces neighborhood network: the organization would ideally work to create a network of businesses and places where people can go if they feel threatened. each safe space will be equipped with emergency supplies, contact information for support services.

4. community events: the organization would have regular monthly town halls at the joyce beers community center, and occasionally rotate around the neighborhood. think of it as a tea party, but instead of spilling tea, brewing solutions.

5. documentation team: recruit volunteers to keep detailed records of incidents. because the only thing that should be undocumented in our community is that regrettable hookup from three pride's ago, hahaha.

6. outreach and education: work with local schools and businesses to promote lgbtq+ awareness and ally training. because education is key, and the stonewall watch should be here to slay ignorance.

7. legal support network: the organization should partner with local lgbtq+-friendly lawyers. because the only court we should be worried about is the ball court, not the law court.

now, i know this sounds like a lot of work. and it is. i honestly don’t know where i’d even begin or if i even have the energy and time to devote to something like this. but i don’t see anyone offering much policy ideas - just arguments!

mi gente, we've faced worse. our community survived the aids crisis, weathered storms of hate and homophobia, and even survived countless renditions of "i will survive" at karaoke nights. we can handle this.

on preserving hillcrest’s queer culture

remember, our history is one of resilience and resistance. from jesse shepard and lawrence tonner shacking up in villa montezuma in 1886, to alice lee and katherine teats entertaining presidents while the rest of us were still figuring out how to sneak into gay bars. from the booming underground gay scene during world war ii to the birth of the gay liberation front in 1970. from our first pride parade in 1974 (marching on sidewalks and stopping for red lights, but marching nonetheless) to electing openly lgbtq+ officials like christine kehoe, toni atkins, and todd gloria.

we've come a long way, baby. but the journey ain't over. in 1991, the same year the police first marched in our pride parade, we had 30 hate-motivated attacks in hillcrest. that same year, 17-year-old john wear, who was walking just south of university avenue in hillcrest with two friends when a group of men approached them yelling anti-gay obscenities. they stabbed john to death even though he was not gay - he was at the wrong place, wrong time. in 1999, some pendejos threw tear gas at the family matters contingent in the pride parade. and let's not forget the orlando massacre in 2016.

John Robert Wear Hate Crimes Memorial Plaque, on University Avenue. Source: Rick Cervantes and Benny Cartwright; Facebook.

so what happens now?

so what do we do? we keep fighting. we keep marching. we keep loving. and most importantly, we keep watching out for each other. because that's what community is all about.

this is just me spitballing ideas. i like to think and develop ideas, but as you can probably tell this is not something only one person can do on their own.it’s gonna take many of us to make this a reality.

on hillcrest's future: your chance to shape your neighborhood

hasta la próxima, my beautiful, resilient, rainbow family.

stay fierce, stay safe, and stay ready. because the time for action is now, and honey, we've got work to do.

con mucho amor, un chingo de sass -

edgard 💖

p.s. don't forget to hit that subscribe button, share this post, and get the substack app. because if we're going to start a revolution, we might as well do it with style, substance, and a killer social media strategy. 🌈✊🏽💖