photo by: Mackenzie Clark

Protesters begin to gather at the southwest corner of 11th and Massachusetts streets on Wednesday, June 5, 2019, where inside the county courthouse, the Douglas County Commission was about to read a proclamation declaring June 2019 LGBTQ+ Pride Month. The protesters opposed disproportionate numbers of people of color and LGBTQ+ people in the Douglas County Jail. Douglas County Commissioner Patrick Kelly is pictured, in lavender, speaking with some of the protesters.

Inside the Douglas County Courthouse, supporters packed the county commission’s meeting room Wednesday for proclamations of LGBTQ+ Pride Month and National Gun Violence Awareness Day.

Outside on Massachusetts Street, however, a group of protesters held signs, spoke with passersby and handed out a different notice: “No Pride in Jail Expansion: An Honest Douglas County Pride Proclamation.”

A Journal-World reporter saw about 15 protesters gathering at 11th and Massachusetts streets, in between the commission’s work session and the start of its 5:30 p.m. regular meeting.

photo by: Mackenzie Clark

Protesters begin to gather at the southwest corner of 11th and Massachusetts streets on Wednesday, June 5, 2019, where inside the county courthouse, the Douglas County Commission was about to read a proclamation declaring June 2019 LGBTQ+ Pride Month. The protesters opposed disproportionate numbers of people of color and LGBTQ+ people in the Douglas County Jail. Douglas County Commissioner Patrick Kelly is pictured at center, in lavender, speaking with some of the protesters.

Several protesters came into the courthouse during the Douglas County Commission’s official proclamations. They stood quietly in the back, holding signs bearing messages such as “You can’t rainbow wash prison slavery”, “No pride in jail expansion” and “No justice, no pride”.

One of the protesters, Kincaid Dennett, later told the Journal-World that some folks in attendance estimated a turnout of about 25-30 between those outside and the ones who came into the courthouse.

During public comment, Miguel Roel addressed the commission. He identified himself as a member of the Lawrence community, as well as a bisexual Mexican American man. He said he and some other members of the queer community in Lawrence had concerns about continued incarceration and “undemocratic attempts to continue to expand the jail.”

He read the group’s statement, which says that LGBTQ+ people are disproportionately targeted by the legal system and subjected to incarceration. It also says that group experiences increased rates of sexual and physical violence while in jail.

photo by: Mackenzie Clark

Miguel Roel, of Lawrence, reads a proclamation in opposition to expansion of the Douglas County Jail during a Douglas County Commission meeting on June 5, 2019. It read, in part, “As members of the LGBTQ+ community in Douglas County, we reject any and all shallow celebrations of our existence that are not followed by meaningful action. We commit ourselves to increasing levels of agitation until our community is provided with the justice and resources it needs to not only survive, but thrive.” Earlier that day, the commission had proclaimed June 2019 as LGBTQ+ Pride Month.

It also demands that the county invest in alternatives to incarceration and “and resources for marginalized people instead of filling cells with our community members, particularly LGBTQ+ Black, Brown, and Native folks.” It also calls for dedicated funding to create a Queer Resource Center in Douglas County.

“As members of the LGBTQ+ community in Douglas County, we reject any and all shallow celebrations of our existence that are not followed by meaningful action,” the statement reads. “We commit ourselves to increasing levels of agitation until our community is provided with the justice and resources it needs to not only survive, but thrive.”

In addition, the statement says that “we currently stand on land stolen from the Kaw and Osage people.”

“We must also acknowledge that many of our Black comrades’ ancestors were stolen from their home and forced to build the bedrock of wealth upon which this country was founded, and continue to face the brunt of violence enforced by the police and the carceral system; both of which are a continuation of chattel slavery,” the statement says.

It goes on to say, “The (LGBTQ+ Pride Month) proclamation put forth by the County Commission may nominally recognize the value of our Queer community, but it is not a substitute for struggle, especially when there continues to be a glaring divide between what the County Commission claims to value, and what they commit actual material resources to addressing.”

Editor’s note: This story has been corrected from a previous version.