BARTLESVILLE, Okla. — Bartlesville City leaders said they’re adding police presence to this year’s pride event at Unity Square Park. They said it’s because of an unexpected wave of protesters two years ago and want everyone’s rights protected.
City staff said they were left trying to decide what steps to take after people claimed the drag show was a wrongful use of public space. They said there are no state laws against public drag expression, and anyone is welcome to attend and watch.
2 News spoke to Paul Gambardella in downtown Bartlesville.
“I think it's important that we accept all forms of personal expression, even if we don’t agree with them," Gambardella said.
While Gambardella supports public personal expression, not everyone agrees. Comments on social media suggest that the event shouldn’t have happened at all.
City staff reached a resolution and said officers at the event would be required to have training in maintaining people's behavior and will have body cameras. They also met with people planning to protest and event organizers Bartlesville for Equality to express each side's rights.
Andrew Ward is the deputy chief of police in Bartlesville.
“We’re going to have everything gated off; there will be barriers, but we do allow the protesters and the event host their rights we have to," said Ward.
The previous year, the drag portion of Pride was not held in a public space. Gambardella thought the best solution was the city's transparency regarding security.
“Nobody deserves to live in a community where they are fearful of retaliation or fearful for their safety because of self-expression," said Gambardella.
The event will be held September 14th from 3 pm-6 pm.
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