Get off my lawn
In front of a quaint green-and-white paneled house, adorning the freshly manicured green lawn on 27th Avenue in St. Petersburg’s Old Northeast neighborhood June 3, laid five derogatory signs. The first four calling for “No Jews,” “No Infidels,” “No Fags” and “No Retards”; a fifth sign read “…Great Again!”
The house – and the signs – are the property of St. Petersburg resident Roland Price. Price spoke with WFLA News Channel 8 and told them that the signs are self-explanatory. This isn’t the first time Price has stirred up controversy and frustration among his neighbors. According to neighbors, he has posted signs in the past displaying his political and social views ranging from Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden. The Tampa Bay Times has also found out that since 2004, the police have been called out to the Price residence 44 different times for aggravated assault, noise complaints, criminal mischief, theft and domestic incidents.
By the morning of June 4 the signs had all disappeared, but not because Price had a change of heart, but because one of the neighbors had had enough. According to several neighbors, someone came in overnight and took them away.
Price’s response? A new sign went up June 10. In big red letters along the top it reads “HEALTH WARNING NOTICE.” The sign continues in smaller, black letters and says: “St. Petersburg Pride Event.” A heavily concentrated mass of homosexuals, many with compromised immune systems (AIDS), will be entering the community in the coming weeks.” The sign goes on to be as ignorant about the LGBTQ community and HIV/AIDS as it can be before finishing with “Contact mayor Rick Kriseman for dates & tines (sic).” Apparently only gays, Jews and infidels use spell check. Bless his heart.
Make us equal
On the one-year mark of the Pulse shooting, Florida Gov. Rick Scott proclaimed it “Pulse Remembrance Day.” One person who was “glad” to hear Scott not only designate the day but also hear him mention the Hispanic and LGBTQ communities was Equality Florida’s executive director Nadine Smith, but she wants him to take that declaration and run full speed with it into complete equality.
Speaking at a news conference in Ybor City June 12, Smith stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Congresswoman Kathy Castor and GaYbor District co-founder Carrie West in calling for Scott to finally sign an executive order that would protect Floridians against discrimination based on their sexual orientation and gender identity.
“We want to make sure that is in addition to, and not a substitute for, the real work of making sure that discrimination is not acceptable in the state of Florida, and he can do that with an executive order and a stroke of a pen,” Smith said at the news conference.
Equality Florida started a hashtag campaign, #HonorThemWithAction, which calls for leaders, community members and elected officials to honor the 49 lives lost at Pulse with action that will benefit the community.
