Safety concerns prompt meeting in Sacramento’s LGBTQ+ neighborhood

Safety concerns in Sacramento’s Lavender Heights neighborhood have escalated following an alleged hate crime on Halloween night. The concerns led to a meeting at the Sacramento LGBT Community Center on Tuesday, where community members demanded action from police and city leaders.At times, the meeting got heated as the dialogue touched on heavy topics.The meeting was intended to provide a platform for the LGBTQ+ community to engage in open dialogue with Sacramento Police, businesses, and city leaders to find solutions for making Lavender Heights safer. Attendees expressed their fears and frustrations, with one individual stating, “I was beaten. I was beaten four times. I was shoved into a car twice.” Another shared, “They said they were in Lavender Heights and got jumped by a bunch of people.” A third person added, “We built this community and I’m tired of feeling bullied out of our own community.”The forum, attended by a packed house, aimed to shed light on recent issues in the neighborhood. The meeting comes nearly two months after Alvin Prasad was hospitalized after an attack on Halloween night that the Sacramento Police Department is investigating as a hate crime.Alvin’s daughter, Andrea Prasad, told KCRA Tuesday night that he remains in the hospital in a coma. The Center’s Director, David Heitstuman, emphasized the emotional significance of the meeting. “This is a really important emotional issue, particularly following the attack on a community member who is close to us here at the center,” Heitstuman said. “It’s really important for folks to be able to express how they’re feeling about that and for us to have a discussion about what ongoing threats there are or aren’t in the community.”Community members directed questions at the panel, which included the center’s director, City Councilmember Phil Pluckebaum, the Sacramento Police Department, and the Midtown Association. The conversation occasionally became heated, with calls for increased police patrols met with a candid response. “I’ll be a little less diplomatic. Sacramento PD is about half-staffed staff and we’re not going to be able to make staffing level commitments to immediate service levels. They are demand-managed rate, so they’re going to respond to the highest priority calls,” said Pluckebaum.The panel discussed plans to increase lighting in Lavender Heights and train businesses on recognizing and reporting potential hate crimes. However, some community members left feeling that no immediate progress had been made. One attendee expressed, “I think the sentiment here is tonight that I’m hearing from a lot of people is you haven’t given us anything to do today and tomorrow. We want to know what it is that you’re doing right now to empower us tonight and tomorrow.”This meeting was the first of many planned by the center to continue addressing these concerns. People who have experienced or witnessed an incident can report it confidentially to the center or by clicking here.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

Safety concerns in Sacramento’s Lavender Heights neighborhood have escalated following an alleged hate crime on Halloween night. The concerns led to a meeting at the Sacramento LGBT Community Center on Tuesday, where community members demanded action from police and city leaders.

At times, the meeting got heated as the dialogue touched on heavy topics.

The meeting was intended to provide a platform for the LGBTQ+ community to engage in open dialogue with Sacramento Police, businesses, and city leaders to find solutions for making Lavender Heights safer.

Attendees expressed their fears and frustrations, with one individual stating, “I was beaten. I was beaten four times. I was shoved into a car twice.”

Another shared, “They said they were in Lavender Heights and got jumped by a bunch of people.”

A third person added, “We built this community and I’m tired of feeling bullied out of our own community.”

The forum, attended by a packed house, aimed to shed light on recent issues in the neighborhood. The meeting comes nearly two months after Alvin Prasad was hospitalized after an attack on Halloween night that the Sacramento Police Department is investigating as a hate crime.

Alvin’s daughter, Andrea Prasad, told KCRA Tuesday night that he remains in the hospital in a coma.

The Center’s Director, David Heitstuman, emphasized the emotional significance of the meeting.

“This is a really important emotional issue, particularly following the attack on a community member who is close to us here at the center,” Heitstuman said. “It’s really important for folks to be able to express how they’re feeling about that and for us to have a discussion about what ongoing threats there are or aren’t in the community.”

Community members directed questions at the panel, which included the center’s director, City Councilmember Phil Pluckebaum, the Sacramento Police Department, and the Midtown Association.

The conversation occasionally became heated, with calls for increased police patrols met with a candid response.

“I’ll be a little less diplomatic. Sacramento PD is about half-staffed staff and we’re not going to be able to make staffing level commitments to immediate service levels. They are demand-managed rate, so they’re going to respond to the highest priority calls,” said Pluckebaum.

The panel discussed plans to increase lighting in Lavender Heights and train businesses on recognizing and reporting potential hate crimes.

However, some community members left feeling that no immediate progress had been made.

One attendee expressed, “I think the sentiment here is tonight that I’m hearing from a lot of people is you haven’t given us anything to do today and tomorrow. We want to know what it is that you’re doing right now to empower us tonight and tomorrow.”

This meeting was the first of many planned by the center to continue addressing these concerns.

People who have experienced or witnessed an incident can report it confidentially to the center or by clicking here.

See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel