December 29 marks the end of my fourth year contributing to the Burghosphere. 

Wow. And to commemorate the event, someone posted the obligatory women are fat/mentally ill/unbelievable slant in the comments section.  I must be doing something right (write?) if I still generate that sort of sniveling response from people who want me to just shut up.

Ha. 

Fortunately, there are a few folks who seem to appreciate the other things we tackle here on this blog and the general coolness of the lesbian vantage point.  To our delight, a few of those folks have stepped forward with their own guest posts.  It is an honor that they took time to celebrate with me. 

Without further ado ... the Correspondents ...

Well, well, well.  It has been quite a week for us here at Lesbian Central as we get ready to celebrate our 4th anniversary on Tuesday.

First, the always surprising Mr. Potter singled out our blog and Maria of 2 Political Junkies for "shout outs" of sorts in his Christmas Eve summary of gifts he's received from Pittsburgh's bloggers.  So much for my ongoing labeling him as a typical middle aged heterosexual male MSM type, huh?

Personal thanks go out to Sue Kerr, of the ever-instructive Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents blog, for introducing me to Daylin Leach's Twitter account. Leach is a state Rep from out east, and while I've written about him before, I'd never have bothered to check out his tweets otherwise. Which would have been a big loss, because these are great.

"Ever-instrucive" from Chris Potter is like Clarice telling me I'm cute.  Plus, he's paying attention to my attempts to get folks to follow my Twitter list of PA and Pgh politicians http://twitter.com/#/list/PghLesbian24/politicians-pgh-and-pa

(PS. Leach is a Senator, not a Rep but I think Potter throws us a few blogging bones once in awhile so he can keep his alternative street cred)

Granted, I'm not the biggest fan of Senator Leach, but I willingly admit that his usage of Twitter is both impressive and fearsome. I predict he'll win me over with his winsome tweets and wry manipulation of 140 characters.  Social media is the way to my heart.

If that wasn't the most awesome anniversary present of all, today I made the Cutting Edge section of the Post-Gazette.  Of course, it is about domestic violence because the female bloggers are burning up the blogosphere on the topic of girlfriend-battering Eugene Hlavac. Calling him a thug was the most printable thing I had to say about him.  Until the FOP resinstates him.  Then ... I might end up with one of those $10,000 free speech settlements.  LOL.

Anyway, happy early anniversary to us!  We have some guest posts coming up this week so stay tuned for good stuff.

 

Prepare for a week of year end "round up" columns and stories, "Best Ofs" and all sorts of summaries by the opinion leaders. 

E.J. Dionne identifies a 2009 shift:

It is 2009's quiet story -- quiet because it's about what didn't happen, which can be as important as what did.

In this highly partisan year, we did not see a sharpening of the battles over religion and culture.

Yes, we continued to fight over gay marriage and arguments about abortion were a feature of the health-care debate. But what's more striking is that other issues -- notably economics and the role of government -- trumped culture and religion in the public square. The culture wars went into recession along with the economy.

The most striking transformation occurred on the right end of politics. For now, the loudest and most activist sections of the conservative cause are not its religious voices but the mostly secular, anti-government Tea Party activists.

Man, am I in trouble.  In between the festivities, I spent time on the phone and email trying to verify the KDKA report on Hlavac on which I reported yesterday.  No other media outlet picked up the story which has led a few folks to ask me if I accurately reported on the KDKA story.

I spent some time chatting with the KDKA and PG newsdesks.  KDKA told me that they stand behind the story and I was careful to reiterate the information presented: Hlavac received letter terminating his employment with the City and his lawyer did say on camera that they would fight for reinstatement.  I did learn that it was Marty G who interviewed the attorney, not Andy Sheehan. To be fair, if I got that fact wrong I could certainly have made mistakes otherwise, but I don't believe I did. 

Howver, the Post-Gazette told me that this information is wrong and that KDKA's producer had a different take on the interview, stating that Hlavac received notification that he will face an internal hearing on Monday with the decision on his future with the City determined pending the results of that hearing.

FWIW, I did ask KDKA about the story not being posted on the web and they informed it was too short at 20 seconds.  They offered to connect me to the web department to argue otherwise, but I declined when it dawned on me that I was sitting in the car allegedly picking up the pies while a piping hot holiday meal waited for me at my sister-in-law's house.

So there you have it. LOL.  OK, so all you still have are my reports on a story aired on KDKA and conversations afterwards.  There's no official confirmation from the City that Hlavac has been fired.  Realistically, the City was closed after the KDKA segment so when it reopens on Monday and the hearing takes place, the entire issue could be moot. 

I reviewed yesterday's post and most of it is based on the story which did run in the Post-Gazette.  The primary concerns about the FOP attitude toward domestic violence presents the bigger threat to women in the community than what I perceived to be the media's inattention to what seemed breaking news (with the exception of KDKA). That was more of a swipe at the MSM. 

Here are the pieces relevant to the coverage:

Now, last night on KDKA, Ken Rice reported that Hlavac has been fired.  One of the investigative reporters interviewed Hlavac's attorney who claimed he would fight for reinstatement along with custody of his son.  Yet, this morning that story is not the KDKA website.  Nor is reported in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette or the Tribune Review.  In fact, the PG has a story by Jerome Sherman that is now out of date because of this breaking development.  Thus, I have no source for my claim that he was fired, except for the fact that Ledcat watched the news with me and I'm betting a few of you did as well. 

This is especially worrisome given the heightened fear Pittsburgh women rightfully feel about police response to DV calls and the fact the holiday tensions can give rise to spikes in DV situations. Would you feel it worth a call to report battery by your husband when the media has been filled with stories on the Hlavac situation and the fact that DV shelters are overwhelmed?  Last night, KDKA also reported that Womens Center & Shelter turned away 600 women in 2008.  Good job media.  Focus on the merry of the holiday season and leave the rest of Pittsburgh to wallow in your obsession with bad news.

At this point, I am a loss as to what is really going on.  I do think KDKA should post the story precisely because the claim it is breaking news in a significant story, however I just wasn't up to missing more time with the family to make the case.  If they reported erroneously, they certainly should retract the story which I would then address.  Either way, my ability to prove to anyone that I saw the story and interpreted it correctly is just not possible.  :-( 

I honestly think that blogging about KDKA's story was an appropriate thing to do.  People tweet all the time about things airing live on the air; we also retweet stories from various news sources. We invest trust in MSM all the time. I live tweeted about on the air coverage and then followed up with a post that was clear that the story wasn't available for any of you to verify.  I wasn't basing my post on a rumor, but on a story aired for thousands of viewers along with the article published in the PG. 

So I may owe an apology to Pittsburgh's mainstream media for not covering a story that KDKA reported inaccurately. But if KDKA could get it wrong, it is within the realm of possibility that the Post-Gazette got it wrong, too.  I can't know at this point.

I'm sure there will be plenty of coverage of Monday's hearing when things will shake themselves out. 

Here's my conclusing paragraph:



So let me restate for the record:


Eugene Hlavac should be stripped of his badge and gun until the court determines if he committed assault.  The FOP and the police administration should have acted swiftly, but they still have an opportunity to hold him accountable and act in the best interests of the public.  Whether they live up to their charge to protect the public and hold this man accountable to the values he is supposed to embody is anybody's guess at this point. 

Meanwhile, we had a lovely holiday with our families who shared a joint celebration.  Everyone went overboard, but I am now the proud owner of pair of Doc Marten boots and a GPS system.  I am excited to accurately find my way to kick something.  I'm contemplating a Blackberry upgrade, but dare I brave the Verizon store today?

Tonight we are going to see Meryl Streep!
 
UPDATE:  It appears from today's media reports, that Sgt Hlavac was suspended today (12/29) for five days pending termination.  I've watched the KDKA and WTAE reports and I'm still confused.

Women in Pittsburgh are rightfully angered by the Ravenstahl Administration's bumbling on the domestic violence charges against Sgt Eugene Hlavac who stands accused of a charge of simple assault for punching his ex-girlfriend in the face hard enough to dislocate her jaw.

In 2007, Ravenstahl and his team of top brass pledged a zero-tolerance policy for matters involving a police officer accused of domestic violence, yet the women's groups claim the Administration has failed to demonstrate domestic violence within police families as a major crime.

After accusations were leveled, Hlavac was "reassigned" to the Warrants Office, but his gun, badge and police powers remain in force.  Hlavac is also "using vacation" as a maneuver for Admin to duck and weave on administering discipline.

That's more like 50% tolerance than zero tolerance.  Reassigment to the Warrants Office is like the inner circle of hell or maybe Siberia, but it hardly sends a message that this is being taken seriously.  Sgt Hlavac's charge was held over for court and a PFA has been issued. If you expect men with PFA's to follow the rules, you need to enforce your own rules regarding these court orders. 

Now, last night on KDKA, Ken Rice reported that Hlavac has been fired.  One of the investigative reporters interviewed Hlavac's attorney who claimed he would fight for reinstatement along with custody of his son.  Yet, this morning that story is not the KDKA website.  Nor is reported in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette or the Tribune Review.  In fact, the PG has a story by Jerome Sherman that is now out of date because of this breaking development.  Thus, I have no source for my claim that he was fired, except for the fact that Ledcat watched the news with me and I'm betting a few of you did as well. 

This is especially worrisome given the heightened fear Pittsburgh women rightfully feel about police response to DV calls and the fact the holiday tensions can give rise to spikes in DV situations. Would you feel it worth a call to report battery by your husband when the media has been filled with stories on the Hlavac situation and the fact that DV shelters are overwhelmed?  Last night, KDKA also reported that Womens Center & Shelter turned away 600 women in 2008.  Good job media.  Focus on the merry of the holiday season and leave the rest of Pittsburgh to wallow in your obsession with bad news.

Another point of contention is the failure of the FOP (Police union) to take this seriously.  By this, I mean not just the Hlavac case, but the entire concept that domestic violence is a problem. 

Some within the police department don't care much for the 2007 law.

Officer Dan O'Hara, president of the city Fraternal Order of Police union, said he personally disagreed with it.

"I have no tolerance for domestic violence. Police officers don't tolerate anyone breaking the law," he said, adding that he believes the justice system is the best place to deal with someone accused of an act of violence.

The 2007 law, he worries, has the potential to interfere in the personal lives of officers and their families.

First note, that O'Hara is quoted on his personal beliefs. He comes across like an uninformed jackass whom probably still doesn't understand that free speech includes vulgar language and flipping the bird at police officers, in spite of a heavy cash penalty that didn't come from his budget.  O'Hara does not comment, or at least not quoted, on the FOP's official response to the case.

The truth is that Hlavac is going to have the FOP support for reinstatement.  Not only do they just not get it when it comes to the significance of the issue, but they can't afford to ever capitulate to the firing of an officer on this charge.  Hlavac is an administrator, but when studies show that domestic violence is 2-4 times more likely in police families ... there's cause for concern with regard to the FOP attitude.

The sentence about the policy interfering in the personal lives is downright deplorable.  Of course it interferes.  The police interfere in people's personal lives all of the time - when a crime is alleged or committed  Why should police be exempt from their own reason for being? 

Listen, Officer O'Hara, policies interfer with my personal life all of the time.  If I commit a non-work related felony, I lose my criminal history clearance and my job. If I fail to maintain a clean driving record, I lost my work auto insurance coverage and my job.  If I travel further than an hour from my site when I am on call, I lose my effectiveness as the on-call supervisor and my job.  It is Christmas and I'm on call from now through New Year's Eve.  That means we have to celebrate in Pittsburgh rather than at my in-laws house.  That means I don't consume alcohol. That means my cell phone goes off at 4 AM with a situation I need to address regardless of the "interference" of my partner's sleep. 

All of us sacrifice a little "interference" when it comes to our employment. Deal with it.

Now don't get me wrong.  I do not believe that all police officers beat their wives and girlfriends, nor do I believe that all officers condone that behavior.  They are on the front lines responding to horrific domestic situations and probably have a better understanding of the nuances of domestic violence than most of the public.  Still, there's also a culture of having each other's back. I can imagine that one would not want to believe that a fellow officer would dislocate the jaw of their girlfriend. I can also imagine that the sense of persecution by heightened public scrutiny and the perpetual sense that the public just doesn't understand what it means to be a cop would raise their hackles and circle the wagons. 

And there likely plenty of officers who struggle with a justice system that slaps abusers on the hand, victims who won't testify and the other systemic consequences of this epidemic.  Even officers who deplore this behavior may not want to acknowledge that their profession is inherently attractive to a personality that craves power over other people.  It doesn't make them, but the thin blue line protects and nutures their violent bullying personalities.

The story of Eugene Hlavac illustrates how much work there is to be done to protect officers families from domestic violence, as well as strengthen police responses to public DV incidents.  The top down approach carved out in 2007 needs a lot of work and the intense pressure from the local coalition against domestic violence is pushing hard on that front.  Jeanne Clark of NOW attended the Hlavac preliminary hearing and used Twitter to keep us all informed on not only the legal outcome, but the nuances of the testimony. It would be easy to see a defense win with the lessened charges, but her account of the multiple defense tactics that were overruled is heartening. 

Then there's the FOP.  I wonder if the coalition could sit down with the women on the FOP (1 out of 11 members of the Executive Board, 8 out of 40 delegates) and have a conversation?  I wonder what other avenues exist to tackle this issue?

I think it is good news that a violent thug has been fired from a job where he carried a weapon and authority.  I have no qualms believing his ex-girlfriend given the man's past as well as his reputation on the job.  If the police brass and the FOP want us to believe in the integrity and authenticity of their response to the crime of violence in domestic situations, they need to weed out the wife beaters and promote the hard-working, intelligent men and women who uphold the values of their occupation.

 

I am not sure I will make it to the computer so I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. I am grateful for our thoughtful readers and I am also grateful that my use of Merry Christmas earns me bonus points on the AFA Naughty or Nice list.

Today, Ledcat and I had our traditional Xmas Eve sushi meal at Plum in East Liberty followed by a slew of errands. Tonight we join our neighbors at Allegheny Unitarian Universalist Church to celebrate the holiday. Tomorrow we celebrate with our joint family.

Plus, Brian O'Neill likes my writing. That put a smile on my face. I feel like Rudolph when Clarice says he is cute!

I promise not to tweet from church!


*******************************
Sue Kerr
Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents
www.pghlesbian.com

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Foursquare.com is *supposed* to promote social and recreation venues.  It was recently voted the second most popular social media application on mashable.com

So I started thinking ... what if foursquare were tweeked a little bit to promote municipal and political events? For example, JeanneKCC live tweeted from the preliminary hearing for Eugen Hlavac, woman beater extraordinaire.  Natalia Rudiak frequently lets us know of various events she attends, including sewer authority meetings. 

What if they took it a bit further?  What if I use foursquare.com to remind folks that I'm at Panera Bread for a Steel City Stonewall meeting and someone else in Panera gets the update and wanders over to see what's going on? 

The advantage of foursquare.com over Twitter is that you can get the address and directions without too many clicks. 

I'm just sayin ...

I've created a Twitter "list" of Pgh regional and statewide elected officials and politicians using Twitter.  You can find it here:

http://twitter.com/PghLesbian24/politicians-pgh-and-pa

So far, I've identified 53 pol-tweeps.  The vast majority are members of the State House of Representatives.   From Pittsburgh, the pickings are a bit slim.  You can find Pgh City Councilmembers (and members-elect) Bill Peduto, Patrick Dowd and Natalia Rudiak.  They take different approaches.  Peduto mixes progressive political agenda with an occasional glimpse into his daily activities (lots of hockey references).  Patrick Dowd tends to share more about his family and day to day life.  Natalia is more of a "life of a local councilwoman" tweeter -- updates on meetings and events she attends as well as lots of positive PR for her neighborhoods. 

All three are approaches that make our elected officials more accessible and add some transparency to the political process, the hallmarks of progressive politics.

Luke Ravenstahl and Dan Onorato have twitter accounts, but use them next to zero.  Well, Onorato uses it a bit for the campaign, but sparingly at best. Actually, his campaign has an account they've never used even though 50+ follow it!  For relatively young elected officials, they are being trounced in the social media arena and reinforcing the perception that they are deeply embedded in the 1970's style of governance. 

I just added Elizabeth Borough Council President and Executive Director of the Alleg County Republic Committee, Monica Douglas.  I haven't caught any of her tweets, but I was impressed that she's using social media tools to highlight a very local political venue AND promote the party.  They need to be more active, but the ACDC isn't even a blip on this radar much to the shame of all of us.  Steel City Stonewall Democrats are using Twitter. 

I'm not aware of any other municipal officials using Twitter in this region.  If you have someone to add to the list, by all means send the information to me.  I'm @pghlesbian24.

Statewide, things really heat up.  Senator Daylin Leach from way across the Commonwealth burns Twitter up with by far the most wry observations on things both local and national, as well as self-deprecating glimpses into his own life.  I didn't like Senator Leach when I met him in person, but his tweeting is slowly melting that first impression. 

I haven't even heard of half of the other folks using Twitter.  The problem for me is that I forget who is a D and who is an R since most of them are tweeting a mix of personal and general observations on statewide legislation.  I've never had so much statewide legislative information at my fingertips which is pretty cool, especially in 140 character chunks. I am clicking on the links and learning about issues, but I resolve to be more attentive to this in 2010. 

Back to the D and R issue ... this is probably a good thing.  It helps to keep in mind that these are human beings, not just party robots.  They have families and adventures and all the same tweetable stuff as do I and other LGBTQ folks.  Some of the elected officials have followed me in return, so I can at least hope that the various glimpsed into my life as a lesbian in Pennsylvania might make our community a bit more human to those who might otherwise vote against our equal inclusion in society.  To be honest, I've retweeted a few and replied to a few; most respond to me. 

That leads me to another point.  It is clear that the persons behind the tweets are really the politicians themselves.  The personal glimpses make that evident.  The campaigns, on the other hand, are clearly tweeted by staff with a defined message.  And the campaigns are not doing a very good job of using Twitter.  The tweets are boring and far too infrequent to make much of an impact.  Ironically, the best tweeps are Senator Specter and Wagner for Governor -- the old gray guys are trouncing the progressives like Sestak and Hoeffel.  Specter is very entertaining, actually. 

If I called Representative XYZ's office, I might get a meeting.  If I'm important, I might get a return call.  If I email, I'll get a response from a staffer.  But the immediacy of Twitter is pretty enticing ... when I hit the @ function, I often get an immediate reply.  Now, I've never tried this with a political/advocacy issue, but I'm going to experiment with this in January.  There's potential for the sort of access the LGBTQ community needs.  If I'm paying attention to RepGordon and learn he's an avid fan of local football, I can bring that up during my meeting with him.  I can take note of his banter with RepDePasquale, I can bring that up and see if there's an opportunity to build on that relationship.  Plus, I can figure out what's important to Representative Gordon -- gaming legislation has been a topic of frequent tweets. 

Advocates would be foolish to pass up this opportunity to interact and learn about our elected officials.  These folks are tweeting on Saturday afternoons and you can engage them right then and there.  "Hey, my son is playing today, too" or "I caught those lights at Hartwood last night -- great holiday tradition" blah, blah, blah.  It creates the relationship that makes your email/call/visit more impactful. 

Politicians and elected officials are foolish to pass up this chance to connect with their constituents. I might click the link to the 152 page document precisely because I have been following you for 6 months and appreciate your tweets.  I might then contact my state rep and talk about your issue.  I might even donate to your charities, campaign or party. You have an unprecedented opportunity educate me and forge a relationship on an interpersonal level that no newsletter, public forum or website can ever offer. 

Who would I like to see tweeting?  Michael Lamb because he is smart and working on issues people should better understand.  Rich Fitzgerald because no one really knows what Allegheny Council does until there's threat of a court battle.  Jim Burn because the ACDC is woefully behind the times in general and needs fresh blood.  Chelsa Wagner because she's smart, witty and has the unique perspective of legislating with a very young child -- there's a lot of mommies on twitter and a real chance to inspire.  I'd like to see someone from Pgh School Board.  I'd like to hear from Robert Daniel Lavelle who is being heralded as a progressive voice on a new City Council. 

For now, the tweet king of Southwestern Pennsylvania is Bill Peduto.  He has the most followers, sends the most updates and uses the technology like a pro.  Hands down, Peduto has a savvy grasp on the power of social media and isn't afraid to use it to continue leading the progressive agenda in this region.  No, to continue defining the progressive agenda in this region.

However, the entire GOP is breathing down his neck. The failure of SW Pennsylvania Dems to follow Peduto's lead may come back to haunt the Democratic party. 

Here's a screenshot of my politician tweeps. 

 

sdf

Ah, the price we citizens pay for the might of the FOP.  Sgt Hlavac is in the news again for dislocating the jaw of his ex-girlfriend and the mother of his child.  He claims he was defending himself.  Hmmm.

Potter at the City Paper.

Behind the Blue Wall

IS IT VIOLENT ENOUGH NOW TO TAKE SERIOUSLY?


Some wonder if we should blame the Masons?

Jeanne Clark of NOW went to today's preliminary hearing and used Twitter to share the blow by blow (pun intended). 


Hlavac has been reassigned to the warrants office, but still carries his weapon.  He's using up his vacation so there's no "need" to suspend him, but the CPRB is calling for a suspension.

Folks, this man is a volatile nightmare of a public servant.  How can a person with reasonable intellect and self-preservation skill emerge unscathed from the 2007 promotion debacle only to engage in escalating violence toward his intimate partner?  It is called domestic violence, not a spat nor a dispute nor self-defense.  A trained police officer does not need to dislocate the jaw of a woman to "defend" himself.  At least not a well-trained police officer. 

The woman and men of our City deserve better than thugs like this man serving on our police force.  I want a cool-headed officer with a measure of self-control to respond to a crisis in my neighborhood, not a violent predator with a chip on his shoulder. 

Take his weapon and his badge until the court determines his guilt. For once, Mayor Ravenstahl, move forward to protect the welfare of your residents instead of your union allies.