Firefighters Sexually Harassed
A jury determined Tuesday that four San Diego firefighters were sexually harassed for being ordered to participate in a gay pride parade and awarded them combined damages of $34,300. The firefighters Alex Kane, Chad Allison, Capt. John Ghiotto and Capt. Jason Hewitt claimed they were subjected to sexually charged conduct and lewd comments while riding a fire engine in the July 2007 parade, which drew about 150,000 spectators.
The firefighters' attorney, Charles LiMandri, said during his closing argument that his clients were targets of vulgar gestures and catcalls while being forced to watch barely clothed men and women simulate sex acts and touch themselves and one another. "The Fire Department knew what goes on there," LiMandri told the jury.
Several of the firefighters said they thought comments such as “let me see your hose” and “give me mouth to mouth,” were directed at them. The firefighters are all married and have Catholic backgrounds. Other firefighters testified about their experiences in previous parades. Some were offended, but others found the parade humorous or entertaining.
A crew that volunteered to ride a fire engine pulled out shortly before the parade because the captain's mother died. LiMandri told the jury that department supervisors didn't try to find other volunteers, but gave the assignment to the crew in the city's Hillcrest area, home to a large gay population where the parade is held. The firefighters' attorney argued that his clients objected but weren't taken seriously. The city said the firefighters expressed discomfort but didn't complain of sexual harassment at the time.
This was the second trial on the firefighters' claims. In October, jurors were unable to reach a verdict. The firefighters' attorneys sought $4 million for each firefighter at the first trial.
San Diego Gay & Lesbian Times
It was a sight to behold Thursday evening on I-805 in San Diego, California. A carload of drug-dealing Darwins thought they could get out of trouble if only they got rid of the evidence and started throwing their drug money out of the car window while they were being chased by the police.
It started around 5 pm when narcotics officers initiated a pursuit in the central part of the city that ran through several neighborhood streets before they got up onto the freeway. As they were trying to escape, they started to lighten the load by dumping the case along the roadway. That’s when human nature kicked in and scores of other cars came to a sudden halt while the drivers began pouring out onto the roadway and gathering up the manna. KFMB Ch. 8 had their tv cameras on the scene and recorded the whole circus:
Around 5:40 pm, after running over a set of spike strips, the chase concluded when the car rolled to a halt and the suspects were taken into custody, minus their booty. The police were spread out for miles along the highway picking up what was left of the public donation.
0%
The San Diego District Attorney’s Office has cleared San Diego Harbor Police Officer Clyde Williams of the fatal shooting of Steven Hirschfield last year during the gay pride festivities in that city on July 19, 2008. According to the 
Hirschfield, 37, of West Hollywood who was shot in the middle of his back, was dancer aboard a yacht chartered for one of the official Pride party cruises - the Circuit Daze Harbor Cruise - on San Diego Bay when he jumped off the boat. After the yacht’s captain alerted Harbor Police and the Coast Guard, Hirschfield fought with officers sent on a boat to rescue him. Williams then shot him after Hirschfield reached for the pistol of Officer Wayne Schmidt who was also aboard the rescue vessel. “Williams use of deadly force was reasonable under the circumstances,” the District Attorney said.
