Terminate Officer Rey Reynolds From VPD
Terminate Officer Rey Reynolds From VPD
The Issue
To the City of Vancouver,
On September 24, 2022, Vancouver Police Department officer Rey Reynolds participated in a town hall style interview with a group called Cross Politics. During this interview/discussion, officer Reynolds claimed that as a VPD officer, he was legally allowed to arrest transgender citizens simply for being trans (fast forward to 14:55 in this video to see the statement). This is an outrageously harmful comment - it has left Vancouver’s transgender community feeling afraid to even leave their own homes in fear of being targeted by the VPD.
Section 7.10 of Vancouver’s city charter states that “the city shall prohibit discrimination, in all its programs and activities, on the basis of…gender identity/expression… Any person who is convicted of violating any provision of this section shall, in addition to any other penalties provided by law, be ineligible for appointment or employment in the city's service for a period of five years, and shall, if an officer or employee of the city, immediately forfeits such position."
Additionally, on March 31st, 2022 , Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle put out an official proclamation in honor of the Transgender Day of Visibility. On the same day as part of the celebration, Mayor Anne said “In Vancouver, Washington we recognize that trans rights are human rights. It is vital that everyone feel welcome and safe in Vancouver. It is my hope that by recognizing this day we are sending a message to all that inclusiveness and respect are important values in Vancouver.”
With all of the support for transgender citizens in Vancouver, we believe our city has come a very long way in building inclusivity in the community. However, as demonstrated in the statement made by officer Reynolds, there is still work to be done.
We, the undersigned Vancouver residents and businesses, are asking that the city of Vancouver offer a statement in support of the transgender community, and reassurance that these claims made by officer Reynolds are not, in fact, something that can or will happen in our city.
We demand that the City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Police Department comply with section 7.10 of the city charter and immediately terminate Officer Reynolds.
1,470
The Issue
To the City of Vancouver,
On September 24, 2022, Vancouver Police Department officer Rey Reynolds participated in a town hall style interview with a group called Cross Politics. During this interview/discussion, officer Reynolds claimed that as a VPD officer, he was legally allowed to arrest transgender citizens simply for being trans (fast forward to 14:55 in this video to see the statement). This is an outrageously harmful comment - it has left Vancouver’s transgender community feeling afraid to even leave their own homes in fear of being targeted by the VPD.
Section 7.10 of Vancouver’s city charter states that “the city shall prohibit discrimination, in all its programs and activities, on the basis of…gender identity/expression… Any person who is convicted of violating any provision of this section shall, in addition to any other penalties provided by law, be ineligible for appointment or employment in the city's service for a period of five years, and shall, if an officer or employee of the city, immediately forfeits such position."
Additionally, on March 31st, 2022 , Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle put out an official proclamation in honor of the Transgender Day of Visibility. On the same day as part of the celebration, Mayor Anne said “In Vancouver, Washington we recognize that trans rights are human rights. It is vital that everyone feel welcome and safe in Vancouver. It is my hope that by recognizing this day we are sending a message to all that inclusiveness and respect are important values in Vancouver.”
With all of the support for transgender citizens in Vancouver, we believe our city has come a very long way in building inclusivity in the community. However, as demonstrated in the statement made by officer Reynolds, there is still work to be done.
We, the undersigned Vancouver residents and businesses, are asking that the city of Vancouver offer a statement in support of the transgender community, and reassurance that these claims made by officer Reynolds are not, in fact, something that can or will happen in our city.
We demand that the City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Police Department comply with section 7.10 of the city charter and immediately terminate Officer Reynolds.
1,470
Share this petition
Petition created on October 26, 2022