Chicago Planning Meeting, February 24-26, 1995 ============================================== This is the text of a letter sent out to all gay and lesbian criminal justice groups with information on the international group planning meeting. January 15, 1995 Dear Colleague, During the weekend of February 24, 1995, a meeting has been called in Chicago to set the stage for the establishment of an international network of lesbian and gay police associations. We are writing to you today to invite you or a suitable representative to attend this important meeting. The meeting in Chicago will take place over a three day period and will be held at the University of Illinois, at Chicago. This gathering will graciously be hosted by members of the Lesbian & Gay Police Association of Chicago, (see attached fact sheet for additional hotel and travel information). This assembly will consist of three full day working sessions, with social and tourist events scheduled throughout the weekend. As you may know, one of the recommendations which came out of the first Conference of Lesbian and Gay Criminal Justice Professionals, held in New York last June, was that an organization or federation of lesbian and gay police associations be established. The feeling of many of the delegates was that some kind of structure was needed to develop, and build upon, the many good things that the Conference had achieved. Some of the goals of this International Lesbian & Gay Police body might possibly include increasing the networking opportunities between the different local gay and lesbian associations worldwide, the sharing of good police practice relating to gay/lesbian issues, and to encourage and assist individual lesbian and gay law enforcement officers trying to set up new groups around the world. Those attending last year's conference were asked to feed back information to their respective groups on the discussions which had taken place, and to seek the views of their members as to what form such an international network might take. A number of groups and individuals have now submitted suggestions about the way forward, and we have summarized these in the discussion document enclosed. [Please see file - intrfedn.txt in this directory]. We would like to emphasize that this is only a discussion document at this stage, and has been drafted solely to give groups and individuals an opportunity to review and comment upon the work that has been carried out to date. Please make sure that members of your group are made aware of the contents of this document and have an opportunity to provide feedback or any suggestions they might have about these draft proposals. In order to maximize the chances of the 1995 Conference being able to reach a final decision on the formation of the network, it is important that we ensure that all interested parties have a chance to make their contribution to this process well before September, so that a cohesive proposal or set of options can be put before the delegates. To this end, a meeting of the steering group has been called for February 24-26, 1995, in Chicago. All interested groups are urged to send a spokesperson to this meeting, whether or not they were represented at the original workshop, so that the deliberations can be as representative as possible. We really want to have an excellent cross-section of individuals from around the world at the meeting in Chicago. So far there have been numerous confirmations to this meeting including officers from Los Angeles, London, New York, New Jersey, Boston, Texas, Washington, and Miami. Should you require further information about the Chicago meeting, or to confirm your attendance, please contact either Sergeant Marc Goodman or PC Tony Murphy at the addresses listed on page two of the discussion document [intrfedn.txt]. For questions relating specifically to social, tourist, or housing arrangements in Chicago, please contact Officer Mary Boyle of the Chicago Police Department. In the interests of speed and minimizing costs, we would ask that you use e-mail if at all possible. In the meantime it would be helpful if you could summarize any contributions made by your members to the discussion document, and return these to us. Again, please use e-mail wherever possible. Further comments and suggestions received will be combined into a second draft of the discussion document which will be re-circulated just prior to the Chicago meeting. Finally, Officer Norman Hill of GOAL New England and Mr. Carol Hunter of GOAL New York will be working on preparing a reference guide which can be provided to all groups who are interested in forming a new lesbian/gay police association in their area. Please, bring with you any written or video information you might have regarding the formation of a new group, police recruitment issues, domestic partnership information, general Department policies and procedures regarding sexual orientation, AIDS/HIV policies, gay/lesbian police training issues, coming- out strategies, union problems, anti-discrimination policies, and hate crimes information. Specific information on your organization's by-laws, newsletters, annual reports, membership applications, and brochures would also definitely be appreciated. All these items will be used in our discussion of an international lesbian and gay police network and will also benefit those who have yet to form an association in their respective parts of the world. Thank you for your interest in this important project. We very much look forward to receiving your registration information and to seeing you in Chicago. Yours faithfully, Marc Goodman & Tony Murphy Hotel & Travel Information Sheet ================================ Hotel accommodation during our stay in Chicago will be provided by the Quality Inn Downtown Chicago. The hotel is located at 1 Mid City Plaza, at the corners of Madison and Halstead Avenues. All those attending the Chicago meeting are strongly encouraged to stay at the Quality Inn Downtown Chicago Hotel. Most conference attendees will arrive on Thursday and leave on Monday. The two most convenient airports are Chicago's O'Hare International and Midway Airport. Transportation to the hotel can be accomplished by taking one of the numerous shuttle vans at the airport. One such reputable company is Airport Express. One-Way Prices from O'Hare to the hotel should cost about $13, and from Midway Airport to the hotel, about $10. Room reservations must be made no later than February 2, 1995. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Please use the code 'INTL GLPA' (International Gay Lesbian Police Association) when making your reservations. The hotel may be reached directly at + 1 (312) 829-5000. Our contact person at the hotel is Mr. Joe Caputo, the sales manager. Hotel Facilities and Services ============================= * A 17 Story Hotel With Over Four Hundred Comfortable Guestrooms. * All City Views * Non-Smoking Rooms * Full-Service Plaza Restaurant * Matches Sports Bar & Grill * Valet and Laundry Service * In-house Movie Channels and Cable TV * Ample, Secure Parking Special Hotel Services Provided to Those in Our Party ===================================================== * Free Buffet Breakfast for Each Night Spent at the Hotel * Coupons Good for One Free Drink at the Hotel Bar * Guaranteed Room Assignment in the Recently Renovated Portion of the Hotel Nearby Attractions ================== * Adjacent to Greektown * One Mile from the University of Illinois Chicago Campus * Minutes to Downtown Chicago, Sears Tower, Board of Trade, McCormick Place Discounted Hotel Rates and Pricing ================================== Single Room Rate, $59 per Night Double Room Rate, $69 per Night Triple Room Rate, $79 per Night Upon your check in at the hotel, there will be a package of information waiting for you at the front desk. Inside the package you will find further details on the conference and associated social events scheduled to take place during your stay. It is expected that some informal dinner gathering will offered on Thursday, February 23, 1995, at approximately 1900 hours. Our gathering will begin promptly at 9:00 am on Friday, February 24, 1995, at the University of Illinois. Please feel free to contact Officer Mary Boyle of the Chicago Police Department at (312)747-5485, should you require travel assistance or information once in Chicago. Meeting Registration Form ========================= Please take a few moments to complete this simple form so that we can register you for our gathering. This information will be used so that we can accurately plan our meeting, ensure enough space, and prepare an adequate number of supplies and registration packages. Steps to Take To Register for the Meeting: ========================================== 1. Contact the Quality Inn Hotel Downtown Chicago and make a room reservation, telephone number + 1 (312) 829-5000 2. Complete one of these registration sheets for each person who will be attending from your organization 3. Please fax the completed registration sheets to Marc Goodman at + 1 (310) 652-1926 no later than February 2, 1995. If you have questions, please call + 1 (213) 739-4121. Name: __________________________________________________________ Address: _______________________________________________________ Home Phone: _________________ Work Phone: ______________________ Fax No: __________________ E-Mail Address: ____________________ Department/Agency: _____________________________________________ Position/Rank: _________________________________________________ Which organization will you be representing? ________________________________________________________________ Date/Time Arriving in Chicago? _________________________________ Airline/Flight: ________________________________________________ Do you wish to share a room with another meeting participant? If you do wish to share a room, please list your preferences for a roommate below. We will do our best to meet your wishes, but roommate matches cannot be guaranteed. If you know the name of the person you wish to share a room with, please list it under the comments section of this form. Share (Y/N): ____ Room Preferences: Male __ Female __ Smoking __ Non-Smoking __ Comments/Suggestions: _________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ The above information will remain strictly confidential. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Group Photo Information ======================= What we are about to embark upon will truly be the start of something historical. Gay and lesbian officers from around the world will be meeting to substantively discuss the formation of an international association. Our movement is taking a giant step forward. It is both worthwhile and important that we document this significant achievement. Therefore, we will be taking a group photo in our respective uniforms to remember this occasion. The photo will be optional, however, all attendees are strongly encouraged to participate. Obviously we won't wear our uniforms for the entire trip, however, at a designated point in the conference we will assemble in our uniforms, representing over 20 different Departments from across the world. Don't miss this opportunity and don't forget your uniform! Document Produced By: Sergeant Marc Goodman Golden State Peace Officers Association Los Angeles Last Updated: 15/01/95