Letters to the Editor: Readers react to Pride Month, No Kings protests

On the first Friday of Pride Month, several members of my staff were accosted by a resident over Pride decorations in my Traffic Division. Throughout the year, the Traffic Division decorates its office for nearly every holiday you can imagine. This is normally appreciated by staff in the courts building and the residents who interact with the traffic clerks. In fact, this is the first incident that we have had concerning any decorations. These decorations, although trivial, brighten up the day for my employees and individuals who interact with my office.

This year for the first time in my tenure, an individual decided to accost my staff over our decorations because he dislikes LGBTQ+ people and their “movement.” Apparently, this individual thought that attacking frontline staff over decorations is an appropriate avenue to seek redress. If you have a problem with the decorations that I allow in the Clerk’s Office then confront me, not my staff.

Just so we are crystal clear, I would like that individual to know that in addition to the Pride decorations that are in the Traffic Division, I have had a Pride Flag next to the flag of the State of Ohio for at least the past two years. I will not be removing it. It does not matter to me that he may find this flag offensive. I will not be intimidated into silencing my support for my LGBTQ+ staff members and the LGBTQ+ community. I will continue to use the freedoms provided to me by the United States Constitution to support the LGBTQ+ community in Dayton and across the Miami Valley region.

Happy Pride Month!

- Marty Gehres, Clerk of the Dayton Municipal Court

On Saturday, June 14, hundreds of people celebrated No Kings Day in front of Springfield City Hall at the corners of Fountain and High. I was there with my husband and concerned neighbors. I am writing to thank the Springfield City Police for their presence and support at this rally. One man in a vehicle displaying an American flag and a huge MAGA flag drove by repeatedly, trying to agitate the peaceful crowd. At one point, after he had circulated past us numerous times, this driver was pulled over by two Springfield Police cruisers. At the end of the rally, the police closed off four major downtown streets so we could parade around two city blocks. Every police officer was polite and friendly and made us feel safe. We didn’t need the National Guard and US Marine soldiers at our demonstration, and neither did the protesters in Los Angeles.

- Jo Wilson, DDS, PhD

Credit: JIM NOELKER

Credit: JIM NOELKER

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