LGBT community upset at plans to turn Harvey Milk Park into an outdoor office

Members of the local LGBT community who helped the city plan and develop Harvey Milk Promenade Park – named after Califoia’s first openly gay elected official – were stued to see initial renderings of a new “Outdoor Office” being plaed at the park.

They say it seems the city is erasing the park elements that spotlight the contributions of the LGBT community and trying to put Milk “in the closet” as it plans to transform the space into an a retail and gathering space.

“Harvey would not be happy,” said Vanessa Romain, a member of the Harvey Milk Park Selection Committee, who helped the city plan the park. “He would not stand for this. I thought, ‘They’re going to lock us back in the closet.’ It was a slap in the face.”

City officials, meanwhile, said the rendering unveiled Tuesday to a small group was only an initial concept. The city will reach out to community members for input, according to city spokeswoman Kerry Gerot.

Equality Plaza

The centerpiece of the park is Equality Plaza, which commemorates Milk and local LGBT leaders. The plaza includes a concrete replica of Milk’s renowned soapbox, which he stood on to inspire crowds when he spoke; a 20-foot flagpole flying the gay pride flag and a memorial wall with the names of more than 20 local LGBT leaders.

The city aounced Tuesday it received a $300,000 grant from the Knight Cities Challenge for its proposal to tu the park into a high powered wifi space that city officials hope will serve as a crossing and meeting point for creative professionals and amateurs from local offices, light rail and bus passengers, along with shopping patrons, students, among others.

Numerous officials, including 1st District Councilwoman Lena Gonzalez and Mayor Robert Garcia, attended the Tuesday gathering as well as four members of the Harvey Milk Park Selection Committee, which was told about the event Monday.

When the committee members saw the concept drawing, they were angry and voiced their conces to city officials.

Committee member Pat Crosby said it felt like the city was acting like a bully.

“When we saw the rendering that took out every LGBT element of the park, it really hurt,” Crosby said. “Here we are again, the LGBT community not being respected. The city feels like the bully. It felt like they were kicking the LGBT community around a bit more.”

‘Bad communication’

Gonzalez, whose district includes the park, said any changes to the park will have to be approved by the City Council through a public process, adding she didn’t see the rendering herself until Tuesday.

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“It was bad communication between the city and the Harvey Milk Park Selection Committee,” Gonzalez said. “It’s very embarrassing, and it’s not right that we didn’t have the renderings (ahead of time).”

Garcia, who represented the 1st District and helped plan the park in 2011 and 2012, said Tuesday also was the first time he saw the renderings.

“The park is very important to me. I was very vocal with staff that the LGBT elements need to be included,” Garcia said. “It will be fixed.”

Rachael Taer, a program specialist in the city manager’s office who was one of the leads on grant proposal, referred all questions to Gerot. In an email, Gerot said the rendering “was only a conceptual image and was included in the grant proposal so that the city could win the grant funding. It is not, and was not intended to be, a final design by any means.”

Since the money has been awarded, the city will now outreach to the committee for its design input. Gerot said the city typically doesn’t do community outreach before applying for grants.

Garcia said the community should have been included in the begiing.

‘Talk with us’

Committee member Stephanie Loftin said the city should have selected another location for the outdoor office.

“Harvey Milk would be rolling in his grave that his park is being tued into an outdoor office,” she said. “They should have talked with us first.

“Of all the parks in the city, why couldn’t this outdoor office be somewhere else? I guess it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission.”