Local
Shake-up at community center
GLCCB board president replaced after 52 days
After serving as president of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center of Baltimore and Central Maryland (GLCCB) board of directors for only 52 days, William Redmond-Palmer was removed by a unanimous vote of the board. The GLCCB announced on Jan. 29 a reorganization in leadership under which Christopher Adkins, the previous vice president, will assume the role of interim GLCCB board president effective immediately.
āAs our most senior Board member, Chris has been a cornerstone for the GLCCB during a period of great transition and challenge. We are confident that his sensible pragmatism, commitment to community engagement and passion for social justice will continue to steer the organization in the right direction,ā the board said in a statement. āWeād also like to thank Bill for his service to the organization and dedication to our LGBTQ community, and wish him the best in his future endeavors.ā
The vote to remove Redmond-Palmer was prompted by the manner in which he communicated with staff and volunteers, Adkins said.
āWhile we appreciate all the work and effort Bill gave to the GLCCB, the decision to part ways was in response to employee and volunteer complaints about his communications,ā Adkins told the Blade.Ā āSeveral conversations were held about professional expectations in attempts to address these complaints. In the end we all felt it better to go our separate ways. We thank him again for his time and service.ā
Redmond-Palmer, who replaced outgoing term-limited president Michael McCarthy on Dec. 8, had worked in leadership and advocacy organizations in the LGBTQ community including serving on the GLCCB board of directors during the 1990s.
āAfter 20 years of serving and observing the GLCCB, I believe the community wants and needs an immediate and radical cultural shift away from the status quo,ā Redmond-Palmer told the Blade. āBecause my management and communication styles have an honesty, integrity, passion and zeal that not everyone appreciates, I was unfortunately unable to convince the board and executive director to share in that vision.ā
Adkins is a social science researcher focused on providing individual and group services, specializing in work related to human sexuality, womenās issues and social factors of disease. A native of Wichita, Kan., Adkins holds a bachelorās degree in social work from Cleveland State University and a masterās from Boston University. He has served on the GLCCB board since March 2013.
District of Columbia
Gay man found unconscious near D.C. gay bar dies
Police release video of suspects in incident listed as robbery
D.C. police have confirmed that a gay man who worked as a hairstylist and a DJ and who was found unconscious about 5 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 27, at the intersection of 5th and T Streets, N.W. near the gay bar Uproar has died.
Friends who knew the victim, Bryan Smith, stated in a GoFundMe message seeking support for his medical expenses that he was hospitalized for a severe head injury. His family members told Fox 5 News that he was in a coma.
A D.C. police spokesperson confirmed that Smith died on Nov. 7 and the cause and circumstances surrounding his death were pending with the Northern Virginia Medical Examinerās Office. āOnce we have more information, weāll be putting that out,ā D.C. police spokesperson Thomas Lynch told the Washington Blade.
The information released by D.C police indicates Smith at some point was transferred from a D.C. hospital where he was taken by ambulance at the time he was found unconscious to a Virginia hospital, most likely at the request of family members.
Police also released a video showing two suspects and a vehicle they believe the suspects used in committing the robbery of Smith.
āThe ongoing investigation has determined that the man was robbed by two suspects while walking on the block,ā according to an Oct. 30 police statement released before Smith died. āDetectives are still working to determine how the victim sustained his injuries,ā the statement says.
The statement adds that the suspects have been linked to three other offenses that took place that same morning, two of which were attempted robberies and one of which was a robbery of victims on nearby streets.
Smith was found unconscious on Oct. 27 about five hours after another gay man, Sebastian Thomas Robles Lascarra, 22, was reportedly attacked and beaten by as many as 15 men and women at the McDonaldās restaurant at 14th and U Street, N.W., according to a D.C. police report and information provided by Lascarraās husband.
D.C. police announced they made an arrest Nov. 5 of a 16-year-old juvenile male in connection with the McDonaldās case. The arrest came on the same day police released photos of seven suspects in the McDonaldās assault case taken from video cameras at or near the McDonaldās.
In their release of the video showing the two suspects in the Smith case, police are asking that anyone who may recognize the two individuals should contact police at 202-727-9099 or text their tip to the departmentās TEXT TIP Line at 50411.
āAnyone who may have seen or heard something suspicious in the 500 block of T Street, NW, or the surrounding area around 5:00 a.m. Sunday [Oct. 27] is asked to call the police or text police,ā the statement accompanying the release of the police video says.
The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at [email protected].Ā
Congratulations to Rehoboth Beach artist Gary Fisher who will be exhibiting at Aqua Art Miami, during Art Basel week, Dec. 4 – 8, 2024, with Nepenthe Gallery, booth #226. Fisher says these days he creates primarily in his studio and surrounding gardens in Rehoboth Beach, Del. Prior to that he had a studio on 14th Street, N.W., in D.C. He says he found painting, his passion, in mid-life, after a career as a natural resource and environmental attorney. He got active as a participant in the local art scene in D.C. as a founding member of the Mid-City Artists Group and created and managed the Gallery in Results the Gym, on Capitol Hill. He also served as the Managing Art Director for the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), and is now an active member of the Rehoboth Art League.
Fisher paints in oils and his artwork ranges from the textural abstract landscape work that has been the focus of his major recent work, to brilliantly colored still life, figurative paintings and recently he has had an interest in small plein-air paintings inspired from the poppy fields of Provence, and his own beautiful gardens in Rehoboth.
He talks about his art as an expression of the ābeauty I see all around me, particularly the coastal environment with its beautiful sunrises and sunsets reflecting off the wetlands and bays of Delaware, the gardens around my studio, or the amazing places I travel on my active biking, hiking, and painting trips.ā
Baltimore
5 more Salisbury students charged after man said he was lured to apartment attack
Suspects allegedly targeted victim on Grindr
By CODY BOTELER | Five more Salisbury University students have been charged in an alleged attack where a man said he was lured into an apartment and punched, kicked, and spat on because of his āsexual preferences,ā the Salisbury Police Department said Thursday afternoon.
The latest charges come after seven students were arrested earlier in the week, in an incident law enforcement officials are investigating as a hate crime.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
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