Pride in Surrey takes on PCC

[C4tintherug]

www.prideinsurrey.org/pccag-news

“From the offset, Ms Townsend asserted that we would not change her mind and she fully believed that "male
bodied people" are not women and that the use of women's refuges should be for people who were born women.
Ms Townsend went on to assert that she "believes in sex, not gender". “

We are with you Lisa- don’t be bullied!

God that is so badly written - Head of Communications, you say, really?

The meeting did not go well.
Well I'm sure Lisa thought it was a delight to meet Surrey Pride after revised threats of re-education "by force".

It's not "from the offset", it's "from the off", or "from the beginning". Offsetting is not that.

"however these refuges would be for both trans women and trans men" says you. A women's refuge spoke up for Lisa directly in response to the pile on after her Mail on Sunday interview.

"We asked her if she would be prepared to take our advice on her use of language"
Did she say no? Does that make you sad?

"stated that she had run her words
past a police officer who had assured her that her language was appropriate"
I strongly suspect she consulted with a colleague rather than 'run' her words past anyone.

"to lobby for Lisa Townsends removal
from office"
Do they know how elections work?

"At Pride in Surrey, our core mission is to Celebrate, Educate and Connect the LGBTQI+ community. Connect with
us now to educate those who feel that the equality act doesn't apply to them and let us celebrate when we
achieve our aim of removing those involved in hate speech from positions of power."

Lots of 'educate' and 'celebrate' - which is unsurprising as Ireland is a Patron Educate and Celebrate (alongside Peter Tachell, just saying) that org that goes into schools to tell kids that love has no age.

Maybe I'm being picky about the language, but given their last statement was a veiled threat and this is to form an 'action' group you wonder what sort of action they will take when they don't get what they want.

@NapoleonOzmolysis

Controversial views? Is it, though?

I saw Lisa has been doing something today about Canal Watch - there's a massive problem with men indecently exposing themselves to women and girls on a canal in Surrey. You know, actual violence.

Lisa secured 175k. If you Google 'attack Basingstoke canal" you can see why it's a great win.

https://twitter.com/lisaa_townsend/status/1445697910050410513?s=21

A woman on Twitter the other day said something about a man telling her he went for late night walks by a canal, to clear his head, and how she could never expect to do safely.

Police & Crime Commissioners are the big elected bosses, and I'm not saying I'm a fan of the system but that's how it is.

Excuse the wiki quote but I'm tired. Anyway,

Police and crime commissioners are also responsible for the appointment, suspension and dismissal of the Chief Constable, although the 2011 Policing Protocol Order states that the PCC "must not fetter the operational independence of the police force and the Chief Constable who leads it"

So a PCC can't interfere with armed police operations, say, to take out a bunch of drug dealing freemasons; but s/he could 'lose confidence' in a captured Chief Constable and that would be curtains.

yes I'm sure Stonewall can stretch to sorting that out.

No, no, no. Stonewall doesn't do things to benefit LGBT people any more they are focussed on correcting what others think.

All those staff and all that money are needed because so many people don't seem to understand that Stonewall is right and they are doubleplusungood.

I can't stand Stonewall in its current incarnation but must mention that they actually do seem to fund, or certainly manage referrals to, a specialist trans refuge in London. Which is fantastic and just the work they should be doing.

I'm just a bit mystified that Stonewall don't talk about that work more.

@PermanentTemporary

I'm just a bit mystified that Stonewall don't talk about that work more.

Presumably because third spaces aren’t validating enough.

What a disgusting situation, trying to have an elected person removed for having totally reasonable views.
How far down the rabbit hole of madness have we gone?

Wow, they really are the thought and belief police. It is so embarrassing.
I too voted for a Conservative Police Commissioner first time I've ever voted Conservative, but really couldn't trust Labour to defend women.

We have begun work on an action group to lobby for her removal...

She's elected.

Want to stand against her? Go ahead. Make my day.

Maybe they're going to keep arresting her for non-crime hate incidents.

@LizzieSiddal

*Who

Why works too...

I'm sorry to hear Lisa say she's facing the Police and Crime Panel of Surrey Police because she's had 37 official complaints and death threats made against her. (The Police and Crime Panel effectively hold a PCC to account) I hope she stands firm and does not bow to pressure.

@PermanentTemporary

I can't stand Stonewall in its current incarnation but must mention that they actually do seem to fund, or certainly manage referrals to, a specialist trans refuge in London. Which is fantastic and just the work they should be doing.

that's interesting, can you tell us more? and yes, why aren't they telling us about this?

from Surrey county council website:

Meeting
Surrey Police and Crime Panel - Wednesday, 24 November 2021 10.30 am
Attendance details
Add meeting to your calendar using VCS format
The agenda will be displayed in the week before the meeting

Proposed venue: Woodhatch Place, Reigate, Surrey

Contact: Amelia Christopher Email: [email protected]
__

The officer listed, if requested, should pass on written deputations to the committee members and give sight of them to the PCC and Chief Constable.

The contact details of the individual members (mostly councillors, but not all) are also on the website, if anyone wants to email them in support of Lisa, women, and freedom of belief and expression.

There's an informal meeting of the Panel on the 27th October so messages sent before then will be really valuable.

It's been a split committee on a couple of key issues, interestingly.

@Warmduscher

I voted for Lisa just before I moved up north from Surrey. I had emailed her and the other PCC candidates about my concerns around women’s prisons, refuges, etc.

She said she had been inundated with women contacting her about these issues and she felt it was an incredibly important issue because Surrey women had told her it was important to them.

One candidate never replied at all and the other said he was on the fence about crimes committed by transwomen being recorded as being committed by women.

So, for the first time in my life, I voted for the Conservative candidate. I really hope Lisa can hold her nerve.

I think Lisa will hold her nerve. I emailed her to show support and had a very positive reply. Lisa knows that her view is the logical and reasonable one, and she knows the strength of feeling not only in her area , but across the UK.

How do we email her to show our support. I'm a constituent or whatever it would be?!

@tiddlysquat

How do we email her to show our support. I'm a constituent or whatever it would be?!

This came from a previous thread re Lisa.

FAO Lisa Townsend PPC,
Surrey Police HQ,
Mount Browne, Sandy Lane,
Guildford
GU3 1HG

Email: [email protected]

But I dug this out too

Gavin Stephens. Email: [email protected].

Although there's still a lot of incoming madness like this, over the last couple of years the tide has turned and people in general are fed-up with the ranting, posturing, and other "marginalised community" nonsense.

They're coming across like spoilt little children. The more they do it, the less people have time for it.

I think there's a lot less time for posturing, aggressive police officers, too.

I live in Surrey, use the canal daily, thank my lucky stars I have never required DV or sexual assault counselling, and have accordingly emailed Lisa Townsend my thoughts.

@OhHolyJesus thank you I will email.

No problem @tiddlysquat.

Checking the replies on that tweet I see nothing but 100% ratio of rejection of Surrey Pride's big plans for the removal of Lisa.

twitter.com/prideinsurrey/status/1445813073277636610?s=21

OhHolyJesus

That twitter feed is a shining example of ordinary people voicing their opinions, as you say 100%.
Good luck to Lisa Townsend.

About Stonewall and the refuge - I'm thinking of Stonewall Housing and The Outside Project. Apologies, it doesn't seem to be purely for trans people but for the full LGBT+.

I'd wonder if a housing element of Stonewall is more focused on practical reality than the campaigning element. Sounds a great initiative.