Tempers flared Monday evening as members of the GLBT community and media gathered in The Center’s auditorium to address San Diego’s Pride board, which nearly allowed three known child molesters registered under Megan’s Law to work/volunteer despite community upheaval just days before Pride weekend. Among the three was Pride’s logistics coordinator, Jerry Garrett, who remained onsite until 1:00 p.m. Saturday despite Pride’s public statement and agreement with the District Attorney’s Office that all known sex offenders’ resignations would be effective at 12:00 midnight on Friday, July 29. All crimes were characterized as lewd or lascivious acts committed against children under the age of 16, with one especially heinous act committed against a child under the age of 14 with force.

A series of missteps and, in our opinion, outright dishonesty by Pride’s executive director, Suanne Pauley, led to a lack of confidence in the board’s ability to act as a custodian for the GLBT community’s most celebrated and honored annual event. We want to remind the remaining board members that the community owns Pride and they are the custodians.

Setting the tone of the two-and-a-half-hour meeting was an opening announcement that yet another child molester had been discovered; this time a clown hired to work in Pride’s Children’s Garden. Martin Ramirez, a.k.a. Marty the Clown, was brought to Pride’s attention via a representative of Los Angeles’ Christopher Street West Pride parade. This happened in spite of Pride’s many assurances that no sex offender/child molester would have direct contact with children.

The crowd was given a few minutes to digest the news before Ray Drew, past executive director of the Family Pride Coalition, City Commissioner Nicole M. Ramirez and, finally, Phillip Princetta, incoming co-chair of Pride, gave the audience their take on the controversy and the future of Pride.

Princetta delivered an apology for the mistakes made by the board and announced the board’s request for Pauley’s resignation. But order steadily deteriorated as the crowd, over half of which were Pride volunteers, lined up to share their grievances with the board for calling for the resignation of the volunteers in question and that of Pauley. Though there were several Pride board members at the meeting, Princetta was left high and dry to handle the responses on his own. Shame on longtime board members Joe Mayer and Jeri Dilno for not having the guts to face the music they so poorly orchestrated.

Regardless, over the course of our investigation, Pauley’s inaction and dishonesty rightly justifies her dismissal. Pride made an agreement with the District Attorney’s Office: The two volunteers would be asked to resign, effective immediately, and Garrett, due to the magnitude of his responsibilities, would be allowed to stay on board until 12:00 midnight on Friday.

But just days before the parade, Pauley called the D.A.’s office and appealed to assistant district attorney David Rubin to allow Garrett to work through Saturday, stating his participation was integral to the success of the event. Her request was denied.

When we questioned Pride’s media coordinator, Frank Sabatini, Jr., about Garrett’s attendance, he contacted Pauley and relayed her response to us, which was that Garrett’s resignation date was effective as of 12:00 noon on Saturday, but that he had stayed an hour over to complete his duties.

Once District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis got wind that Garrett was allowed to work despite law enforcement’s agreement with Pride – and even after Pride’s follow-up call was met with a resounding no – Pauley conveniently changed her story, telling the media and Pride board that Garrett came to Pride of his own volition, and that she was absolutely unaware that he was on Pride grounds until she saw him herself around 12:00 noon on Saturday. Even then she did not force him to leave the grounds.

What readers may not have experienced is a story riddled with inconsistencies and flagrant dishonesty that was an attempt to hide mistakes instead of simply apologizing and moving forward. It was this gross deception that provoked our series of editorials calling for the Pride board’s resignation.

And our feelings have not changed much following Monday’s meeting. Much to our disgust, several board members in attendance at the meeting sat back and watched Princetta take a beating, never once stepping in to aid in the barrage of questions.

Sadly, the audience was not a true representation of the community. Speakers largely consisted of Pride volunteers expressing their frustration with Pride and the community for violating the civil rights of the registered child molesters by calling for their resignations

More frustrating, however, were the community members at the meeting who vehemently opposed the participation of the child molesters, and have been vocal as to their lack of confidence in the board, but remained silent throughout the meeting.

We will continue to act as community watchdog and hold Pride accountable. Already respected community member Judy Schaim was given the brush off after attempting to join the board. Debra Self, former San Diego Pride co-chair, resigned as of yesterday, contributing her early exit to her lack of confidence in the Pride board and its unwillingness to appoint new board members as promised. (See news story page 14 for complete details.)