Tear gas, not the fog machine, clears house
A recent disturbance at Cleveland's U4ia nightclub continues to leave club manager Lou Catania as mystified as he was the night of January 15. Around 1:30 am smoke filled the club. "It was just that quick and the place filled up with smoke," said Catania. "Everyone was cooperative in getting out of the club quickly."
After the club was evacuated, Catania spent a half hour searching the interior with a flashlight. He says that it took around thirty minutes for the smoke to clear. "We'd look for a few minutes and then have to go outside for air." The search turned up a paper bag containing a tear gas canister. "What we think is that someone set the bag on fire and that ignited the cylinder."
What's puzzling is the lack of motive. Catania says he had received no advance threats or warnings. "I really don't have a clue as to why this happened. I check my answering machine, every day that I come to work and there has been nothing to follow it up."
Right now the cylinder is in the hands of Cleveland police, who are checking it for fingerprints. "Of course, unless the fingerprints are already on file, we won't get much from that," said Catania.
Though the club lost some customers due to the inconvenience, Catania said that by 2 am they were able to let people back inside. "Most people stuck around in the parking lot or in their cars. Even though it was sub-zero outside, and most people still had their coats checked inside, they hung around. It was great the way everyone was so cooperative."
Catania said that he will increase security efforts at the club, though he already has an extensive security staff that includes a Cleveland police officer. "We've never had a problem here before. In the whole four years, not even a bad fight." Anyone with information about the incident should give the Cleveland police a call.
Center severs ties with Stonewall 25-Ohio
Acting on the recommendation of Executive Director Judy Rainbrook, the board of trustees of Cleveland's Lesbian-Gay Community Service Center voted that the Center would no longer serve as the fiscal agent for Stonewall 25-Ohio, the group that is organizing Ohio's participation in the New York City event on June 26.
Last autumn, interim state delegate Victoria Carter approached Rainbrook and requested the Center provide administrative support and serve as the fiscal agent for the ad hoc non-profit group, which Rainbrook agreed to.
After several disagreements over how funds were to be handled and disbursed, Rainbrook felt that the relationship could not continue.
On January 19, the Center issued a statement saying that "The board... has decided that the Center will no longer act as fiscal agent for or provide support to the Stonewall 25-Ohio organizing committee as of January 21, 1994. Staff and time limitations, coupled with philosophical differences on how community organizing
should be carried out, led to this decision. All mail and phone calls for Stonewall 25Ohio will be forwarded to the organizing committee at its new location."
Carter, now a permanent Stonewall 25 delegate from Ohio, has expressed her disappointment with the Center's change of heart. She stated that after the December Ohio Statewide Organizing Assembly, Rainbrook "appeared to be less helpful and more questioning of my decisions and authority." As to this board decision, Carter notes that "philosophical differences in outreach and organizing is a lame excuse for discontinuing fiscal sponsorship for SW25Ohio. The Center belongs to all segments of the community no matter where it's located or what segment of the population needs to use our Center space."
The contact information for Stonewall 25-Ohio is now: P.O. Box 91031, Cleveland, OH 44101. The new telephone is 216921-8130, staffed on Tuesday and Thursday from 12-4 pm. To send a fax, call the number first during times when it is staffed.
City's AIDS budget is the focus of ACT UP protest
Living up to its name, ACT UP Cleveland took to the streets on January 24 to protest the city's lethargic response to the AIDS crisis. At about 7 am, ACT UP memIbers Joe Carroccio, Marcos Rivero and Gordon Jones arrived at Cleveland's City Hall and handcuffed themselves to the front doors to prevent workers from entering. The demonstrators were "protesting the lack of a city budget for AIDS education and prevention after working with the mayor for several months prior to this week's deadline to allocate budget monies for AIDS," according to an ACT UP statement.
Along with a small crowd of supporters, representatives from the police department and the mayor's office soon arrived and spoke with the demonstrators. After cutting the handcuffs off, police arrested the three men on charges of aggravated disorderly conduct. They were released later in the day.
In a mounting fax war, Mayor White's office issued a statement that he was surprised by the demonstration “since it was [the mayor] who initiated a dialogue last year on the problems of AIDS which in-
cluded members of the gay and lesbian community along with local health officials." The mayor's response went on to suggest that ACT UP was operating with misinformation about the budget having to be approved by January 31. "The proposed budget has not even been introduced and does not have to be approved until April 1."
Later in the day, ACT UP responded to the mayor, quoting the budget process listed in The City Record that the budget must be submitted by February 1 and asking where the AIDS plan is. ACT UP also took issue with the mayor's reference to dialogue that was initiated over a year ago and that will continue. "Of course your timetable does not meet with our approval. One year ago Cleveland was a secondary epidemic center, now Cleveland is a major metropolitan infection area with 45 percent of all Ohio AIDS cases," ACT UP announced.
ACT UP urged the mayor to accelerate the funding process for education and prevention, spending money now to prevent infections and avoiding the higher costs of paying for AIDS care later.
Steve Simon, President
JANUARY 28, 1994 Some companies and brokers are promising you "the most money for your life insurance policy," but they are breaking their promises.
They promise to only represent your interests...they promise to get you the most for your policy...they promise that everything is confidential...they promise you will not have to pay their fee. They promise you will get your money quickly. They promise and they promise and they promise!
And who will these brokers sell your policy to? Not the company that will pay you the most,
GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE 3 a company like American Life Resources there would be no fee. The extra money it costs to have a middleman shop your policy to investors would go directly to you. And copies of your private and confidential medical records would not be floating around the country like a chain letter.
We don't need to find someone to purchase your policy. We don't have to wait to get you your funds after you have been approved. We have
There is nothing
sweeter than a promise kept.
There is nothing more bitter than a promise broken.
but someone who will pay the broker the most. Think about that! And who are these "funding sources" that they are sending your personal and confidential medical records to? Someone you can check out? Someone you can trust? Someone you would want owning your life insurance policy?
And who really pays the broker's fee? You! If you worked directly with
The
Travel Place
over 50 million dollars of our own money that is solely dedicated to purchasing life insurance policies. You receive the most money possible with no has-
sles, no excuses and no delays.
Call us for more information. You don't need middlemen and neither do we. We keep our promises so you can keep yours!
1-800-633-04 07
American Life Resources
A Viatical Settlement Company
American Life Resources is one of the oldest and largest viatical settlement companies in the world. We have helped more PWAS take control of their lives than any other organization
Business & Leisure
* Olivia Club Med & Cruises
* RSVP Cruises
*
Gay Ski Week Jan 15-22, 1994
* SKYLINK Tours
* Caribbean Condos & Villas
*
Gay Games IV & Stonewall
* ATLANTIS at Club Med Resorts
"Providing our clients with
choices that are
tailored to their needs"
1392 Warren Road Suite #2
Lakewood, OH. 44107 (216) 521-4733 (800) 521-4449
IGTA
INTERNATIONAL GAY TRAVEL ASSOCIATION