Oak Lawn Adjusts To Increased Police Presence
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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Many in the LGBT community are thanking police for their response after suspicious packages forced the evacuation of an Oak Lawn church, but the case highlights heightened tension in the wake of the Orlando attack.
Some of the folks in Oak Lawn said in the week following the terrorist attack the atmosphere has been subdued, and they expect it to take time to get completely comfortable with the new normal of how to respond to threats.
As one of the largest churches with primary outreach to the LGBT community, the Cathedral of Hope had already increased security and told its members to be more cautious before suspicious packages showed up on their doorstep.
"Because of what's going on in today's world and the current situation with Orlando and all. It's not really that much of a surprise that there could be this sort of thing," said Cathedral of Hope member Dr. Gary Kindley.
When police ordered the evacuation in the middle of a service, parishioners simply carried on outside at a safe distance while police confirmed there were no explosives.
"I want to say the Dallas Police Department has been amazing for this last week. They've been at everything we've had. Multiple police officers have been here. They've been very supportive, and we want to thank them for that," said Cathedral of Hope member Sylvia Franze.
Rafael McDonnell with Dallas's LGBT Resource Center said he's encouraged by the success of the response to the church scare, but he does worry about how to sustain the community's delicate relationship with law enforcement.
"Certainly there is a positive sign out there that the increased presence does help, but at the same time there is a concern over there about over-militarization," said McDonnell.
McDonnell said many in Oak Lawn are still trying to figure out the right mix.
"It's getting that balance, getting that security level while it being not smothering that's the trick," said McDonnell.
In the meantime, many said whether it's enjoying a nightclub or a church service, they're not going to let fear stop them from living their lives.
"It's just the way we do things, and we're just not going to let anything scare us away from that. We're just not," said Franze.
A church spokesperson called today's response to the suspicious packages a success and said they will be meeting with security staff and their board to go over lessons learned for future threats.
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