As Pride weekend expands in Hamilton, so do efforts to keep it safe, organizers say

CBC

11 hours ago

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As Pride Hamilton gears up for its biggest weekend in recent memory with Pride on the Pier on Friday and Saturday and Pride Drag Brunch on Sunday, organizers are emphasizing safety.
"We've had multiple years now incident-free, and I'm hoping we can continue that momentum," said Kiel Hughes, chair of the board and director of events at Pride Hamilton.
Pride events will span the entire weekend, with events at Pier 4 Park starting on Friday at 5 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. until midnight. On Sunday, Pride Hamilton is, for the first time, closing the weekend with a special brunch at Hamilton Stadium.
But with higher visibility comes increased concern. Hughes said organizers worked closely with Hamilton police to develop safety protocols.
"When you're an organizer of an event, you understand the consequences of inaction," said Hughes.
"There are children there, there are senior citizens, there are racialized folks, there are gender diverse folks, there are queer members of the community."
Among concerns, Hughes mentioned the city's recent shootings where innocent bystanders have been killed, as well as white nationalist "active clubs" traced to the city.
Hamilton also saw its highest number of hate crimes in the last 10 years in 2024, according to police data, with members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community among the most targeted.
Relationship with police a 'work in progress'
There's a thin line for Hughes and other Pride Hamilton organizers to walk, however, as some may not feel comfortable with police at the event.
"I do get it," Hughes said, adding that as a racialized person and someone who is part of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, sitting in meetings "with a bunch of armed police" can be very uncomfortable.
In 2019, members of a far-right group crashed a Pride festival at Gage Park, bearing homophobic signs and loud speakers.
A group of counter-protesters in pink masks also used a large black curtain to try to shield them from view. The clash turned violent and several people were assaulted.
Pride Hamilton organizers criticized the police response, saying they stood by while violence erupted. Then police chief Eric Girt said police would have deployed differently at the event had they been welcomed.
"It's a working relationship," said Hughes on Tuesday.
"There's a job that the police are expected to do, and that job is law enforcement."
Vice-chair and director of operations at Pride Hamilton, Allyson Cuddy emphasized that police presence at the park will be kept to a minimum. "There won't be police officers at every booth," she said.
"They're trained to handle these things, so let them do their job. And it's not a free-for-all where the police are going to come and party at Pride. That's not what it is," said Hughes.
CBC Hamilton reached out to Hamilton police for comment but did not hear back before publication.
'Everyone is welcome' at Pride
Pride Hamilton also worked with private security and police to establish a perimeter for the event and an emergency response plan.
The perimeter will be put in place to monitor the traffic of people at Pride at the Pier, said Hughes.
Hughes added the team has been proactive, posting a " know before you go" guide to help attendees prepare.
The guide outlines the time and place of Pride at the Pier as well as what to do and general rules of the event.
This year's theme is "reclamation, unity, and healing," Hughes said, "We are taking over and taking up space."
The message from organizers is clear: "everyone is welcome" at Pride.
"Come with positivity, come with good energy, come with excitement, and come ready to support each other" Hughes said. "This is not going to be a space for negativity and harm."
"We're trying to create a safe space that's sustainable for this community so that we who live in Hamilton can celebrate in Hamilton and don't need to go to other cities to feel included and feel welcome."