San Jose, California – The San Jose Police Officers Association president said Wednesday he’s in disbelief that Silicon Valley Pride organizers have asked uniformed law enforcement not to participate in this year’s parade.
“The Silicon Valley Pride leadership to bar uniformed officers from participating in the parade is the height of hypocrisy really, I mean those that made this short-sighted decision should be ashamed of themselves,” said SJPOA president Sean Pritchard. “One of the words that always comes to mind and that I’ve heard a lot is inclusion, and our department, our officers, that are a part of the LGBTQ community, they’ve worked very hard at building relationships.”
The San Jose Police Department has been involved in pride activities for years that included raising the pride flag, wearing pride patches as well as taking part in the parade.
Silicon Valley Pride Chief Marketing Officer Saldy Suriben confirmed with KPIX 5 they met with San Jose Police Chief Anthony Mata about their decision.
