I didn’t pay much attention to the reports of that Tosa police shooting a few weeks ago. Besides, it’s been a busy summer of shootings in the city and a pretty typical one for the country’s weekly body count. Just more mayhem, I thought.
Then a friend called. The victim, he said, was a mutual acquaintance, Tony Gonzales, a 29-year old Native American gay man. At first I didn’t connect the name to a face. Then I realized it was the slim, handsome Tony with the high cheekbones and quirky style. If you are out and about in gay Milwaukee, you probably knew him. An acquaintance first met Tony outside the PrideFest gate a decade ago. Tony had just turned 18 and headed out into the world. He attended the Alliance School then graduated from a high school in Tosa. With his exotic air and noble, chiseled features, he stood out in a crowd. Sometimes he’d dress trendy and stylish or in extreme Goth garb. But despite his outer flamboyance, he seemed quiet and shy. His friends describe him as kind, creative and sweet. I’d see him at functions like the Gay Athletic Milwaukee Metro Association holiday party, PrideFest (where he volunteered and performed as a dancer) or the LGBT Film Festival.
As the story goes, Tony came home after an evening out and got angry over something. According to his landlord, this happened on occasion but Tony usually calmed down. This time he didn't. Things escalated and the landlord called 911. When the police arrived, Tony threatened them with a sword and refused to drop it. The police shot him dead in response. Tony was known to have been bipolar but it was unclear if that had been communicated to the responding officers. Anyway, the Tosa police chief indicated his force is trained in dealing with people with mental problems. Still, one wonders why non-lethal means weren’t employed to incapacitate Tony long enough for him to be subdued.
We may second-guess police tactics but ultimately we need to ask how the LGBT community provides for its own. Back in the era of grassroots activism, we did. Today, our agencies take surveys to measure Milwaukee’s LGBT health needs. They show we smoke more, drink more, do more drugs, are fatter and have a high incidence of mental problems. But then what? An LGBT mental health clinic was promised back in 2012. The project imploded and has not been spoken of since. Granted, the LGBT Community Center has a domestic abuse advocate and there’s a list of all sorts of professionals on its website. There’s also the Galano Club for addictive behavior. But is that enough?
I don’t know what could have saved Tony. Even if we had a mental health clinic, would he have even known of it, or accessed it if he did? Still, we need to get back to caring and watching out for each other. Meanwhile, his friends have set up a memorial page on Facebook and will announce a service. Rest in Peace, Tony.
