Since 2022, OutCenter Southwest Michigan has held an annual LGBTQ+ pride event at the Dwight Mitchell City Center Park in downtown Benton Harbor. But now it's unclear if the event will return to the park under a proposed policy change.
City Manager Alex Little cited security concerns as the reason for the proposal, with large events making policing and public safety difficult.
OutCenter faced this issue in 2024, when a group of anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-abortion protesters showed up to that year's PrideFest, insulting attendees and recording their reactions.
"They were holding signs that were pretty gruesome, with bloody images of aborted babies, with pride flags in the background, handing out pamphlets with the same type of graphic imagery to kids," said Program Director Gerik Nasstrom.
Benton Harbor Public Safety eventually got involved, but the protesters were allowed to stay.
OutCenter Executive Director Mary Jo Schnell criticized the city's response during a City Commission Meeting the following August.
“This year the feelings of belonging, pride, celebration, and safety were obliterated twice over,” Schnell said.
“First by the arrival of six individuals who set about intimidating and harassing our community in the very center of the park for which we had a permit. And second by the arrival of Benton Harbor law enforcement and city officials and their absolute failure to reinstate the safety of residents they were feeling at Pride Fest prior to the arrival of protesters.”
Despite the incident, OutCenter hoped to host its 2025 PrideFest at the park again this year, but the city has indicated it will not issue a permit.
After speaking with City Manager Alex Little, OutCenter Program Director Gerik Nasstrom said the organization was told no events would be held at the park going forward.
Little denied this in a follow-up email to Outcenter, saying that only events presenting "special problems" would not be held at the park.
"The City is not going to approve certain types of events for City Center Park in the coming year and future," the email read.
"I did not say that we would not hold any events in City Center Park, but would not permit certain events that present special problems for the City in terms of security and control."
But it seems this policy may change yet again.
In a meeting of the Benton Harbor Legislative Committee on March 5, City Manager Little proposed that only "government related events" be held at the park, again citing security concerns.
No clear definition of what constituted a "government related" event has been put forth by Little or the city.
During the legislative meeting, Commissioner Sharon Henderson asked if the annual Juneteenth celebration and parade would be allowed at the park since it was "in partnership with the city."
Manager Little said the event would be allowed under the proposed policy change.
This committee, the Benton Harbor Juneteenth Cultural Awareness Committee, is not formally connected to the city government. The committee is a separate non-profit organization.
This only makes things more confusing, according to Nasstrom.
He said this lack of a clear definition in the policy could give way to inequity.
“Where there is vagueness, where there is a lack of transparency, there's the potential for discriminatory action, and there's the potential for folks to work out whatever their personal biases may be."
Nasstrom added that a vague policy also provides no clear avenue for how events can become "government related."
He said this could create a members-only atmosphere around event applications.
“If you're not plugged in to what the city commissioners are doing, if you're not plugged in to the city manager’s personal Rolodex, are you going to be able to get an event?”
There are other parks in Benton Harbor, like Jean Klock or Union, but Nasstrom said City Center provides something the others cannot: visibility.
"I know there are other public parks, but there's one public park on Main Street. There's one public park that has the footprint that City Center Park does."
In response to the security concerns that sparked the policy debate, Nasstrom said the proposed change will not fix anything, only moving the harassment they face away from the public eye.
"In the time that we're in right now, we feel that this is not a time to be telling marginalized groups to go hide in the corner."
Reached by phone, City Manager Little declined a request for comment, citing his busy schedule before hanging up.
City Clerk Tiffany Moore said Little planned to edit the proposal before it would be considered by the commission. It is not on Monday evening's city commission agenda.
Michael Symonds reports for WMUK through the Report for America national service program.
