Crime bits

Next Tuesday, October 7, at 4:30 pm, Equality Maine and the Portland-based Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence are sponsoring a rally in response to a recent crime uptick in Portland -- with a special focus on the September crime perpetrated against a man who "was perceived to be gay." Attorney General Steve Rowe, Jill Saxby of the Maine Council of Churches, Mayor Ed Suslovic, Steve Wessler of the Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence, and Betsy Smith of Equality Maine are among those scheduled to attend. 

In related news, the public is invited to October's Public Safety Committee meeting, to be held the following Tuesday (10/15), at 5:30 pm in the city council chambers, where West End city councilor Dave Marshall, representatives from the Portland Police Department, and acting police chief Joe Loughlin will talk about recent crime trends and take questions from attendees.