The Meeting

Hi, my name is Davis.

MICHAEL: Davis, the Mayor's here.

I was about to meet the Devil.

A special meeting with the Mayor had been arranged through RI-TRI. It was in the hopes of amending some of the policies he was bringing forth in regards to Providence's gay communities. Recent raids of gay establishments and an attempted "scaled-back" approach to Pride in June were just a few of the new measures taken to make Providence more "family friendly."

Notice all the f**king quotation marks?

I wasn't really up for a meeting. I prefer the quote--"storm city hall and lay siege to the f**kers" approach, but the boys at RI-TRI wanted to try the whole catch a fly with honey thing first.

Nevertheless, I was the one who was going to be doing all the talking.

Mayor Burke arrived twenty minutes late--not unusual--and with a small entourage. They stood up against the wall while he sat down in his seat across from me at the conference table. The other RI-TRI members went over to shake his hand.

I stayed where I was.

MAYOR BURKE: I notice you didn't stand when I entered, John.
ME: I didn't want you to think I was about to bum rush you.
MAYOR BURKE: I would never think that.
ME: Then you might want to be a little more cautious.

I was eager to cut past all the chit chat and get to the point.

MAYOR BURKE: What can I do for all of you?
ME: We want you to back the f**k off.
MICHAEL: Davis!
MAYOR BURKE: It's all right. If John here wants to use foul language to express his beliefs, that's fine with me.
ME: Fan-f**king-tastic.
MAYOR BURKE: It's people like you that are the reason for the crackdowns, John. I don't want Providence to be a city overrun with bitter, disillusioned young men searching for their identity.
ME: Who's searching? I know exactly who I am.
MAYOR BURKE: Really, John? Do you?
ME: This isn't about me.

The Mayor stood up and began making his way around the table.

MAYOR BURKE: No, but it's about people like you. All of you. This city has failed you. It's driven you to lives of emptiness, of cheap thrills.
ME: Is that what you think being gay is? An endless chase for the next lustful fix?
MAYOR BURKE: Isn't it?
ME: No. Being young is an endless chase for the next lustful fix. We just get out fixes from each other.
MICHAEL: Davis--
ME: Sorry Mayor, but I'm not ashamed of my lifestyle, and I enjoy reveling in it--AND--as an American, I have the right to do so--in public and proudly.

Mayor Burke returned to his seat and sat down.

MAYOR BURKE: I can see there just isn't any getting through to you gentlemen.
ME: Can I take that to mean you're not going to budge?
MAYOR BURKE: On the contrary, I think I need to increase the intensity of my latest policies.
ME: You do that, and you're going to have a problem on your hands.
MAYOR BURKE: You actually think you can be a problem for me? I run this city.
ME: Or so you think.

And that was that. The Mayor got up and left.

I heard one of the men in the Mayor's entourage mumble something. Before he could move, I was out of my seat and in his face.

ME: What did you say?
ENTOURAGE GUY: I said you fags should learn to show some resp--

But before he could get out anymore, I had already sent a left hook to his jaw. This caused the other members of the entourage to rush me, while the RI-TRI guys ran to my side.

Pretty soon, it was a full-out brawl with most of us being arrested for assault.

The war had begun.