It’s quiet now in Cathedral City Cove. This peace is new for Michael Hayes.
“My house is now finally becoming, once again, a home for us,” he said.
For the past few months, he and his neighbors near Grandview Avenue and Elna Way have been subject to a barrage of insults and slurs from a woman whose home is adjacent to theirs. She had been a contentious neighbor since she moved into the Cathedral City enclave seven years ago, according to Hayes, but her attacks ramped up after the November election.
Hayes said he and husband, David Skinner, were miserable, never knowing when a tirade of racist, homophobic obscenities and praise for MAGA and Donald Trump would blare out, disturbing their home of 20 years. Even his dogs were traumatized, Hayes said.
In mid-January, the woman began using a megaphone to spew the hateful words. NBC Palm Springs later dubbed her “the bullhorn bully” and put video of her on The Roggin Report. That’s when things changed.
On Feb. 10, the Cathedral City Police Department held a community meeting and announced they’d cited the woman for three violations of the municipal code: maliciously disturbing others, using offensive words in a public place, and willful disobedience of a court order. They confiscated the bullhorn she’d used to amplify the verbal attacks.
Hayes told the Independent he’d reported his neighbor to authorities multiple times. He had been granted a restraining order against her, which expired in October. The recent escalation with the bullhorn was resolved, at least for now, thanks to media attention, and three neighbors agreeing to press charges. The police investigated, interviewed the woman and cited her, submitting the case to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office to determine whether criminal charges will be filed.
While these disturbances in Cathedral City Cove have stopped, other hate incidents have been taking place around the western Coachella Valley.
In Palm Springs, three people were arrested and charged with assaulting a trans woman. Vandals ripped pride and other flags off the patio at Palm Springs Cultural Center and trashed them. Homophobic slurs were lobbed at the co-owners of Monster Shakes.
The list goes on. Cathedral City Police recently investigated a “credible threat,” made as a comment on a Facebook post, against Cathedral City LGBT+ Days. As a result of the post, which encouraged “someone (to) drive thru in a semi or something (and) do us all a favor,” officials announced they would increase security measures for the upcoming LGBT+ Days, taking place March 7-9.
There is a palpable sense of outrage that all of these hate incidents could happen in a region celebrated for its embrace of diversity. The second Trump presidency, with its attacks on DEI, has emboldened a small minority to speak hatred and intolerance out loud, and to act on it in extreme cases.
In response, concerned residents have organized protests, while Palm Springs and Cathedral City officials have held community meetings.
At separate meetings, police from Palm Springs and Cathedral City clarified the difference between a hate crime and a hate incident. While many verbal exchanges do not rise to the level of a crime, Palm Springs Police Chief Andy Mills and Cathedral City Police Investigations Cmdr. Jon Enos both encouraged the public to report any instances of hate speech, bullying or acts of verbal aggression.
Mills appeared at a recent meeting of the Palm Springs Human Rights Commission to reassure commissioners that the police department is paying attention.
“Regardless of whether it’s a hate crime or a hate incident, yes, we want to know,” Mills told the Independent. “And the reason we want to know is because we can track trends, as well as (ask): Is this person heading toward a hate crime of some kind? In other words, is that person heading towards building up the courage or the mental instability to (commit) a hate crime?”
No Such Thing as a ‘Save Haven’
About 40 people gathered at Anthony Bartscher’s ice cream store in downtown Cathedral City on Feb. 15 to socialize over ice cream and other treats. Georgia Tournai organized the “demonstration of love” on social media, as a show of community support after learning that Bartscher had been harassed.
Bartscher said he decided to speak out after a woman drove by Monster Shakes in Palm Springs yelling an anti-gay slur.
“She never even exited her car,” he said. “We’ve had people say stuff in the store, but when they said it to my husband and my son, I was just like, ‘This is just ridiculous.’ I mean, I’m getting close to 50, so I’m not new to this. I’ve always been kind of the tough one, like, ‘All right, whatever.’ But now it’s time for me to be tough in a different way and fight back. I’m thinking it’s time to take a stand—you know, come together as a community and let it be known: This is not acceptable.”
Bartscher runs the two Monster Shakes stores with his husband, Kyle. They recently franchised the business and plan to sell the Palm Springs location.
“I said, ‘You know, maybe we should do like a town hall meeting at the Cathedral City store, because that store could hold a ton of people, and really start getting into how we can do something as a community and not let this be a problem,’” Bartscher said.
Alan Carvalho has lived in Cathedral City for 14 years. His husband, Shelley Kaplan, was a City Council member from 2014-2018. At the Feb. 10 community meeting, Carvalho urged the current City Council to be more visible, especially at public events in support of inclusion.
Carvalho told the Independent he remembers a time not long ago when council members led protests and pushed for action.
“During that time, with Shelly Kaplan, John Aguilar (and Greg Pettis), the three of them were a force to be reckoned with,” Carvalho said. “That really shifted the entire valley. I mean, Cathedral City became a place to be. … We were responsible for bringing a rainbow crossing to the city. That was my first mission on the Public Arts Commission as chair. That activity, the involvement with the council, was unbelievable. We were the first city to (designate itself a) sanctuary city, the first city in the valley to do that.”
Carvalho said the community needs to return to the political activism that helped make the region such an inclusive place.
“These kinds of things are happening in areas that people assume are safe havens, right? Unfortunately, there is no such thing.”
Alan Carvalho
“We are in a bit of a bubble, being that we’re in the greater Palm Springs resort area,” he said. “We’re predominantly LGBTQ. The (entire) valley is not, though; the valley is very conservative. When this is happening with Trump, well, you’re going to get people with stupidity and anger and hate coming into our neighborhood. It still shakes up the neighborhood with all kinds of threats happening, and the flags being torn down at the Palm Springs Cultural Center.
“These kinds of things are happening in areas that people assume are safe havens, right? Unfortunately, there is no such thing.”
Don’t Just Post—Report
Cathedral City Police Chief George Crum addressed a nearly full chamber at the Feb. 10 community meeting. Many residents said they want the police to do more.
It’s not a “both sides” issue, said one attendee. “We are dancing around the fact that the climate has changed,” said another.
Crum explained that making a complete police report for any incident is the best practice.
“A social media post is not a reported crime,” he said.
He assured the crowd that the city is taking precautions to ensure the safety of public events like LGBT+ Days. He suggested holding meetings more frequently, where residents can voice concerns outside of the restrictions of formal City Council meetings.
Ryan Hunt, communications and event manager for Cathedral City, told the Independent that residents often post mentions of hate incidents on social media, but neglect to report them to the proper authorities. He emphasized more information and sources increase the likelihood that law enforcement has the details necessary for an investigation.
“You have to report the crime,” Hunt said. “We’re trying to get people to take that next step and call our lines. If it is an actual emergency, call 911, in every case. But if it’s more of a disturbance, call the general line. But we need more people to call in these things when they see them and when they experience them.”
Cathedral City’s non-emergency police phone number is 760-770-0300. Palm Springs’ is 760-327-1441.
Security and safety are on everyone’s mind as a number of high-profile public events are coming up. Chief Mills said police are always working in the background. They do not monitor social media—that would be a privacy violation, he said—but the department does have software that searches the dark web for potential threats.
Mills said Palm Springs Police have added extra surveillance at the airport, and that the monitoring of suspicious activities is ongoing.
“We’re doing a lot, but we can always do more,” Mills told the Independent. “I want to do everything we can, within reason, to make sure that we’re keeping the community as safe as possible. I think doing more is having an impact in several things. One, we use technology to our advantage to track groups and persons who are making threats. You have to try to determine where the person is—is it a real, realistic threat? If you take a look at it, and the person is living in their mother’s basement in Ohio—well, I’m not too concerned about that one.”
Mills said there has been an uptick in reports of hate speech in Palm Springs, but there has not been a rise in hate crimes.
“We are actively working the destruction of flags at the Cultural Center, but that’s it,” Mills said.
A Boost in Security
Security will be stepped up for the Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards on Saturday, March 29, at the Palm Springs Convention Center. The fundraising gala supports DAP Health; last year, The Chase raised $2.3 million for client services. Now in its 31st year, it is one of the valley’s most anticipated events.
Deborah Chapman is director of development for events and partnerships at DAP Health. For the first time, all attendees of The Chase will need to provide their first and last name, an email address and a mobile phone number. She said DAP Health is also adopting the checkpoint system that was used at the recent Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala, and tweaking it for The Chase.
“Everyone who has a ticket will have to pass a police checkpoint before they enter anywhere around the Convention Center—possibly multiple checkpoints,” Chapman said. “Previously, anybody could just drive up to the front of the Convention Center, leave their car and walk away. The Convention Center and the Police Department are working together to build this program. I don’t know if it will be as high of a threat issue as the film festival, because, obviously, there were celebrities and whatnot (at the film fest awards gala), but we have this different element that is a threat to our community in certain ways. We want to make sure that we are ahead of it.”
“Regardless of whether it’s a hate crime or a hate incident, yes, we want to know. And the reason we want to know is because we can track trends, as well as (ask): Is this person heading toward a hate crime of some kind?”
Palm Springs Police Chief Andy Mills
Cmdr. Enos said Cathedral City Police will boost security at events like LGBT+ Days, even if it is not obvious to attendees.
“Public events like the Bed Race and LGBT+ Days weekend will have specific operations planning involved,” Enos said. “Our SWAT team has ‘Overwatch,’ where people aren’t going to see them, and that’s obviously for a specific reason, but they are there. In light of what took place in New Orleans (where 15 people died on Jan. 1), the department has taken a little bit more of a focus in ensuring that the target has been hardened in and around the City Hall—not just for this specific event, but in general. Also, in light of the concern that the community has, obviously, we want to ensure that they feel safe being part of this event.”
Enos said his involvement in the community goes well beyond his job. He said community meetings during these fraught times are beneficial for everyone.
“I think it (will) hopefully reassure the community that we’re on their side,” he said. “I’ve been with this organization for over 20 years. I grew up in this city. I’ve worked here for a very long time. I graduated high school here. The LGBTQ+ community has been on our side since day one. We have never had any issues. They’ve always helped us out. So, for us to be able to meet and answer questions, it works in both parties’ interest to provide clarification and information.”
Police will not only be present at LGBTQ+ Days; they’ll be actively involved, as a competitor in the weekend’s signature event, the Bed Race.
“We go head-to-head with the fire department,” Enos said. “We haven’t won in a while, you know, and hopefully we can change that. But we will be out there. We will make sure that the event is safe for everybody, that security is on the forefront and is adequate. We’ll have people out there, officers that will be seen, and officers that won’t be seen, so that everybody can just have a good time and feel safe.”
No More Taking Rights for Granted
On Presidents Day, Courageous Resistance of the Desert and other groups organized a protest, in conjunction with the National Day of Protest, on the steps of Palm Springs City Hall. Hundreds of protestors listened to speakers while waving signs. The protest’s target wasn’t hate incidents, per se, but opposition to recent actions by President Trump.
Carvalho said the community needs to be active to protect hard-fought gains that had been taken for granted.
“It really does take a village,” he said. “As a proud gay member of this close and very empathetic community of LGBTQ+ residents, I won’t be silenced by hate, homophobia and racism.”
A woman who attended the gathering at Monster Shakes spoke about the gravity of the moment in which the country finds itself. Laurel—she asked to be identified by just her first name—told the crowd she moved back to the Coachella Valley from Texas three years ago. Like so many others who moved to the desert to live their authentic selves, she said she is terrified at what she’s seeing on the news.
“I’m here because I cannot tolerate this hate,” she told the crowd. “We all have to stand up. We cannot allow it—race, gender, religion or anything—to get in the way, no matter how much we shake inside. I left my home and gave everything away to start over for my daughter, so she’d have a chance. And the hate is here. It is not OK.”
Back in Cathedral City Cove, Michael Hayes is enjoying the quiet.
“It’s like a miracle right now,” he said. “But I’m (still) a little nervous. I’m scared, to be honest. I’m scared to death that any moment now, it could start again.”
Thank you Haleemon Anderson for your accurate and timely reporting! We are a community of compassionate and empathy and appreciate your support and professionalism in our struggle to stay relevant and safe in an atmosphere of hate, homophobia and bigotry! We will never be silenced! And your newspaper, your phenomenal journalism will help save our rights and our democracy! Thank you-
Alan Carvalho, community activist
Cathedral City
As sad and frustrating as it is to read about these incidents, I’m glad that the subsequent community discussions – with each other, with law enforcement and community leaders – has raised awareness.
We have a wonderful welcoming LGBTQ+ community here but we also need to remain mindful and vigilant against violence and harassment. We sometimes think it can’t happen here, but as the senseless death of Lauri Carleton showed us, it can. The community response is promising – a united community is a safer one.