Walk a mile in my shoes

I guess I’m like a stuck record (they are the black things we used to have before CDs).
I am compelled to keep talking about Oxford St and the state it is in, particularly in terms of safety. My line of thinking is if we keep talking about the issues then something has to be done eventually.
In desperation I have decided to pen a letter to City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore, who has played a large part in our community for many years. It reads something like this:
Dear Lord Mayor Clover Moore,
A few years ago, I was appointed Oxford St Safety Ambassador (with your blessing). Since then I have done my best to raise awareness of safety issues in and around Oxford St for gay boys and girls. I have fond memories of skipping down Oxford St any Friday or Saturday night without a care in the world. But I’m afraid those memories are very much in the past.
Gone are the days of a trouble-free night out, with nights now including verbal abuse, spitting, stand-offs, muggings and, in extreme cases (but not too rare), violence and bashings.
I know I’m gay – have been all my life – but how do I reply to a car full of mid-20-year-olds as they scream abuse at me and throw stuff at me from their car windows?
How is my self-esteem expected to cope with this? And how many times will my friends and I be expected to ignore this behaviour?
This shouldn’t be happening on the street that is world-famous for the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.
I have worked in the club industry for more than 10 years, yet my heart still bleeds every time I hear another story about someone from my community getting bashed or hassled or robbed on the street we call our own.
Of course I encourage them to report these incidences of violence to the police – but it is getting harder to get them to listen when they have had to wait hours for the police to arrive, or are told by our boys in blue that their complaints won’t go anywhere because they have had too much to drink.
I plead with you – can you help us?
I understand it is hard to comprehend what is happening unless you walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. This is why I offer you this invitation.
On a Friday or Saturday night, I invite you and a male friend (it’s all about safety) to take a walk with me from the Sydney Star Observer office to the Stonewall Hotel. This is the usual route I take when walking from venue to venue.
Our walk will take place at about 12.30am, which is when I usually do my dash.
It will give you the opportunity to see first-hand the problems I and many others experience every Friday and Saturday night.
Lord Mayor, these times warrant desperate actions. By participating in this walk I hope you will understand a small amount of the heartache I feel each time one of my gay sisters or brothers is hurt.
— Maxi Shield, Safety Ambassador, Oxford St