Essay: Need for racial justice and police reform is clear
Rev. Lewis W. Stewart Guest essayist
The death of innocent black man George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police palpably demonstrated the collision between race and law enforcement which highlights the need for racial justice and police reform.
The plethora of slayings of black men and women by representatives of police authority has been a common historical occurrence. The United Christian Leadership Ministry has been the leading voice in Rochester calling for Police Reform. UCLM and its allies encouraged the City Council to fund Body Worn Cameras and participated in writing the policies for the program which were used as a basis for RPD’s policies. In November 2018, UCLM signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Mayor Lovely Warren to create the Community Justice Advisory Board to monitor the implementation and utilization of the program as well as policy.
To re-envision policing for the 21st Century, policy makers, politicians and law enforcement must come to grips with the influence of racism on law enforcement. There are 17,985 various police agencies infected with the disease of systemic racism and no national standards.
On December 18, 2014, President Obama sought to address the issue of police reform by issuing an Executive Order and was known as the President’s Taskforce on 21st Century Policing. The report contained Six Pillars:
• Building Trust and Legitimacy
• Police and Oversight
• Technology and Social Media
• Community Policing and Crime Reduction
• Officer Training and Education
• Officer Safety and Wellness
To date, UCLM has held four summits based on the first pillar, “Building Trust and Legitimacy.” The fact that Summit participants dwelt on the first pillar for so long demonstrates the entrenched gap and perceptions between law enforcement and the community regarding race. Hence, Summit 3 gave birth to a Covenant document signed by police chiefs and UCLM officials acknowledging systemic racism within policing and their willingness to improve race relations.
UCLM has presented an outline of proposals for dialogue, consideration and implementation:
1. Establish a Citizens’ Public Safety Interview Panel to interview police applicants.
2. Mandate annual mental health evaluations for all line officers.
3. Implement and mandate semi-annual racial justice education and training for law enforcement.
4. Annual comprehensive de-escalation training.
5. Fund and develop mental health practitioners to intervene in disputes.
6. End the purchase of military surplus equipment.
7. The Governor’s Executive Order should be expanded to include independent Investigators to investigate incidents of police use of excessive force.
How do we pay for some of these innovative proposals? This is where “defunding” comes into play. UCLM’s position is that a better term than “defunding” is a “reallocation of resources.” Reinvestment in the better training and education of non-racist police defenders and protectors of the communities in which they serve.
Serious police reform is a necessity in New York state and the nation if law enforcement is to build trust, legitimacy, transparency, and accountability with communities of color.
To work with UCLM on police reform email us at uclmrochesterny@gmail.com or call (585) 454-0077.
Rev. Lewis W. Stewart is President of the United Christian Leadership Ministry.