Clevelanders urged to get involved in police reform

To the editor:

(Plain Press, October, 2016)       The latest wave of terror, unleashed by the legalized killing of Black people, is re-traumatizing to many in Cleveland.

LETTER

Amidst this pain, white people are learning better to listen to people of color. As part of that, the group Showing Up for Racial Justice newly created a chapter in Cleveland. We want to encourage people, with us, to tune in to the multi-year Cleveland Police Commission process, which is part of the DOJ-mandated consent decree. It’s not just bureaucracy. Lives are at stake.

The public has a voice through the Commission (www.clecpc.org). The Commission does a good job of listening to the community, and with research, making recommendations to guide the kind of policing we can trust.

But, it’s not easy. Unfortunately, the City Council has not included nationwide best practices in its revision of the Civilian Police Review Board, to reach voters as a charter amendment in November. Many of the Commission recommendations were not included, which leaves our group dissatisfied.

For the consent decree to work, the public has to demand better, and hold accountability for policing reforms. A true Civilian Police Review Board would be funded, free, and forceful. Vote down Issue 33, and replace it with a real alternative.

Malcolm Himschoot, Cleveland resident