In light of the recent killing of Mario Woods, the trial of Alex Neito and lack of action on behalf of the City to take make real decision and hold the officers involved accountable, I organized a forum on Youth and Police Relations.
I have been working closely with Dr. Rhea Boyd in conjunction with public health professionals from across the bay area to address the public health concerns of police violence via the Public Health and Policing Committee. Due to the Youth and Police Relations event, president of the Police Commission, Suzy Loftus, was able to learn about the consequences of police violence on public health and learn about the several programs aimed at restoring relationships between youth and police.
Youth and Police Relations event panelists included:
Rhea Boyd: a pediatrician who wrote a perspectives piece on the connections between adverse police exposures, which include episodes of police violence, and child health.
Sam Singyangwe: who works for PolicyLink and developed a nationwide system for tracking incidences of police brutality. His research revealed those most impacted are youth ages 18-25
Dr. Elouise Joseph: program director at All Stars. Her organization has a program that has been successful in facilitating restorative justice circles between youth and police within communities of color.
Yulanda Williams: Director at Officers for Justice. She was the officer that was ruthlessly attacked via racial txt messages within the SFPD.
D’Anthony Jones: Community Advocate at Mo’Magic. He has worked closely with the Human Rights Commission to conduct several community listening sessions.
Veronica Garcia: Policy Analyst at Human Rights Commission. Working closely with community organizations to promote review of SFPD’s use of force policy.
Our working group, the Public Health and Policing Committee, was able to create recommendations which are reflected in the general order that was recently released from SF County Police Commission President, Suzy Loftus, to SF Mayor Edwin Lee.
While I was so excited about the changes we helped inform, I was immediately informed by a friend of mine and former community organizer that these same recommendations were introduced 5 years ago as a general order.
Slightly optimistic about the possibility of a trauma informed police force, however I’m very much pessimistic. How is it possible that we spent a total of 5 years between the Human rights commission community forums and the Bernal heights neighborhood center and my organization as well, only to produce the same results that had dismal impact on the behavior of officers.
While scouring the internet, I came across an article that spoke to the lack of real solutions that can hold police accountable and how police killings and other forms of violence are a drain on resources. According to the Wall Street Journal, in 2015 alone, the 10 largest cities paid almost $300 million in settlements to victims of police brutality. This does not include the costs for investigations, paying officers involved, attorney fees that tax payers support and so much more.
While policies are an effective way to impact policing, economics has also been a strategy as well. Requiring police officers in large cities to carry professional liability insurance coverage would be an excellent risk management strategy and provide accountability for officers in ways that city administrations cannot or will not provide. This strategy is already taking place in Minneapolis due to the efforts of Communities United Against Police Brutality and the Committee for Professional Policing.
If we are to have a serious, trauma informed solution on police brutality, it is going to have to be a regional effort and community lead. There are too many elected officials in the hands of the police unions and community advocates being bullied into silence. We must come together now and lead this process. Or the consequences will be dire.
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