"Now What?" - notes from the April 2021 meeting
"Now What?"
April 25, 2021 | notes by Kristen Eide-Tollefson
Thank you all for the practical and visionary conversation around Ted's "Now What?" questions and reflections. May this sharing of thoughts and ideas move us to become more engaged, hopeful, and realistic about the urgent challenges of systemic social change. And the shared responsibility of creating a new social compact between our communities and police departments.
What lessons can we draw from this tragic situation?
What concrete actions can we take to move the needle towards “justice for all?”
Opening questions:
Why did George Floyd die?
How was Derek Chauvin convicted? (What made the difference?)
If you imagine yourself as part of the crowd watching George Floyd being killed, what would you do? What could be done to interrupt his murder and give him a chance to breathe?
What does the death of George Floyd and the conviction of Derek Chauvin mean for law enforcement and public safety?
How can the culture of policing be changed to make it less dangerous to unarmed people of color?
“We have to stop focusing on ‘the problem’ and start seeing and saying where we want things to go, envision how we want them to be.”
What changes to police culture and practice could make a difference?
Reestablish citizen review boards with the power to fine and fire (see also #3 )
58% of incidents resulting in death started as non-violent encounters. Hire more social workers and pair police with social-work partners.
Warrior or guardian? How police training fails us.
Change the economics of consequences for wrongful use of force:
Require police to carry their own liability insurance - to become responsible for their own actions
Lawsuits paid out of police retirement funds (idea from a retired police officer)
Establish consistent review and documentation of officer incidents, with tiered consequences - like docking pay and/or position (instead of 'paid leave' policy) = economic accountability and consequences could be a shortcut to changes in police culture.
Minneapolis Bans ‘Warrior-Style’ Training for Police Officers
Police training and education:
De-escalation must be a central focus of police training.
Establish "threat" thresholds. "Warrior Training" cultivates fear - how an officer interprets a 'threat' can mean life or death for someone
Change "shoot to kill" training. Is too much left to the judgment of individual officers? And what about their safety?
A better distinction needs to be made between military and police cultures. The level of armament increases the potential for violence.
Psychological profiling and dynamics:
Entry to policing programs should be subject to MMPI, personality tests -- for early identification of issues
Recognize the element of who may be drawn to policing - victims of authority, seeking authority
Take seriously the imperative of 'control' that drives excessive use of force by police.
Vigilante behavior of both crowds and police undermines our social contract and moral responsibility.
Counterpoint: what has ever changed without the people taking to the streets?
We need to better understand the connection between our racist history and the evolution of policing.
Research training programs in other countries and bring this information to the table (especially effective at the legislative level)
Community Norms. How can we revise, and re-envision the social compact/contract between community and police?
We need to revise our mission -- what we are asking police to do.
Effectiveness needs to be measurable.
Police need to be part of the community they are policing. Without agreed-upon norms, it's all about repressive control which can feed increasing cycles of violence.
Deescalation training needs to involve BOTH sides
“Let that anger percolate up”
How can we structure 'reparations' as investments in persons and communities who have suffered from systemic racism and injustice? E.g.
Free college
Equitable funding of education
Equitable legal support
etc.
There is Common Ground: In the deep concerns of parents and grandparents for the safety of their grand/children.
Let's cultivate it.