There is a problem with the system. The system isn’t broken, its fixed. Fixed to keep the power in the hands of the few. Fixed to put money over people. Fixed to unfairly punish minorities and poor communities. Fixed to protect the police over unarmed civilians.
I have an obligation to myself and my God to stand up and fight back against injustices, especially injustices against the powerless. I have done this by building homes after Hurricane Katrina, organizing forums on mass incarceration, and writing a letter to the President in support of free community college. This winter, I took part in a number of demonstrations in New York City to protest police brutality. Taking to the streets was necessary for me to express my frustrations, but that was just the beginning of a long process to bring justice for the powerless and change systemic flaws.
After long nights of protesting, I am now moving forward by organizing a public forum to discuss the current state of community-police relations (details below). On March 8, 2015 a panel of community experts, including myself, will convene to not only discuss the systematic issues, but determine solutions.
This is my way of encouraging more community dialogue to determine injustices and resolutions. I challenge others to do the same and put pressure on the controlling institutions that stand silent on human rights issues.
Since the Eric Garner decision, I’ve had a multitude of conversations with community members across all sectors. The problem is not police officers, but the laws and procedures that govern them. Below are changes that I and others have voiced to fix the broken system.
(Problem Italicized / Solution in Bold)
- Law enforcers are killing unarmed civilians with no consequence. Every person must be accountable for his or her individual actions, including law enforcement. The laws must be amended to reflect equal adult accountability no matter their role in society. Additionally, officers should not be rewarded with paid leave for killing unarmed civilians.
- Police aren’t residents of the communities they serve. NYPD officers were required to live within the five boroughs until 1962. Presently, almost 80% of black police and 76% of hispanic officers live in the city, while only 45% of white police officers live within city limits. This makes many officers unfamiliar and disconnected from the community they serve. To build better community relations, officers should live in the communities (and public housing buildings) they protect. At least 75% of NYPD must be residents of NYC.
- In NYC, 5% of the officers are responsible for 40% of resisting arrest claims and 15% of officers are responsible for 75% of the resisting arrest claims. This means that too many police officers over use their authority and do not have effective de-escalation training. More police de-escalation training is needed for these officers.
- NYC Police Commissioner Bratton is pushing state legislatures to make resisting arrest a felony. At the moment, it is a misdemeanor and resisting arrest should remain a misdemeanor. It is a natural reaction to move your arm away from someone who is trying to put you in shackles. Though this natural response is not beneficial to the State’s responsibility to “keep the peace,” a person should not be unfairly punished with a felony charge.
- The reason for the police slowdown in January was to put pressure on city hall to support the police by reducing city revenue through tickets/fines. The slowdown decreased the fees collected for the city budget by $5 million. It’s problematic that the city relies on tickets for revenue. This tax system disproportionately fines the most marginalized/powerless community members including the young, poor, and homeless (three-quarters of those sitting in New York jails are only there because they can’t afford bail). Politicians need the courage to raise taxes on all citizens to pay for government services.
- The police slow down in January proved that there is an unnecessary amount of policing. With arrests down 50%, and driving tickets down 90%, there was no reported increase in crime. The 2014 NYPD budget for personnel within patrol, transportation and transit was $1,829,280,000. There should be a personnel reduction for patrol, transit, and transportation by 10%. Use the $182,928,000 of new revenue to create 2,500 teaching positions to empower our youth or 2,500 construction jobs to complete the 2nd Avenue subway line or fix our roads and bridges.
- Being a police officer is a high stress, mentally draining profession. Because their split second decisions can end someone’s life, it is vital that police are at 100% mentally. Through daily stressful situations, many first responders can develop mental illnesses including PTSD and bipolar disorder. Police officers are typically Type A macho ex-military men and are afraid to reveal a mental weakness as they may be seen as weak and unfit to serve. A police officer told me “I know officers who have tons of issues, but they know the second they go to a shrink, they could get put on leave and bye bye benefits, income and a sense of belonging.” There needs to be more mental health support for our law enforcers by providing mental health days, rest and recuperation (R&R), and no punishment for mental recuperation similar to the NFL’s concussion rule.
Do you agree or disagree? What changes would you like to see?
I encourage anyone motivated to take action to contact me. I am an East Harlem resident and love making new friends at NYC coffee shops. Don’t hesitate to email me at renaissanceStan@gmail.com or call/text me at 917-409-7893.
Adieu! Namaste! Peace & Love!
The Church of the Village Hosts Forum on Community-Police Relations
Church of the Village will be hosting a public forum, “Community-Police Relations: Where Do We Go from Here?” on Sunday, March 8, 2015.
This public forum was formed after recent deaths of unarmed citizens at the hands of law enforcement as a way to address some of the questions and concerns that the community may have regarding operations of law enforcement. “We want to give people a way to respond, not just to hold it in but to find a way to do something positive”, says Retired Bishop Alfred Johnson, the church’s lead pastor.
The forum will focus on issues surrounding the relationship between communities of color and law enforcement, and identify solutions to better address this ongoing problem. Panelists will include:
- Delores Jones-Brown, Founding Director of the John Jay College Center on Race, Crime and Justice.
- Brandon del Pozo, NYPD Deputy Inspector, and former Commander of the Sixth Precinct.
- Rev. Hermon Darden, Senior Pastor of Vanderveer Park United Methodist Church, Brooklyn
- Stan Smith, Grassroots non-profit consultant with Youth I.N.C. & community organizer
The panel moderator will be John Kleinig, a member of the Church of the Village. Mr. Kleinig is an Emeritus Professor of Philosophy in the Department of Criminal Justice at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and in the PhD Program in Philosophy, Graduate School and University Center, City University of New York.
The community forum will be held in the Sanctuary of the Church of the Village, 201 West 13th Street (at the corner of 7th Avenue), New York, NY, following the 10:30 a.m. worship service. The event will run from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
This is a free event and open to the public.
RENAISSANCE STAN 
Proud of you cuz, you are following in your father’s foot steps… when he was about your age he was a member of the group; SNNC ( Student -Violent Coordinating Committee).
Stan, I like the idea that police should live in the community. HUD used to have a program to encourage teachers and cops to live in public housing. You might want to look into that.
Keep on Truckin as Curtis said. The Forum is a continuation of your life work. When I was a student at the University of Alabama and worked with youth in Tuscaloosa Housing Authority one of my co-workers said after we finished an event. “We have done it.” Well that was but one event not the finish-line. Keep On Truckin. Mr. Stan