RPT - Top-Down Reform 'Not Enough' To Stop Police Brutality In US - Activists

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th June, 2020) ASHINGTON, June 20 (Sputnik), Barrington M. Salmon - Reform measures coming from the top alone will never be enough to rein in police violence against Blacks and other minorities in the United States without uprooting racist principles, two activists told Sputnik.

Earlier this week, amid nationwide protests sparked by multiple police-related killings of blacks, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at curbing law enforcement violence. Meanwhile, US Congress reached an impasse over a new police reform bill.

"It's never going to be enough when it comes from the top down," longtime DC activist Kymone Freeman told Sputnik. "What they want is reform, but white supremacy cannot be reformed. It must be dismantled. You're telling me that I have to submit to the authority of a white supremacist who can take my life and we're going to 'reform'?"

Freeman, an actor and award-winning playwright, has taken to the streets, demonstrated, written letters and in other ways, shouted his opposition to what he describes as an occupying force which targets and brutalizes African Americans, the weak and the vulnerable.

He also said he has watched as Democrats and Republicans worked with warp speed following nationwide protests against police brutality and the murder of George Floyd on May 25. Lawmakers have been working to produce legislation aimed at blunting the scourge of state-sanctioned murders, excessive force and police violence against African Americans. So far, Freeman is not impressed.

"They'll give us just enough to stop protesting and go home," Freeman said.

Color of Change Criminal Justice Campaigns Director Scott Roberts said those working on "police reform" are reinventing the wheel because many reforms have already been implemented.

"Now that we're seeing bills from both parties, neither are meeting the moment. We're mostly seeing some tweaking around the margins of things," Roberts told Sputnik. "The Democratic bill is stronger. It proposes a standard for use of force and no-knock warrants. Republicans are limited in what they're willing to do because they're beholden to police unions and are abiding by their law and order stance."

Roberts said police violence, repression and coronavirus have shocked Americans "but the protests are eye-opening because of what's possible."

"We need to continue to protest and push back. It's hard work to achieve the change we desire," he added.

Roberts said Senator Tim Scott and the Republicans are trying to use "mental gymnastics" to convince Americans that systemic racism does not exist in police departments.

"But America was founded on racism and racist principles were baked into the [US] Constitution. Republicans get the politics and get that if they ignore the outcry and shift in public perception there will be a political cost of not responding," he said. "They are appealing to their base, trying to thread the needle, look like they're doing something without doing too much. Republicans should be like most people and listen to people calling for change."

Meanwhile, Scott added, the crises of violence and over-policing have been a catastrophe in African-American communities.

"We really need to get to the root of the problem which is an over-reliance on the police. We need to shrink the size and scope of what police officers do," Roberts said. "The concept of defunding is real. There is a deep desire to reimagine what police departments do. We need to help the community thrive, enhance its economic health. It's clear that the Black community is in crisis because education, housing and healthcare have already been defunded. It's not a radical idea to send resources to the Black community."

Freeman, co-founder of WEACT Radio in Washington, DC, said the institution of white supremacy cannot be reformed.

"It must be dismantled to safeguard everyone," Freeman said.

Freeman outlined a list of necessary changes including defunding police budgets by at least 15 percent and allocating those funds to social programs and affordable housing. He also said millions of Dollars awarded in civil lawsuits to settle cases of law enforcement misconduct should come from police budgets, not city funds in general.

Every police force, he added, should create a citizen review board with the power to fire, indict, and prosecute officers for misconduct.

Further, Freeman continued, any officer who causes the loss of life of any person who is unarmed and found to be innocent should be automatically fired and subject to prosecution.

"But reforming the police and increasing physical security is only the first step. To build a more perfect union, we must work for economic justice and security for all," Freeman said. "Measures that would benefit all of us - but especially Black people and other people of color - include increasing the minimum wage, strengthening workers' ability to join together and collectively bargain, expanding Social Security, and enacting an improved Medicare for All. Increased economic justice and security also mean ensuring that we have clean water to drink and air to breathe, as well as safe food to eat."

Nationwide protests erupted on May 25 when a black man died in Minnesota after a white officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes. The situation was exacerbated over the weekend after a police shooting in Atlanta left another African American man dead.

Trump's new executive order calls for establishing a national database on police misconduct, improving training and banning chokeholds. In addition, the Federal government is seeking to adopt less lethal weapons for US police to help prevent deadly interactions with the public, according to the order.