Bloody Sunday: Sixty-five years ago, officers attacked civil rights activists marching from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, on March 7, 1965. (Federal Bureau of Investigation / public domain)

 These last couple weeks have been pretty horrific. Once again, we grieved over the loss of black men and women who have fallen at the hands of wayward police officers. Once again, we heard the call for reforms to correct the institutional racism pervading our communities.

I grew up not trusting the police and have heard these calls for most of my life. As a child, I was warned about police—they did not protect us and they were not our friends. I think I was like most blacks in this regard, especially after so many in my West Philadelphia community, including activists, experienced violence at the hands of the police while Frank Rizzo was in power. Nonetheless, like many African Americans, I am invested in social and economic justice. It is a lifelong struggle, for the victories are ephemeral and most must be re-won every fifteen to twenty years.

I now live in 91101, the most policed sector of Pasadena. The police department, operating under the supervision of the city manager, lacks transparency and commands the lion’s share of the city’s budget, while our public school children are taught in overcrowded classrooms, our low-income adults have to undertake continual campaigns to secure and retain wages that are below poverty level, our families are food- and housing-insecure, and our most vulnerable are more susceptible to COVID-19, early infant deaths, and other health conditions. Pasadena’s city council believes itself to be liberal but reveals little evidence of a willingness to reform its police department or address institutional racism. Police activists call for the following:

• Creation of an independent auditor who would report to the city council, would have subpoena power, and would be centered on the communities most affected by police violence and over-policing.
• Revision of the department’s use-of-force policy to explicitly state that lethal use of force will be employed by officers only when necessary in defense of human life, as stated in the penal code changed by AB 392. In addition, some also call for the elimination of the department’s use of the chokehold.
• Substantial reduction of the police department’s budget, redirecting those funds to health, education, housing, and other social services specifically targeted at over-policed communities.
• Termination of the contract with Lexipol, which provides police departments nationwide with one-size-fits all policies for adoption, and instead have the city develop its own safety and surveillance policies, with public review and input.

At best, I expect that officials will offer short-term “fixes.” The League and others committed to eliminating institutional racism and classism are called to secure meaningful long-term solutions. We should take advantage of the current recognition of injustice in our society and press for real changes. The League should take the lead in establishing real dialogues on rent control and other meaningful tenant reforms, dismantling and re-imagining our policing systems, adopting equitable and comprehensive health care coverage, and re-envisioning how to fund and maintain our public schools.

—Michelle White