Citizens show up for final police input meeting
April 18, 2008
Columbia residents Darrell Foster and William Robertson listen to other citizens express their opinions about the need for a police review board Thursday night in the Armory Sports & Community Center.
At the final meeting for public input, Columbia citizens overwhelmingly voiced their support for a citizen’s review board of the Columbia Police Department.
The Citizen Oversight Committee met at the Armory Sports & Community Center on Thursday night, and the consensus of the about 20 citizens in attendance was that a review board is needed to restore trust in the police.
“The fact that we’re all here says a lot,” Columbia resident William Robertson said.
Robertson said the citizens wouldn’t have gathered if they weren’t concerned with the state of police relations with civilians. He said if a review board were created, it would be key that the board be objective and transparent, giving it external accountability.
“It should be used in only extraordinary situations,” Robertson said.
Columbia resident Edith Prince said she had an incident with police involving her son about a year and a half ago. Prince felt the police did not treat her or her son fairly during or after the incident. She said she was unable to file a complaint, and began holding meetings in churches and other public locations.
“I went and talked to the police chief,” Prince said. “That is as good as filing a complaint.”
After numerous meetings, Mayor Darwin Hindman created the Citizen Oversight Committee to evaluate the need for a citizen review board for the Columbia Police Department.
The majority of those in attendance at the community outreach meeting had similar stories, with similar recommendations.
Resident Jeff Johnson moved to Columbia a few years ago, and said he has found Columbia to be a very racist city.
“Jim Crow laws still exist in Missouri,” Johnson said.
Johnson said he comes to meetings and hears the same stories about profiling and police brutality. A civilian review board would check the power of the police, he said.
“If you don’t stop (racial profiling) now, it will never be stopped,” Johnson said.
Resident Darrell Foster agreed with Johnson, but said the majority of officers were good workers who are beneficial to the society, but the few corrupt ones need to be addressed.
“It’s a handful of officers that practice this buffoonery against the younger people, against me,” Foster said.
Former First Ward City Council candidate Karen Baxter said she lives in a “busy” neighborhood and is familiar with the CPD. She said though she has never seen police act inappropriately, she still sees a need for an oversight committee.
“Just because you don’t see it, doesn’t mean it isn’t happening,” Baxter said.
She said she solicited comments from neighbors, who told her stories of racism and profiling. She said she believes her neighbors and is empathetic to their plight, and believes that a review board would instill trust in the public.
“I need for (the police) to be fair 100 percent of the time,” Baxter said.
Similarly, resident Alyosha Witness said he has only had positive experiences with the police, but feels a review board is important for several reasons.
“A review board upholds basic democratic accountability,” Witness said.
He said he also supports the idea of a review board because of the need for an outside perspective on police actions, citizen input and police resistance.
The Citizen Oversight Committee has held numerous meetings, with five or fewer people in attendance. Only two people attended an April 12 meeting at the Gaines/Oldham Black Culture Center.
Thursday’s meeting was the final citizen outreach meeting. Committee co-chairman Jeff Williams said it was unfair to say which way the committee was leaning, though he valued the input of the community, and ensured the committee’s efforts won’t be for naught.
“I haven’t been doing this for the status quo to prevail,” Williams said.
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