What is MPD’s Role in Addressing Racial Disparities?
Sounds like they are addressing this point in Chief Koval’s obnoxious blog post.
Based on the diversity and the strength of character personified in our workforce, the training which is second to none and ever-striving for best practices, coupled with checks-and-balances that serve to bring rogue cops or practices to the light of day, I will not buy into the naive supposition that our community’s disparity issues are largely owing to a pervasive pattern of systemic racism by MPD.
I get so mad when I read his blog post I haven’t actually finished reading it . . . I find the man to be quite obnoxious. I tried getting him to have a conversation with the Homeless Services Consortium about on-going issues that we agree on and I asked him if he would engage or if he’s just drop in to our meeting again next year. He said he’d fly by for his annual appearance again next year. I guess he likes to stick his head in the sand.
On this issue, MPD can’t deny it plays a role in the systemic discrimination. I’m hoping that the staff in the city working on racial and economic disparities is figuring out how to school him internally. Cuz this is embarrassing. Anyways, here’s the press release.
Madison, WI – January 15, 2015
The Young Gifted and Black Coalition will hold a press conference on Thursday, January 15th at 6 pm in in Room L140 of the Conrad A. Elvehjem Building on UW’s Campus (next to the Chazen Museum of Art) just before the community debate on police body cameras. This press conference will clarify and elaborate on some of the Coalition’s positions and address the MPD’s role in racial disparities in Madison.Young Gifted and Black Coalition has heard from many Black community members that the relationship they want with the police is the relationship that most middle class white communities have with the police: little to no police contact. Current policing practices have played a major role in racial disparities, including but not limited to—Black teens in Dane County being six times more likely to be arrested than whites living here, while Black youth in the rest of the state are three times as likely to be arrested as whites. Black adults are arrested in Dane County at a rate more than eight times that of whites. That compares to a Black-white arrest disparity of about 4 to 1 for the rest of Wisconsin and 2.5 to 1 for the nation as a whole. The racial imbalances in Dane County’s incarceration numbers are extraordinary as well. While Black men made up only 4.8% of the county’s total adult male population, they accounted for more than 43% of all new adult prison placements during 2012. MPD is not the only contributor to racial disparities in Madison. However, with numbers like these, MPD’s role warrants serious attention.
The Young Gifted and Black Coalition is glad to participate in an open conversation with other members of the community to address ways to end racial disparities within the criminal justice system. The Coalition believes important first steps include a moratorium on all spending toward and building of jail facilities, the immediate release of 350 Black people housed in Dane County Jail due to crimes of poverty, an end to solitary confinement and significantly reducing police presence in poor and Black neighborhoods. For more information, please visit https://www.facebook.com/fergusontomadison.
This is also what was sent out by the group . . . a little repetitive, a little bit new.
We acknowledge that Chief Koval has written a blog post in response to our open letter. We welcome the opportunity to engage in open and honest dialogue with Chief Koval, and other officials. Based on his response to one part of our statement, “The relationship that we desire to have with the police is simple: no interaction. Our ultimate goal is to be able to hold our own communities accountable and to expel what we consider an occupying force in our neighborhoods,” it appears that it is necessary for us to elaborate on our meaning.
What does “no police interaction” look like? The closest example is what we see in predominantly white neighborhoods, which experience little to no police contact.
In our neighborhoods, things are different. We’ve lived the experience that more police contact means more arrests – feeding the racial disparities in incarceration rates that contribute to other disparities. We’ve lived the experience of being stopped by the police while walking down the street – not because a crime has been committed but because police are present and thus are propelled to fish for probable cause. We’ve lived the experience of being harassed by police when hanging out in a park or sitting on our porches. We’ve lived the experience of being followed by police while entering or exiting our communities. We LIVE the experience of driving while Black. We live the experience of not being heard and/or being dismissed when we EXPRESS what is best for OUR people.
Current policing practices have played a major role in racial disparities, including but not limited to—Black teens in Dane County being six times more likely to be arrested than whites living here, while Black youth in the rest of the state are three times as likely to be arrested as whites. Black adults are arrested in Dane County at a rate more than eight times that of whites. That compares to a Black-white arrest disparity of about 4 to 1 for the rest of Wisconsin and 2.5 to 1 for the nation as a whole. The racial imbalances in Dane County’s incarceration numbers are extraordinary as well. While Black men made up only 4.8% of the county’s total adult male population, they accounted for more than 43% of all new adult prison placements during 2012.
We understand that MPD is not the only contributor to racial disparities in Madison. However, with numbers like these, MPD’s role warrants serious attention.
The Young Gifted and Black Coalition will elaborate on its position about racial disparities, excessive policing and a preference for no police interaction Today at 6PM. We will be holding a press conference in Room L140 of the Conrad A. Elvehjem Building on UW’s Campus (next to the Chazen Museum of Art) just before the debate on police cameras.
We are glad to participate in an open conversation with other members of our community to address ways to end racial disparities within the criminal justice system. We believe important first steps include a moratorium on all spending toward and building of jail facilities, the immediate release of 350 black people housed in Dane County Jail due to crimes of poverty, an end to solitary confinement and reducing police presence in our neighborhoods.
Catch our Press Conference and stick around for the debate.
All Power to The People,
YGB
