By WYNFRED RUSSELL
Wynfred Russell is a public health and
public policy professional who is serving his
first four-term on the brooklyn city council
representing the city’s West District.
26 VOICES MAGAZINE | SUMMER-FALL 2021 VOICESMAGAZINE.NET
about holding elected leaders accountable for
these contracts? Lastly, what role do we, the
citizenry play in police reform?
Most police departments are supported
by a formidable police union. Hence the
police union is one place to start talking
about reform. When police officers are accused
of misbehavior, which sometimes
warrants their dismissal, it is almost impossible
to dismiss them because they are
protected by the police union or an arbitrator,
who may not have any law enforcement
experience. All across the United
States lawmakers are working with police
unions to negotiate, among other things,
police officers’ salaries, benefits and disciplinary
procedures. These contracts have
become a focal point for reform that has
Of late the police have become the
stopgap for all things that cities
do not invest in or have failed to
address, especially specific societal ills.
shone a spotlight on contracts that advocates
of reform accuse are “getting in the
way” of police accountability.
As part of our BPPD reform efforts, I
would like to see a citizens’ police oversight
board independent of the City Council and
City Administration. Such board would be
tasked with investigating and reviewing
complaints and commendations submitted
by the community members concerning
the BPPD. Prior to establishing such a
board though it is imperative that we do a
thorough examination of the inner workings
of the BPPD, what is working, what
is not and what needs improvement. As
we may know, reform does not necessarily
mean that something is fundamentally
wrong with a process. It could well be that
said reform would be used as a continuous
improvement tool.
Unfortunately, this reform cannot be
done in isolation. The rising crime rate
and gun violence in many parts of the city,
including, recently, near Zane and 63rd
Avenues, points to the necessity of having
to fix a system while at the same time depending
on said system. This then leaves
us, city councilmembers and community
members, to push for police reform and
accountability while at the same time addressing
gang violence and other crimes.
Sadly, one group that have been conspicuously
absent from the conversations, meetings,
and listening sessions surrounding
police reform and racial injustices in the
past few months, are minority men, those
disproportionally affected by police mediated
racial injustices.
At the end of the day, all the discussions
about police reform will be futile unless
the city does a better job of involving those
who are disproportionately affected, people
of color, specifically African-American
males. That is one responsibility that falls
on those of us committed to and who can
benefit from police reform, let us show up
to ensure our voices are heard.