A RESOLUTION DEMANDING ACTION
 
Thursday June 4, 2020
 
To the Honorable Mayor William Doug Franklin, Safety Director Eddie Colbert, Chief of Police Eric Merkel, Warren City Council, City Law Director Enzo Cantalamessa, and Trumbull County Sheriff Paul Monroe:
 
In light of the momentous occasion of the “#WeMatter March for Justice” held on Monday June 1st in downtown Warren, the shared sentiments of support for change and reform in the pursuit of justice by community members and public officials alike, we present the following resolution: 
 
Whereas, the recent murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmad Arbery, coupled with countless other incidents of unarmed individuals shot and killed by police have reignited outrage, protests, and even violence around the country and the world in response to the persistent mistreatment and deaths of African Americans at the hands of law enforcement, and
 
Whereas, the African American citizens of Warren and Trumbull County have experienced this mistreatment by local law enforcement over many decades consisting of but not limited to: harassment, strip searches, police brutality, callous behavior, verbal abuse, use of racial slurs, and recently, the shooting deaths of Matthew Burroughs and Taemarr Walker, and
 
Whereas, local officials, community organizations, clergy, and other community stakeholders have over the course of decades hosted an endless number of meetings, prayer gatherings, dialogues, and forums, often repeating the same discussions, claims of progress, and promises unfulfilled, and
 
Whereas, the severity of injustices in the City of Warren reached such a peak that the United States Department of Justice felt it necessary to exercise oversight in the form of a consent decree, that lasted from 2004 to 2019, one of the longest in the history of our nation.
 
Now, therefore, be it resolved, we the organizing committee of iVoteBlack – Trumbull County, established in March 2020, find it necessary and appropriate to submit the following list of demands to be acted upon by the City of Warren Police Department, Administration, City Council, and Trumbull County Sheriff’s Office, and in short order, the law enforcement departments and administrations of surrounding communities, and
 
Be it further resolved that we call on our community, including organizational leaders, activists, stakeholders, and residents to join us in this effort to demand significant reform in policy and practice once and for all in the City of Warren. We are not asking; we are DEMANDING the following actions and reforms:
 
 
1.     A public release of the full U.S. Department of Justice report (consent decree) issued in regard to the Warren Police Department and brought to final conclusion on August 12, 2019, and that it be made available online and in paper form to any citizen who requests it. (Within 14 days)
 
2.     A public commitment to aggressively pursue the purchase and implementation of police body cams and a concerted effort by the city administration and WPD to lobby city council to vote to redirect development funds from other projects like the proposed amphitheater and impound fences and/or aggressively advocate for state/federal resources for emergency funding to purchase them.
 
3.     An open-air public meeting (at the Warren Community Amphitheater) where the Police Chief and officers explain and demonstrate all forms of approved holds, strikes, and all other use of force techniques. (Within 60 days).
 
4.     A commitment to review, suspend the use of, and as soon as possible, permanently remove any choke holds or maneuvers that are known to frequently cause the deaths of unarmed citizens around the country. (Within 60 days)
 
5.     Collect and release bi-annual reports to the public detailing traffic stop/detainment data with race demographic information, progress on unsolved and/or unprosecuted murder investigations, and complaints submitted by citizens concerning officer conduct. (Within 60 days)
 
6.     A public commitment for the Warren Police Department to revisit their union contracts to place speedier and tougher penalties and remove other contractual protections for officers who violate the use of force policy, institute an “arrest-first” policy for officers who shoot or otherwise commit fatal action against unarmed citizens, and automatically assign an outside prosecutor to review incidents involving police misconduct, abuse, or lethal action against an unarmed citizen. (Within 120 days)
 
7.     An adoption of a policy that prohibits officers with a record of complaints and poor community rapport to receive promotions to supervisory positions, regardless of seniority. (Within 120 days)
 
8.     A commitment to institute the following before the end of 2020:
a.     An effective community policing policy that requires intentional community engagement and puts police officers on foot in our communities on a daily basis
b.     A binding citizens review committee to examine and give recommendations regarding allegations of use of force abuses, allegations of inappropriate search & seizure, officer misconduct, as well as candidates for promotion within the department.
c.     Periodic “meet the officer” events for new officers to become familiar with our community and public feedback sessions scheduled quarterly with police staff. 
 
9.     A public commitment to proactively advocate and push for changes to any and all Civil Service Laws, Union Agreements, City Ordinances, State and Federal legislation, and any other agreements or policies that may prevent these reasonable reforms from being enacted. 
 
10.  The adoption of a resolution by Warren City Council identifying Racism as a public health crisis that requires immediate and aggressive attention by our city administration and its departments in rectifying inequities in law enforcement, housing, education, finance, and personal health.