In Longview, Texas, there has been a troubling rise in the number of residents reporting arrests for minor infractions, cases that are ordinarily handled with warnings or citations. As citizens of a city we love, we cannot stand by while these unnecessary arrests continue to cause emotional, financial, and legal distress to our community members. These practices replace fairness with fear, transparency with tension, and community with chaos.

Instead of strengthening public safety, this pattern of enforcement has criminalized everyday residents, leading to lost jobs, costly legal burdens, family disruption, reputational damage, and long-lasting trauma. For years, minor offenses such as petty violations, minor traffic issues, or loitering-type situations have resulted in arrests that should never have escalated to that level.

Those most affected include young people, minorities, and economically disadvantaged residents, whose lives may be forever altered by an arrest record for incidents that should have been resolved through citation or education. This is not justice. It is harm.

Unnecessary arrests contribute to a cycle of poverty, instability, and distrust between residents and law enforcement. Communities thrive when leadership promotes fairness, proportionality, and community-centered policing, not fear-based enforcement.

Research and real-world examples from other cities show that when police reform prioritizes citation in lieu of arrest, de-escalation, and equitable enforcement, communities experience reduced arrest rates for minor offenses, increased public trust, safer neighborhoods, and better resource allocation toward serious crime. Longview deserves these same outcomes.

We believe the Mayor and the Police Chief have failed to provide responsible oversight, policy leadership, and accountability regarding these practices. Their lack of corrective action has allowed an environment in which residents are detained unnecessarily, and our community is paying the price.

We are calling for a formal, independent investigation into arrest-versus-citation practices within the Longview Police Department, the removal of the current Police Chief for failure to ensure fair, consistent, and proportional enforcement standards, and the removal of the Mayor from office for failure to exercise oversight and protect the rights and well-being of Longview residents. We also call for the creation of a civilian oversight review board to ensure transparency and accountability in policing decisions, along with immediate reforms including training in de-escalation, cultural awareness, and community engagement, clear policies prioritizing citation-based responses where allowed by law, and public reporting on enforcement patterns and impacts.

This petition is not anti-police. It is a call for ethical leadership, fair enforcement, and a justice system that serves the people.

We want a city where civil rights are protected, families are not destabilized by unnecessary arrests, law enforcement is a partner rather than a threat, and leadership is accountable to the community it serves. Longview can be a place where fairness and justice are not just aspirations. They are realities.

Sign and share this petition to demand meaningful change and responsible leadership in Longview, Texas. Together, we can build a safer and more equitable city for everyone