The purpose of this petition is to urge Claremont City Council to implement policies aimed at reducing police brutality. Our purpose is to end the unlawful abuse of power by law enforcement against blacks and minorities in this country and specifically, the Claremont Police Department. These measures are aimed at those officers that have failed to uphold their sworn oaths to serve and protect in a lawful manner and against those officers who stand idly by, ignoring the atrocities committed by their fellow officers.

While the Claremont Police Department has condemned the actions of the officers in the George Floyd killing, we need to demand more than just that. We need them to acknowledge Claremont’s own history with racial profiling in the killing of Irvin Landrum and harassment of black residents, to condemn police brutality and the abuse of power that peaceful protesters in LA are experiencing, to commit to a policy that holds officers more accountable for their actions, and to commit to creating a joint civilian review board with regards to complaints and disciplinary measures. We also demand a commitment to 8 policy changes from #8cantwait:

1.     Ban chokeholds and strangleholds

2.     Require officers to de-escalate

3.     Require warning before shooting

4.     Exhaust all alternatives before shooting

5.     Duty to intervene when another officer is using excessive force

6.     Ban shooting of moving vehicles

7.     Establish use of force continuum (restrictions of higher levels of force, only to be used when necessary)

8.     Require all force, including aiming a weapon, to be reported

This petition will be sent to Mayor Larry Schroeder and to the Claremont City Council. We will be presenting at the City Council meeting this month (June, 2020) and will send these signatures as a sign of community support and commitment to action.

Join Us.