Racial Justice Listening Session Notes: June 17, 2020

The City of Vancouver held a community forum via webinar for the City to listen and learn about race, racism and racial justice issues. The following represent high-level notes from the public comments. A total of 11 community members provided comments. An additional 6 were signed on to the meeting, but choose not to speak.

Public comment highlights

• Overall, most participants expressed appreciation to the City for providing the opportunity to speak about this topic.
  
  
• All but two speakers indicated they lived in Vancouver. One speaker lived outside of Vancouver, but within Clark County. Another speaker did not identify their city of residence.
  
  
• Three speakers self-identified as people of color. Two were members of groups affiliated with the local Latino community.
  
  
• Desire for more input from Vancouver citizens into all aspects of Vancouver Police Department (VPD) for policing to become more democratic and equitable, including specific suggestions related to citizen committees. However, one speaker stated they were skeptical about the need for creating another committee. Ideas offered included:
  • Support for creating a Task Force focused on policing to increase transparency and accountability.
  • Suggestion to establish a citizen review board with sworn staff and community members to review officer-involved shootings and other issues.
  • Concern about lack of awareness of the existing Chief’s Advisory Diversity Team and the need to open it up more for vulnerable populations.
  • Recommendation to create a citizen advisory board through Crime Stoppers to create a link between residents and law enforcement and to look at other models such as the Safe Communities Task Force.
  • Committee should have actionable, meaningful work in order to get qualified people to apply.
    
    
• Many emphasized the importance of going beyond conversation to change policy and take measurable actions to address inequity.
  • The intent of police is to protect people, and City leaders should admit police are not fulfilling this purpose and that policy needs to change.
  • City leaders should reflect on who they are, learn how policies affect vulnerable communities, and take steps to remedy inequities even if it has political consequences.
  • Racial justice has been a topic for too long without resulting in change. Council should take immediate action after community engagement activities and learning the results of the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) report.
  • A speaker commented that challenges with the Police Guild should not be a reason for not taking action.
    
    
• Concern that there is a lack of accountability for police officers, with the following specific examples provided:
  • A speaker felt that the current system to file a complaint against Vancouver police offers is not democratic and transparent.
  • When Mr. Abbe was killed by a VPD officer, the case was given to the Clark County Sheriff for review and he sent it out of county for consideration, and the speaker was not aware when the review was completed.
  • Police Guilds should serve to protect the professionalism of the organization, rather than individual officers involved in misconduct.
    
    
• Several speakers commented about the prevalence of white supremacist groups in the Vancouver area and the danger presented to community members, including at recent local protests. One of the speakers told the story of a time they were driven off the road by someone in a truck that had a confederate flag bumper sticker on the back.
• Acknowledgement that police face many issues as a result of societal challenges such as poverty and mental health. To address needs such as homelessness and mental health, suggestions included:
  • Creating a crisis intervention team to respond to mental health crises and domestic violence calls.
  • Hiring social workers or trained professionals to create a community safety department and respond to crises, similar to Albuquerque.
    
    
• A few expressed they felt fearful of police and acknowledged the prevalence of fear in society in general. One speaker expressed that they did not find the police applied their special training while interacting with them as a traumatized victim and they were scared to make a public records request to see VPD’s response to a Professional Standards Section complaint.
  
  
• City leaders should acknowledge and state that racism is a public health concern.
  • A speaker noted that cities like Denver and Indianapolis have already taken this step.
    
    
• Some recommended investing in anti-bias and racial equity training for city staff, leaders and police.
  
  
• One individual commented that they felt the issue was about the contrast between the rich and poor in Vancouver, but acknowledged racism was an issue in Seattle. They suggested reviewing the recommendations made in the 10-year plan to dismantle poverty in Washington state.
  
  
• A few speakers supported implementing a body-worn camera program for VPD to record interactions and provide review and transparency.
  
  
• One speaker reflected on how her experience with police as a child was more positive and it was because the police were more entwined with the community. Programs such as D.A.R.E. were effective at getting to know community members by name.
  
  
• City leadership should go out and solicit opinions from individuals and organizations involved in racial justice already, such as education associations.
  • One speaker expressed frustration that people of color have been trying to educate for years and there was a lack of communication by the City to seek out feedback directly.
    
    
• Concern was expressed about police interactions with people with disabilities, especially those who are non-verbal and with invisible disabilities, such as autism. These individuals with disabilities may not be able to respond to police commands and be in danger if police respond in an aggressive way. Training is needed for officers to teach them how to respond in these type of interactions.
  
  
• One speaker, shared her personal experiences of racism as a Black woman, the impact and harm it caused, and expressed the need for more caring, understanding and positive interactions and conversation. Her young daughter joined and read a poem.
  
  
• A recommendation was offered to rebuild public safety from the ground up, with the following comments:
  • Before change is possible, leaders should have humility, confront what needs to change, and acknowledge the anguish faced by those impacted by racism.
  • Consider all ideas and give them a fair hearing.
  • Hard work is required to achieve a vision for VPD where police officers are trusted, the community believes they do their work the right way, and officers can wear the badge with pride.