Mayor Byrd posted the following on his Facebook page facebook.com/125246261543501/posts/710182773049844/ in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. He shares his response to the tragedy and offers a proposal for Greenbelt to strengthen the relationship between our residents and our police force. We invite an ongoing discussion of these issues. Read Greenbelt Police Chief Richard Bowers’ statement on page 9.
My Fellow Greenbelters,
I have been struggling to process everything that has happened over the past week. My heart goes out to the family and friends of George Floyd and to all those who are grieving his death. As a black man, I am especially heartbroken to see that these types of things are still happening in America. It’s sad, and it’s downright scary.
Last week, we watched a human being die an excruciatingly painful death.
Last week, we watched an unarmed black man get murdered by a police officer.
Last week, we watched a police officer dig his knee into the neck of a black man lying defenseless on the pavement.
Last week, we watched yet another black man repeatedly saying “I can’t breathe.”
Last week, we watched three of that officer’s colleagues spectating for nine minutes as all of that took place.
Last week, we watched a family in agony as they grieved the unjust loss of a loved one.
And, while the knee as the weapon of choice was somewhat unique in this case, the substance of this incident was, unfortunately, nothing new. It was but the latest episode in a multi-century series of unfortunate events in which African Americans – and, in particular, African American men – have been repeatedly mistreated, brutalized and even killed by individuals whose jobs are, at least ostensibly, to help ensure public safety, not just in Minneapolis, Minn., but everywhere in this country.
Last week, we were reminded that too many people devalue black life and that to simply be black in America routinely puts you in a unique kind of danger, whether you’re talking about George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Eric Garner, Freddie Gray, or any other name that has been engraved on a tombstone decades too early because of racialized violence.
The death of George Floyd is a horrific tragedy that should have never happened, and we cannot let these kinds of things keep happening.
Now let me also say this: I am the mayor of Greenbelt, Md. I have lived in Greenbelt my entire life. I love Greenbelt. And I will be the first to tell you that Greenbelt is the greatest city on Planet Earth. I will be the first to tell you that I have love for police officers in general and for the Greenbelt Police Department in particular.
It was less than two months ago that I was at the police station swearing in officers that have since then been on the front lines helping to keep our residents safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.
I want to thank them and all the good men and women of the Greenbelt Police Department that do good work to protect the people of Greenbelt and that treat our residents and visitors with dignity and respect. It was literally less than two weeks ago that I read a letter from a constituent thanking and commending our officers for their work on a high-profile murder case and for making her family feel safe and secure as the department worked to solve the case, which they did successfully.
At the same time, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge that, when it comes to race relations and policing, Minneapolis is not the only city in America with issues. No city in America is perfect, and, over the past week, I have been thinking long and hard about stories I have heard of situations in Greenbelt and about ways to improve those situations here in Greenbelt. While none of these issues rise to the level of what has happened in more high-profile places like Minneapolis, they are important to me, insofar as they affect police-community relations in Greenbelt. I want to thank the residents that have reached out to me to express their concerns. I take them very seriously.
That said, today I am announcing a series of proposals that I will be presenting to my colleagues on the city council.
The first will be a resolution to simply declare and explain that, in the City of Greenbelt, black lives matter. Period. The fact that people are still debating this in 2020 is extremely disheartening, but I believe that now, we must formally reinforce this notion here in Greenbelt.
But slogans are not enough. We must supplement our pain and agony with action. So my second proposal will be the Greenbelt Fair and Just Policing Act of 2020. The framework for this legislation will have 12 main components, to help protect the civil rights of civilians in Greenbelt and to address issues of police accountability, misconduct and use of force.
- The bill would expressly prohibit a Greenbelt police officer from putting his or her knee in the neck of a civilian under any circumstance for any length of time and require that an officer that has violated this provision be subject to severe disciplinary action up to and including prompt termination.
- The bill would require a Greenbelt police officer to immediately intervene to protect the safety of a civilian, in the event that said officer witnesses another officer using excessive force against the civilian.
- The bill would require a Greenbelt police officer to proactively report to his superior whenever he or she observes misconduct by another officer in relation to a civilian, including but not limited to excessive force, abusive language, harassment, false arrest and false imprisonment.
- The bill would establish a civilian police accountability board.
- The board would be composed of nine Greenbelt residents appointed by the mayor and city council, and it will have the authority to receive detailed information about and investigate complaints of police misconduct, including those related to excessive force, abusive language, harassment, false arrest and false imprisonment.
- The board would help with police complaint mediation, and the board would also have the authority to provide disciplinary recommendations related to such complaints.
- In the event that the police chief disagrees with a recommendation made by the board, the police chief will provide a written explanation for that dissent and make that explanation available to the public.
- The board would review and make recommendations related to the police department’s training, policies and procedures, including as they pertain to flagging and disciplining officers that have received multiple behavior-related complaints from civilians.
- This bill would mandate that, when a civilian requests body camera footage from an incident in which he or she believes officer misconduct to have occurred, the relevant body camera footage be released in no more than four days. Under current state law, a police department can wait 30 days, and I have seen this statutory timeframe be abused.
- The bill would mandate that, in the event of a civilian dying in the custody of a Greenbelt police officer, the Greenbelt Police Department release information related to the following to the family of the deceased:
- Autopsy information
- Body camera footage
- Investigatory files
- All prior complaints against the officer or officers subject to the complaint
- The bill would mandate that the Greenbelt Police Department engage in community policing, bias-free policing, and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
- The bill would codify that police officers are prohibited from turning off body cameras during interactions in which they apprehend civilians, and it will require that violators of this provision be subject to disciplinary action.
- The bill would mandate the creation of a new use-of-force policy that covers de-escalation, use-of-force investigations, firearm training and emergency vehicle operation and pursuit.
- This bill would prohibit the use of chokeholds by police officers.
- The bill would require that use-of-force cases be published on the city’s website.
- The bill would prohibit the police department from using militarized vehicles to police assemblies or protests.
Let me be clear about three things:
- I am fully aware that some people may find some of these proposals excessive or unnecessary. Some may say this is overboard and that everything is fine with policing in Greenbelt. It is true that many officers in our department are already voluntarily properly doing many of the things these proposals address. But that’s, unfortunately, not always the case. And here’s the thing: police are among the few people in this country who can legally take a person’s life and/or apply a great deal of physical force to an unarmed civilian. And so there is extraordinary responsibility that comes with having a badge and a gun. And I believe that to put a comprehensive law like this on the books that addresses these issues elevates the seriousness with which the city takes these issues, and it puts a greater premium on officers doing the right thing.
- Some may feel this legislation would be too hard on our officers, but, in so many ways, this legislation really only asks two fundamental things of our officers: 1) don’t hurt or mistreat civilians; and 2) help us make sure your fellow officers don’t hurt or mistreat civilians. The bottom line is that, if an officer simply treats civilians well and does his part to keep his fellow officers from mistreating civilians, complying with this legislation is a piece of cake.
- I don’t believe these proposals will end every policing problem in America or in Greenbelt, but I do believe they will be a significant step in the right direction.
Ladies and Gentlemen, this is just the beginning. Over the next few weeks and possibly months, I welcome the feedback of residents on these proposals, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on the city council, with staff and with the police department on making sure that we get this right. I also look forward to talking with our city’s solicitor about refining the legislation as necessary.
Finally, perhaps there are people who would like my opinion on the protests that have occurred across the country over the past week. If so, I will simply say this: I appreciate peaceful assembly, and I support the right of Americans to share their grievances with their governments – local, state and federal. At the same time, I do not support violent protest. Some more radical people would prefer that I omit the latter, but, in reality, I have to say the latter as well, because I believe, in many cases, violent protest is self-destructive. You are free to disagree. That said, for those who are only condemning the violent protests, rather than the killing of Mr. Floyd, I would simply encourage you, in love, to try to honestly reflect on what gave rise to the protests and to reflect on the fact that many of the protests have been peaceful.
Even Dr. King, who is essentially synonymous with peaceful nonviolence, once said this:
“You know my friends, there comes a time when people get tired of being trampled by the iron feet of oppression. There comes a time my friends, when people get tired of being plunged across the abyss of humiliation, where they experience the bleakness of nagging despair. There comes a time when people get tired of being pushed out of the glittering sunlight of life’s July and left standing amid the piercing chill of an alpine November. There comes a time.”
It is clear that, for many, that time … is now. I am praying for Mr. Floyd’s family, for Greenbelt and for America. Should you have any questions, concerns or feedback on these or any other issues, you are welcome to contact me at colinabyrd@greenbeltmd.gov.