Don't Wait. VACCINATE!
YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
(via Google images)
We understand the complexity of police work. The demands. The stress of providing fair, equitable and unbiased public safety.
We also understand the rewards. Building a partnership with community. Being a part of a vibrant small community that values family, its history, and its penchant for collaboration and partnering to enhance Auburn's collective responsibility to consistently evolve towards being a better place to live and work.
Take the Opportunity to Give Back to the Community
James Slayton, Auburn's newly promoted Police Chief has stated "that most APD members live in Auburn, so officers would be assisting people in the community where they live."
Booker T. Washington Community Center, 32 Chapman Avenue, Auburn, NY
This event will enable you to raise questions and get answers, as well as sign up for the September 18 competitive exam that has an application deadline of August 19th. (See further information below.)
YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
Guest column: Understanding law enforcement, part two: The intricacies of moving forward
A Collaborative Essay written by: William Berry Jr., Shawn I. Butler and Brian Schenck Special to The Citizen, published on Sunday, June 27, 2021 in The Citizen, “Lake Life” section.
From left, Auburn Police Department Chief Shawn Butler, Harriet Tubman Center for Justice & Peace Chair William E. Berry Jr. and Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck. (Photo Provided)
There are ongoing efforts to remediate what is inherently problematic within the law enforcement profession as to actions pertaining to race, gender, cultural or gender identification. As law enforcement leaders, social justice advocates and allies work to change inappropriate or bias-related policing, it is incumbent on the larger society to refrain from using a broad brushstroke to paint all police as one nefarious self-serving cohort or an insidious, recalcitrant cabal bent on blindly protecting all officers, regardless of unlawful infractions, from accountability under the law.
During the past several years, the media has centered on incidents regarding white officers’ use of deadly force where the victim tends to be Black, and that imagery has captured the thinking of the national citizenry. These painful scenarios are not lost on the policing profession or social justice advocates. While 17th century enslavement, racism and oppression morphed into subsequent generational legally sanctioned and societal acceptance of inappropriate police actions that are unfortunately grounded in race-based control, dehumanization and subjugation, there remains an ongoing dilemma. Do historical (and “contemporary”) sins of the past indelibly mark current policing in its totality? Undeniably, there are more officers who have built careers with respect for citizens and the tenets of their profession. However, the “bad seeds” tend to cast an overarching aura of bad policing on the entirety of officers when that mantle of inappropriate and often deadly behavior is not warranted by most of those honorable members of the profession. Social activists and society in general must grapple with this dilemma that is becoming more complex and problematic with every reported national incident.
A pervasive trait in the 21st century is the fact that racism, implicit biases and societal political actions portend that one race is intrinsically and inherently superior to another race even when challenged by most faith-based leaders. Even with such denunciations of white supremacist thinking, there remains an ongoing societal problem and paradox in the American character. Subsequently, the task faced by law enforcement is how to best eradicate past injurious practices with a more comprehensive sensitivity to and understanding of race and its decades-old grip on the American psyche, as well as the public’s impatience with strategies developed to change what has been decades in the making toward a singular, quick fix. Recent documentation of white supremacists joining police departments have complicated this issue and, for some, raise first amendment rights and sensibilities.
Often, biased media reports, pointed political rants from both sides of the political aisle, and too-early pronouncements of supposed guilt or the righteousness of appropriate police action are unfairly articulated before independent investigations are completed. The totality of these factors tend to further complicate the public’s understanding of all facets of any police issue, especially those actions where there is the use of deadly force. It may be prudent if initial analyses are not vocalized by the involved police jurisdiction, but timely and transparent reports to the public and media by the sanctioned investigating body. And in that vein, lawyers, pundits and media talking heads should also delay their comments and wait for the end of any investigation. This measured approach should not broach any independent analyses or opinions as long as commentary is stated clearly as not a providence of fact.
The contemporary issues facing all phases of law enforcement are intricate patterns within the colorful and diverse fabric of human dignity and self-worth. And in that complexity of human endeavor, we should see social justice activists, police and allies on either side of any policing action or public safety discussion as respectful contributors to be heard and listened to. While it is possible for all involved citizenry to be on the same side regardless of pre-stated stances, there should be a commonality of thought to approach and settle adversarial differences. Engaging in difficult conversations and finding workable resolutions can, and often does, appease both sides. And that process begins with a willingness to communicate with one another in an attempt to understand different perspectives based on lived experiences, be it professional or cultural.
Any national discussion of police actions that prompt public concern, planned marches, impromptu demonstrations and, in some cases, adjudication in court, have a measurable impact on local policing and action. While national situations have an impact on the thinking of local communities, Auburn and Cayuga County residents should assess local police and the sheriff's department on what is actually done and not what people assume those departments do. While these overarching issues are complex, our local focus must remain centered on the needs of our community, and those ongoing efforts and initiatives continue to move toward a model of community-based policing. It is critical to know about and understand the intricacies of local law enforcement and how officers operate within the realm of public safety. With such perspectives in place, more members of the community can assist in furthering effective law enforcement.
William (bill) E. Berry Jr. chairs the board of the Harriet Tubman Center for Justice & Peace, serves as a board member of the United Way of Cayuga County, and publishes aaduna, an online literary and visual arts journal based in Auburn. Shawn I. Butler serves as chief of police for the Auburn Police Department, is president of the Central New York Association of Chiefs of Police, and is the Northeast regional chair of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Midsize Agencies Division. Brian Schenck serves as the Cayuga County Sheriff.
An essay written by: William Berry Jr., Shawn I. Butler and Brian Schenck Special to The Citizen Newspaper, published on Sunday, June 20, 2021
GTKY 2.021 A Re-Gathering of Community Leaders Getting to Know One Another
Harriet Tubman Center for Justice & Peace, Inc., “Getting to Know You, aka GTKY 2.021,” 2nd annual event, held on June 25, 2021, private residence, Auburn, NY. Photo credit: Lisa Brennan (c) 2021
The Harriet Tubman Center for Justice and Peace hosted its 2nd annual event that brought together law enforcement and social justice advocates. Initiated in August 2020, this local gathering enabled two community groups, who are nationally perceived to be at odds on policing issues, to get to know each other on a personal level not burdened by uniform, job position, or media representation that all too often presents a one-dimensional picture of either group. At its core, this strategic community initiative is platformed on emboldening the concept of one shared community where all residents are valued; treated equitably with respect even when there are differences of opinion, and not by artificial perceptions of worth due to career choice.
Chief Shawn Butler, Auburn Police Department, bill berry, jr., HTCJP chair, Sheriff Brian Schenck, Cayuga County Sheriff’s Office, GTKY 2.021, June 25, 2021
The 2021, post Covid-19 event, was hosted at the home of Jack Hardy, chair of the Auburn Civil Service Commission and a member of the HTCJP, as well as other local boards. This year, approximately 32 individuals (almost double the number from the initial year) convened for an afternoon of relaxed and fun conversations, grilled burgers and hot dogs, fresh homemade salads, and beverages.
On a Friday that was sunny with mild winds, this year’s gathering was situated on an expansive backyard. The participants easily chatted with folks that they did not know for 10 minute intervals and then moved on to another person who was not known. As the event progressed, participants pleasantly gathered into small groups; sitting on lawn chairs in the shade for more relaxed conversation; sharing life stories, and simply, getting to know one another on a personal level.
To expand the group, last year’s participants were asked to invite another person to the 2021 event to foster a grass roots progression of getting more people involved in this initiative. And that strategic process will also shape the 2022 event. Held on the last Friday of June for two hours, the HTCJP is planning its third event for next year and expects to increase the participant size to 60 folks with a growing number growing each successive year.
““Thanks so much for bringing this group of devoted community members together today. Everything about the event was excellent and inspiring. I enjoyed myself and met many new people. As I reflect on today and the future of Auburn I reminded myself of the importance of these things.
- Our lives are very interconnected as is our overall well being
- Everything rises and falls on our collective leadership
- We are in this together and we need each other to survive
- Our collective commitment to a safe, just and equitable community helps Auburn continue being great.””
“Very well done, once again....”
Special Thank You to Jack Hardy, for his master chef skills at the grill! The burgers and dogs were off the hook!
Berry: Rethinking social justice in the age of conflict and rage
Postscript William Berry Jr. Special to The Citizen, published March 7, 2021
A rendering showing what local artist Arthur Hutchinson's mural of Harriet Tubman will look like on the Nolan Block after it's installed by A&M Graphics.
Arthur Hutchinson, Artist
William Berry Jr. Special to The Citizen
I thank The Citizen for publishing my February four-part series, “Rethinking Social Justice in the Age of Conflict and Rage.” These essays appeared prior to March 4, the date conspiracy theorists marked to “inaugurate” 45’s retaking of presidential power and preventing the devastation of white culture and its manifest destiny.
Locally, we have choices. We can expand equity in all societal platforms, continue to battle generational racism and systemic biases, as well as challenge others who spew racial animosity. We can also identify pathways to influence the national political mindset. Or we can embrace other options.
We can succumb to insidious thinking grounded in white nationalism. We can embrace leaders who cloak their agenda for racial superiority as they promulgate racially driven legislation or articulate derisive public statements. We can embrace the ongoing disregard for people of color by the criminal justice system. We can overlook acts of disrespect that belittle the dignity of others. We can continue to overlook economic disparities that have an adverse impact on the middle class. We can disregard those economic constraints that inevitably create barriers for working class whites to embrace Blacks in understanding who the enemy really is. We can fail to mount a strategy that challenges the one-percenters and corporate institutions that hide wealth behind U.S. tax laws, offshore tax havens and D.C. lobbyists. We can decide if America is a class-driven society even as it allows a few folks to achieve financial rewards just to maintain the artificiality of equitable capitalism.
We can seek solace in politicians who are wannabees to 45’s legacy of misinformation and conspiracies seeded in capriciousness. We can rationalize domestic terror as righteous protest and fail to categorize such acts as the antithesis of morality. We can neglect to see that all lives matter. Fail to embrace folks who are different in their gender identification and sexual orientation; ignore their lack of federal protections under law. We can support seditious efforts to dismantle our democratic institutions and spread the God/Bible rationale for dehumanizing other Americans. We can extol voter suppression and overlook inequities in health care.
These dilemmas challenge community social justice advocacy and human dignity.
In Auburn/Cayuga County, residents must determine what challenges impact our collective lives and how to tackle those controversial issues. So far this year, just in March, there are several community organizations sponsoring a 21-Day Equity Challenge, book clubs that are discussing antiracism, and profane flags remaining present on homes. There is initial planning for police/community bias training, and the work of elected leaders finalizing local government’s response to the governor’s statewide order to rethink policing and its relationship with communities. At some point, we will determine whether or not there is relevancy in the school district’s new diversity initiative as the renaming of the high school will influence community direction when the next school board elections occur. Furthermore, we will assess our generosity to fund a new downtown mural that will celebrate a hometown hero.
We live to enjoy our lives. We strive to better our community to enrich and empower the aspirations of our children and grandchildren. And unfortunately, many residents face daily decisions to stand or succumb, include or exclude, support or ignore.
I trust there is a community mindset that acknowledges equity in all phases impacting new operations, projects or public observances. With such a direction, we can embrace the quality of thought and accomplishments of all of society’s contributors. Rest assured, these social justice behaviors are not an effort to rewrite the past but to chart the future.
Past race-based thinking was an intentional decision to overlook, diminish and ignore the rainbow of contributors who broadened and strengthened the public welfare. Remedies to address “what should have been” are not a homage to diversity or even to “old-school” affirmative action obligations — not a scheme to rewrite the past, but to grasp it. Embrace it. An opportunity to address the faults of prior generations that can only be our faults if we fail to remediate wrongful actions.
Our task should be to correct those missteps that denied honor and recognition because of race, class or gender, and ensure our current actions are predicated on a standard grounded in fairness and non-discrimination. This is our task. And unlike Sisyphus, we can push this “boulder” over the top of the hill. In doing so, we will determine how and where we stand and create a pathway for the next generation of social justice leaders.
William Berry Jr. is the chair of the The Harriet Tubman Center for Justice and Peace Inc. and publisher of aaduna, an online literary and visual arts journal based in Auburn.
Auburn police reform plan presented to council; public comments sought
Article published in The Citizen newspaper, Kelly Rocheleau, Reporter, February 26, 2021
Auburn Police Chief Shawn Butler talks with protesters during a march May 31 in downtown Auburn to honor George Floyd and speak out against inequality and police brutality.
Kevin Rivoli, The Citizen
The Auburn City Council on Thursday received the Auburn Police Department's draft reform plan, which is now open for public comments.
Assistant Corporation Counsel Nate Garland presented the plan, mandated by Gov. Andrew Cuomo's executive order on policing last summer, at the council's virtual meeting. The APD and Cayuga County Sheriff's Office have worked with community stakeholders over the past several months to form their respective plans.
Stakeholder subgroups in this process included police structure and training, community relations and crime prevention, and alternatives to police response and procedural justice. Several forums were held to garner feedback from the public.
Garland said he felt good about the plan's current draft, which is available through the city's website. He said transparency is critical, and felt APD Chief Shawn Butler and Deputy Chief Roger Anthony have emphasized that.
"We have the infrastructure and the mindset internally, I think, to that make that happen," Garland said.
The law enforcement agencies also have been working through the state Division of Criminal Justice Services accreditation process, with goals that include improving efficiency, ensuring personnel get proper training and promoting confidence in law enforcement agencies. Garland said accreditation is a way to ensure the public that the department is "functioning under the most modern theories of policy and (gives) a certain amount of bonafides."
For the next steps, Garland said there is a two-week public comment period ending March 11. He will then incorporate those comments into the plan's final draft, set to be presented to council on March 18 for possible adoption. It would then be sent to the state the next day.
The city's website page for the reform plan formation explains how people can offer their opinions during the comment period, which includes a link to the city's online comments page that would let people email the entire council. Written comments can be mailed to the mayor and city council at Memorial City Hall, 24 South St. Auburn, NY 13021. Participants can also submit comments through a dropbox at the front or back entrances of city hall. People are asked to address their comments to the Office of the Mayor and the City Council.
For police structure proposals, the draft plan said the APD supports having body cameras on officers, but an initial investment and continued funding would be required. Preparing and adopting policies on using such cameras and "the retention and disposition of the evidentiary video created by this technology" would also be necessary, the report said.
The APD, which currently doesn't allow choke hold restraints, has updated various polices regarding use of force, according to the plan.
The document said the APD will continue to "use no-knock warrants in narrowly tailored situations with both judicial and internal administrative preclearance to better ensure the safety of officers and the public," but the department's polices on it will change accordingly if state legislation gives further guidance.
The report noted that some members of stakeholder groups and forums commented on recent initiatives from APD and the sheriff's office to boost racial and gender diversity in their agencies through more recruitment and community outreach, and the APD affirmed its commitment to continuing those efforts.
The plan also commits to continued, expanded training, including training that addresses diversity, deescalation techniques and racial bias. It also recommends the community explore de-escalation trainings for public school students.
For mental health intervention and response, APD said it has been working with the Cayuga County Mental Health Department and their agency partners. A mental health mobile crisis team is available to work with APD officers from 5 p.m. to midnight, but the team isn't available after midnight. The plan states there is "demonstrated need" to make these services available on a 24/7 basis. APD said it will also work to make support for officers' mental health a normal part of training, supervision and discipline.
The plan calls for making sure law enforcement leaders carry on community outreach efforts, as well. The continuation of the school resource officer program in the Auburn school district is encouraged as part of that. In addition, the plan notes that APD and the sheriff's office "underscored the challenge of current low staffing levels that are keeping officers 'pinned' to their vehicles. As challenges to low recruitment are met and overcome, and staffing numbers return to appropriate levels, both departments support the implementation of community policing initiatives."
The plan also addresses some community suggestions regarding a citizen review board and periodic public reports on founded misconduct from officers.
"While there was general support for such public reports and processes, establishment of these protocols would be subject to civil service law and bargaining agreements with unions, potentially limiting the information that could be released under certain circumstances," the document said.
Staff writer Kelly Rocheleau can be reached at (315) 282-2243 or kelly.rocheleau@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @KellyRocheleau.
The Citizen staff
Feb 24, 2021
Cayuga County seeks feedback on police reform proposal for sheriff's office
Published in The Citizen Newspaper, Feb 24, 2021
Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck walks with protesters in downtown Auburn in May 2020 during a demonstration against inequality and police brutality.
Kevin Rivoli, The Citizen
The Citizen staff
Cayuga County residents have the opportunity to weigh in on a draft "police reform" proposal for the county sheriff's office.
Cayuga County Legislature Chair Aileen M. McNabb-Coleman on Wednesday announced the opening of a two-week public comment period on the county's Reinvention Collaborative Draft Plan, the result of community input into an assessment and review of police services in the county.
The initiative was launched in response to an executive order issued by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2020 that every law enforcement agency in the state review their strategies, policies and practices following police brutality cases across the country, or risk their eligibility for state funding.
"Over the past several months, Cayuga County and Auburn City officials have partnered with our community to conduct an assessment and review of police services provided by the Auburn City Police Department and Cayuga County Sheriff’s Office," McNabb-Coleman said in a news release. "Sheriff Brian Schenck and I are asking the public to utilize the Cayuga County website to document feedback on this Draft Plan."
The draft plan for the sheriff's office is open for public feedback through March 10, and a special Legislature meeting to review the final document has been scheduled for March 18.
To make a comment on the county's proposal, go to the sheriff's office website and click on “Citizen Feedback”. From there you can click on Public Safety tab under the Sheriff heading. Visitors may create an account or log in as a guest and enter your comments in the comment box provided.
The Cayuga County Legislature is holding a special meeting that will be held virtually at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 18, to review the final document, the commitments being made, and the process for evaluation. The meeting will be livestreamed at youtu.be/iEs0GdQQFAo.
The APD's draft plan is scheduled to be presented to the Auburn City Council at 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25.
Berry: Rethinking social justice in the age of conflict and rage, part four: 'Stand.'
William Berry Jr. Special to The Citizen, published in the Lake Life section, February 28, 2021
A plaque honoring Booker T. Washington Community Center co-founder Lena M. Johnson at the Auburn center. (Provided)
William Berry Jr. Special to The Citizen
In the end you’ll still be you
One that’s done all the things you set out to do ...
Stand
For the things you know are right
It’s the truth that the truth makes them so uptight ...
Sylvester Stewart’s group Sly & The Family Stone released their controversial album “Stand!” in 1969, a record considered a platform for activists who fought “the powers that be.” Twenty years later in the summer of 1989, Chuck D and Public Enemy released “Fight the Power,” a song that uplifted social justice aspirations.
As the 2021 national political landscape evolves, there remain reverberations of election fraud; questions about the safety of D.C. politicians; how best to ensure democracy; and the future of conservatism as political thought. While impeachable charges failed, the get out of jail trump card will soon erode. Someone, somewhere, somehow will bring a legal conviction to ensure that no one is above the law.
On the local level, national dilemmas shape our thinking and motivate a variety of actions that are adversarial to community well-being. As such, there are critical questions. Do we assess our local leaders and institutions based on what is done locally or task them with the burden of our national imprint? Are residents to burden local political leaders, law enforcement, community groups, or neighbors under an umbrella of national attitudes and events external to our community? Do we evaluate local folk on what they say or do, or wrap their actions into our national preconceptions?
'Willingness to change': Cayuga County orgs presenting Equity Challenge
As Auburn/Cayuga prepares for its Equity Challenge, residents will be able to contemplate social justice issues that illuminate inequities. We will be tasked to determine our “standing” on difficult issues, and in doing so may develop an enlightened understanding of community resources.
Celebrating 112 years, the NAACP continues to embrace its traditions with a lawsuit alleging the 45th president and his personal attorney collaborated with hate groups to thwart the work of elected officials, actions prohibited by the 1871 Civil Rights Act, commonly called the KKK Act. Our local branch, established in the '60s, works to confront discrimination while following the spirit of William Jackson, who served as branch president for 30 years.
The Auburn Human Rights Commission, a public agency, tackles discrimination in employment, education, housing, religion and public accommodation, and provides referrals for free legal services that pertain to housing, food stamps and social services. The HRC also presents public education programs.
The 1996 grassroots, nonprofit Harriet Tubman Center for Justice and Peace continues its decades-old work to address inequities through collaborations with community institutions. With a multicultural board, HTCJP remains focused on the central themes to empower, engage, educate. It continues to articulate “best practices” and provide pertinent analyses to formulate change. The agenda still addresses inadequacies in institutional direction that falls below equity standards. And they understand community drives such activities.
Dialogues, book discussions, demonstrations, bias training, equity challenges and law enforcement outreach are rooted in community participation. Along with faith-based leaders, Pauline Copes-Johnson, Melina Carnicelli, the Rev. Paul G. and Christine Carter, Gwen Webber-McLeod and others are emboldened by progressives who keep their eyes on the prize to achieve equity. Within this spirit of planned change, there are allied organizations.
The Harriet Tubman Boosters, founded around 1953, were reinvigorated by Fred Richardson in 2008. Laurel Ullyette became president in 2010 and Trixie Jupin assumed that role in 2020. The Boosters organized Auburn’s first symposium celebrating Tubman during her centennial and support “Harriet Was Here in My Backyard,” a seven-year songwriting program for fourth-graders at Genesee Elementary School. Their annual “Strawberry Stroll” and agenda to articulate Tubman's accomplishments after the Underground Railroad enhance community vitality. Later this year, HTB plans to install a Tubman mural on the side of the Nolan Building designed by a local African-American artist. And while all organizational and individual efforts are applauded, there is another institution that represents who we are as a thriving equity-driven community.
The Booker T. Washington Community Center, originally called The Colored Community Center, has been an integral Auburn institution since October 1927. It was founded through the work of Mrs. Lena M. Johnson and Mrs. Martin to benefit the welfare of African-Americans. BTW has become a gathering spot for all people to be aware of and involved in issues of societal importance while mentoring children toward future leadership. During and after World War II, from 1942 to 1948, Eleanor I. Hardy served as director of the center. In September 1944, The Citizen Advertiser, Auburn’s newspaper, stated, “Few cities the size of Auburn have a community center as well equipped and as popular as the well known BTW Community Center on Chapman Ave. Eleanor Hardy, Director, has become one of Auburn's well known civic workers."
Today, BTW faces funding obstacles even while continuing its six after-school program sites, a COVID-19 assistance program called EDUcare, and tripling the number of youths served during the past six years. The center recently completed the purchase of its property from the city of Auburn and maintains its commitment to empowering children and community through a variety of social and cultural programs.
It is apparent our community is well-positioned to establish a county-wide equity agenda. Our region is not a perfect place; no geographical area is as long as there are differences in opinions and personal outlooks on life. The hope is that those differences are grounded in fact and articulated in respectful dialogue, especially when placed in the public domain. Listening and hearing opposing views are just as important as voicing one’s opinion. Clearly, there is still a lot of work to do, and that is not a jaded assessment.
For too long, local institutions continue to look homogeneous. There is lip service to equity and diversity, and contrived plans to engage other people who have been historically ignored. However, current workforces remain aspirational and performative versus documented change.
Let’s get real. Homogeneity is limiting. It retards growth in individual attitudes, lifestyle choices and service to any client base. It limits global competitiveness for our children’s future careers. Elected officials, through their ability to apply governmental resources, must be joined by political party, business, community, nonprofit, social justice and faith-based leaders who need to up “their game.” There must be a more rigorous analysis of aspirational motivations, and organizations need to transition lofty intentions to measurable, transparent standards that seed change. Assessment of effort is critically important. And there are unexpected allies if we are willing to look.
Prince was a phenomenal songwriter and illustrious performer, evidenced by his memorable 2007 Miami Super Bowl performance in pouring rain. Most of his admirers may not know Prince was a social justice advocate, and enriched his political chops when he released his 2001 epic CD, “the rainbow children.” One song was the clarion call for activists and allies, “the work, pt.1”
I’m willing 2 do The Work
Willing 2 do what I gotta do
I’m willing 2 do The Work
Tell me now — what about u?
Our answer should be,
Stand.
William Berry Jr., of Auburn, is a retired senior-level university administrator with over 33 years of service at various institutions. He currently serves as a consultant on issues centering on equity, inclusion, diversity and retention-oriented customer service while continuing his stance as an activist scholar commenting on a variety of social justice issues. He publishes aaduna, a global, online multicultural literary and visual arts journal, and is current chair of the Auburn-based Harriet Tubman Center for Justice and Peace board. He can be reached at htcjpauburn@gmail.com.
Cayuga County law enforcement asks residents to join upcoming police forum -
The Auburn Police Department and the Cayuga County Sheriff's Office don't want the public to shy away from talking about their performance and what they are doing, positively and negatively, for an upcoming police forum.
Both agencies have been working with community stakeholders — including Auburn officials, county officials, those from Cayuga County-area municipalities and social justice group leaders — to review police procedures, practices, strategies and more and create a plan to improve in order to promote trust, address systemic racial biases and meet community needs, as Auburn Police Chief Shawn Butler previously said.
A public Zoom meeting for the forum was held Dec. 15, while another public forum is set for 5 p.m. Jan. 6 through that same platform.
People are asked to register for the upcoming Zoom event. The link is available on a Facebook page for the event. Community members are also encouraged to participate in surveys for the APD and for the sheriff's office. Questions include how the agencies do in providing services to the community, what equality and social justice related to local community law enforcement means and how the agencies can improve their transparency and accountability. The surveys are anonymous but there are questions about a participant's gender, age and race.
Butler and Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck said the process with different stakeholders has been encouraging, but they hope for more community participation. They both added they'd like more people to participate and expressed a desire for a good turnout for the virtual forum.
Butler said APD's survey has been out for over a month, and as of Wednesday, 316 responses have been received, compared to over 26,000 people who live in Auburn. Hearing people's thoughts and opinions is "the only way we're going to change as people feel that we need to change," he added.
The APD is aware, Butler said, of the conversations involving policing following events such as the protests over the summer after the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man killed earlier this year by a former Minneapolis police officer, and they want to hear from people.
Butler said they want to hear from the city's "marginalized or the underserved community" and the community as a whole.
"But what I really want to change, and we have over the last several years, is change the culture of this warrior mentality and (come) back to the servant mentality where we can have compassion and empathy for the people we serve, in the situations where that demeanor is needed," he continued.
Additionally, Butler said he encourages officers to engage with community organizations such as the Harriet Tubman Center for Justice & Peace and the Auburn/Cayuga Branch of the NAACP and different social service outreach organizations, to learn more about different perspectives.
Butler implored people to participate in next week's forum to tell the agency what's it's doing right and wrong. If people aren't comfortable with giving their opinion that way, he hopes they take the survey.
Schenck said the APD and the sheriff's office have had interesting conversations with the various stakeholders as part of the process so far. There were three subgroups: police structure and training, community relations and crime prevention and alternatives to police response and procedural justice.
Schenck encourages people to communicate via his work email at sheriff@cayugacounty.us and his desk number, (315) 253- 4337. He added he wants people to contact him and "feel comfortable that when they reach out and give me feedback, whether it's good or bad, I want them to feel comfortable that I'm going to take that feedback and try to use that to make our sheriff's office better."
Ultimately, Schenck said he wants to hear what the sheriff's office can do "to ensure that we're providing law enforcement services that fit the needs of our community.
"I want to hear from as many people that we serve as possible with that feedback, and they can let us know how we're doing or give us ideas so that we can do our job better or tell us what areas need improvement so that we can start working on that," he said.
Staff writer Kelly Rocheleau can be reached at (315) 282-2243 or kelly.rocheleau@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @KellyRocheleau.
Register for the January 6th Zoom Event:
Meeting Registration - Zoom
Participate in Local Police Surveys:
Enhancing Our Children’s Education
On Tuesday afternoon, October 13, 2020, Jeffrey A. Pirozzolo, Superintendent of Schools and Assistant Superintendent for Personnel, Jeffrey Evener (Auburn Enlarged City School District -AECSD) met with and briefed social justice leaders, Dr. Eli Hernandez and Dr. Rhoda Overstreet-Wilson (Auburn/Cayuga branch of the NAACP) Robert Ellison (City of Auburn Human Rights Commission) and Dr. Lucien Lombardo and bill berry (Harriet Tubman Center for Justice and Peace {HTCJP}) as to the district’s current endeavors to tackle and implement diversity and equity issues throughout the school system.
Using Zoom for some participants supplemented by in person physically distanced and masked participants, school officials articulated strategies developed by the AECSD to implement and further its initiatives to embed equity and inclusion throughout all phases of school operations. This strategic, long range effort will encompass curriculum enhancements, personnel recruitment and retention efforts, diversity-driven and systemic institutional changes, and better and more focused community outreach via a planned Equity/Diversity and Inclusion Task Force.
AECSD looks to enhance its efforts to engage the community to be mentors and participants in, and supporters of a written and measurable strategic plan to enhance student learning; to instill a greater appreciation of all racial groups and cultures that will better prepare students for a global society, future employment and a more comprehensive understanding of human dignity values. These core efforts will also recognize the vibrancy of student/teacher backgrounds in the learning process. Furthermore, the district has developed a “scorecard” to assess and evaluate specific objectives to reach its inclusion objectives, the creation of diversity task force that will engage all stakeholders in the education arena including community members, and a greater transparency so the overall community is informed of district initiatives.
The overall Mission of the school district may be furthered reviewed. There are recommended adjustments that can empower the district to fully capture the challenges and more importantly, vibrant opportunities to create a better and more encompassing learning environment driven by an organizational culture that embraces the dignity of all AECSD stakeholders.
Some of these points for further review and discussion centered on a basic point that the district’s mission should fully recognize and support the dignity of all members of the educational community: students, parents, teachers, administrators, and support staff. Other recommendations center on addressing problem identification and problem solving as integral components of maintaining a high-quality curriculum and instruction; recognizing the diversity of life experiences that students and educators bring to the educational process as critical components for institutional and meaningful change. And these recommendations should be grounded in and permeate all phases of primary, and secondary learning that enables all students to develop a sensibility as to what effective citizenship is while recognizing the intrinsic value of life-long learning.
Social justice leaders and school administrators understand that planned change is a long-range objective fueled by open communication and a cooperative spirit. And everyone understands and recognizes that while some objectives may be challenging in terms of implementation, budgetary constraints, and possibly long-standing inbred organizational culture issues, there is a willingness that effective partnerships can continue the over-arching goal to reach the goal of enabling the community to better understand and embrace differences while finding commonality versus difference as an unifying force to better the life of all residents.
The AECSD Power Point slide show featured below may give you a preliminary sense of these efforts and we recognize there may be gaps in understanding the metrics without a detailed explanation. However, as with other HTCJP efforts to present practices and protocols of law enforcement, we hope to coordinate a public (via social media and live stream) event when the school district is ready to rollout the full plan to the community. (There are currently small group meetings to flush out objectives and finalize doable initiatives.) At this point, it is premature to try to present the overall district plan before it is fully ready to be operational. But that will happen.
Remember, planned change is not an immediate situation. It is an evolving process that temporarily rests at the stage of action when it is ready for public presentation. And then the community will be informed and invited to be fully engaged in a variety of AECSD objectives that will help make the education of our children better. And with these planned initiatives. Our children, our future will be better equipped to be global citizens, leaders, and influencers.
