*Author’s Note: It has been brought to my attention that I made a mistake in regards to Mr. Metzler’s career history. I said that he worked for 40 years in this department, when in actuality he previously worked in Urbana before coming to Mahomet. Thank you to those of you who have politely pointed out my error. My point still stands — there are actions he can take right now as the Chief of Police to follow through with the sentiments he expressed at the Promise March for Humanity of making our community a better place.
Dear Chief of Police Michael Metzler,
To speak to the “gathering of like-minded individuals” at the Promise March for Humanity on June 8th and acknowledge that the death of George Floyd was a “horrific murder” was noteworthy. I recognize that having to address these issues after working in this department for 40 years cannot be easy.
You said “A profession cannot be racist or hateful. Communities and professions are made up of people. They are made up of hearts. It is individual hearts of communities and professions that must be addressed and when necessary must be changed.”
From your experience as a white, Christian, police officer in a predominantly white village, this may ring true. But the overwhelming evidence shows that people of color are disproportionately policed in this country. Black drivers in Champaign in 2017 were 2.3 times more likely to be stopped than would be expected by the population (ACLU, Racism in the Rear View Mirror). If African Americans and Hispanics were incarcerated at the same rates as whites, prison and jail populations would decline by almost 40% (NAACP, Criminal Justice Fact Sheet). And this unjust policing has rippling effects in finding jobs, housing, loans, and even the right to vote. The criminal legal system has implications in all aspects of life, and policing has time and time again been found to disproportionately affect people of color.
All this to say, racism does not just live in the hearts of individuals. It is built into the very fabric of our nation, including the police and criminal legal system.
Just as you asked in your prayer, I am asking you: “strip away pride, suspicion, and racism so that we may seek peace and justice in our communities…. make our community, make our world, a better place.” You can make these changes through your actions. As the Chief of Police, you are in a position to make changes that can increase transparency and reduce harm. What follows is only a short list of suggestions.
- Make the MPD use of force policy available to the public and easy to access.
- Make a detailed and comprehensible budget for how money is spent and where it comes from available to the public and easy to access.
- Commit to educating yourself and your officers about implicit bias, the history of police violence, and systemic racism in this country. The flyer provided at the march is a good place to start.
- Open a line of communication to hear from any Mahomet residents of color who would like to speak about their interactions with police officers. Commit to listening with an open heart, and to making changes and taking action.
- Engage with and learn from local organizations who are doing the work of anti-racism such as Champaign-Urbana Showing Up for Racial Justice (CU-SURJ) and the NAACP. They are doing the work of changing hearts, as well as policies.
- Endorse the recently proposed Justice in Policing Act.
- Adopt the 8 Can’t Wait policies: ban chokeholds and strangleholds, require de-escalation, require warning before shooting, require exhausting all alternatives before shooting, require officers to intervene and stop excessive force used by other officers and report these incidents immediately to a supervisor, ban shooting at motor vehicles, require a use of force continuum, and require comprehensive reporting.
These changes alone are nowhere near enough to undo the system of racism that is woven into the fabric of our police departments nation-wide, but adopting these policies and making these changes would show a commitment on the part of the Mahomet Police Department to be a part of the change instead of part of the problem, and to lead peer institutions by example. And if these policies seem unnecessary for the police work that happens in Mahomet, I ask you, what do you have to lose by enacting them?
You said that the officers involved in the murder of George Floyd “do not represent the officers that you encounter in this community.” I call upon you to demonstrate this sentiment with your actions and leadership, not just your words.
We cannot wait to change the hearts of everyone. Prayers are not enough. As Angela Davis put it, “in a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be anti-racist.” You have a platform and position of power to enact change in this moment. We are waiting for your promise to Mahomet.
Sincerely,
Emma Livingston
Mahomet Resident
MSHS Class of 2016
Right on – Thank you, Emma!
It has been brought to my attention that I made a mistake in regards to Mr. Metzler’s career history. I said that he worked for 40 years in this department, when in actuality he previously worked in Urbana before coming to Mahomet. Thank you to those of you who have politely pointed out my error. My point still stands — there are actions he can take right now as the Chief of Police to follow through with the sentiments he expressed at the Promise March for Humanity of making our community a better place.