Black Activist Blasts Worcester Council’s One-Sided Pro-Police Initiative
Wednesday, January 07, 2015
Jordan Berg Powers
The proposal is to go on record in support of the Worcester Police Department and "the department’s high level of professionalism, leadership in community relations and dedication to the citizens of Worcester."
Powers stated, "This flies in the face of my personal experience and seems to be completely tone deaf to the conversation our community is having."
The Worcester City Council proposal is supported by City Councilors Konnie Lukes, Gary Rosen, Morris Bergman, Anthony Economou, Michael Gaffney and Phil Palmieri.
A Letter to Worcester City Council
In a letter to the City Council, Powers said, "Do you think I’m a (n-word). Because that is what you’re saying by supporting this resolution stating that the Worcester Police Department treats us, Worcester residents with appropriate racial sensitivity."
Powers notes an occasion when he was pulled over and accused of stealing a car. In the end, Powers was not cited for driving in a stolen car, and according to Powers, after he complained to authorities, all the cars on his street were ticketed the next day.
"Anyone who has complained knows there is only one path if you can push through the front desk to submit a complaint, the trash bin. Worcester doesn’t track the race or ethnicity of official complaints so even the bad data it does collect is woefully incomplete. There is no way to file a complaint and get a reasonable expectation of justice," said Powers.
Under the current WPD complaint system, individuals are instructed to fill out a form, or by contact WPD by phone or in person. According to the WPD website, "the official-in-charge will be notified of the complaint, which will be forwarded to the Chief of Police or his designee who is responsible for internal investigations. Written complaints may also be mailed directly to the Bureau of Professional Standards, or to the Chief of Police. Every complaint, regardless of its nature, is assigned for investigation." WPD lists Physical/Verbal Abuse, Unlawful Arrest, and Harassment as misconduct that would require a citizen to file a complaint.
City Council Responds
Powers said, "I am someone familiar with elected officials and knowledge of how to access the system. And yet the cost of complaining is so high, I am not brave enough to try it again, try it to push for actual justice, out of fear based on the abuse I already face for daring to be Black in Worcester. I shudder to imagine the many residents who may not speak English as a first language, face barriers of access I can only dream of and yet are asked to navigate this system just to give a complaint. A system that in the end is immorally incompetent."
Rosen said, "To me, the order is not a slap in the face of any individuals or groups. It merely is a 'Thank You' to all those good cops who go to work daily to keep our city a safe place to live, work, go to school and to visit.
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