Isabel Gonzalez: Why Police Chief Should Meet With Hammond Heights Residents

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Saturday, April 07, 2012

Isabel Gonzalez, GoLocalWorcester MINDSETTER™

After several protests around the city, Worcester faith leaders and the Worcester Police Department have come up with a plan to host a community forum to address race relations and youth violence.

The result of the Worcester Clergy and Police Community Partnership (WCPCP) meeting with Police Chief Gary J. Gemme and his administration is an open forum for citizens to raise complaints and suggestions pertaining to police-citizen interactions, youth and gang violence, race relations, and the like.

I applaud the City Administration and Worcester Police Department's effort with planning these very timely forums, including the first forum happening at the Claremont Academy. I must say, I am disappointed that the first forum is not happening with David and Claudia Russo and the concerned multi racial/ethnic residents of Hammond Heights that initially contacted the city 9 months ago with their concerns of racial profiling.

There are two major issues. One, how do we proactively address issues of racial profiling, which I believe the Worcester Police Department and Faith Leaders are attempting to address through their proposed forums.

Second, is of restorative justice and administration accountability. At this past City Council Meeting, the City Manager committed to having a Deputy Police Chief meet with the concerned residents of Hammond Heights. When is this meeting going to be prioritized? Is the City Administration going to reach out to Claudia and David Russo? What are the criteria and/or process for concerns to be made to the administration and what is the process by which the administration responds.

Lastly, I leave you with something that many are struggling with and a dilemma we need to find a solution to. If community members contact their Mayor with concerns and a request to meet with the Police Chief and that Mayor brings that request to the City Manager (on several occasions) and those requests result in a commitment from the manager for a meeting that never comes to fruition; what rights and options does the community have? 

Isabel Gonzalez is a community organizer and political activist. Her community organizing experiences range from working on issues of economic justice, supporting public education/funding, violence against women and anti-racism. Her political work in Worcester includes managing Joe O'Brien's campaign for Mayor, serving as Mayor O'Brien's Chief of Staff and co-coordinating Lt. Governor Tim Murray's 2010 re-election campaign for the City of Worcester. Isabel is currently a Board of Trustee of Worcester State University, and sits on the boards of United Way Central MA, African Community Education Program and the Worcester Advisory Board of the Department of Transitional Assistance.  

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