blogs/brentspodek

Putting a police force on the streets is among the most important and the most complicated things that our government does.

The community of Beacon, NY is convening a focused public conversation about policing in our community on Sunday, May 31.

Police officers, acting in the name of a government that strives to serve all its citizens, are empowered to detain, arrest, and even kill people. Often, police officers wield that power responsibly and justly; other times, they use it irresponsibly, callously and murderously.

In recent months, the news has been filled with report after report of black American men and boys being killed by police officers.

The Jewish community, particularly after the Holocaust, is painfully aware of what it means to be on the receiving end of state force. I visited Germany as a seminary student, and walking down the street in Frankfurt late one night I realized that for my family's ancestors, the police force were not protection from terror; they were the very source of terror.

The Jewish community also also knows what it means to receive protection from the police. When I was about six or seven years old, some local thugs painted a swastika on our house in Brooklyn. I remember well how reassuring it was to see the NYPD patrol car that was parked outside our house for a week.

Our police simultaneously embody our greatest hopes for our society and our greatest fears.

Beacon's civic leadership has taken active steps to improve police/community relations. In late 2014, City Council Member Ali T. Muhammad organized a unity rally in light of national incidents, and in January 2015, Mayor Randy Casale and Police Chief Douglas Solomon convened a meeting with clergy and other civic leaders to discuss how we, as a community, can strengthen police/community relations. I am so glad that the Mayor convened this conversation not in response to an incident, but to avoid an incident.

Nevertheless, the Beacon PD has had problems in recent years. In 2006, the police chief was suspended and demoted due to "gross insubordination" and in 2014, a Beacon Police Detective was convicted of filing a false report.

Beyond that, since December, 2010, the Beacon Police Department has been part of a cooperative effort with the Federal Department of Justice to improve the BPD's policies and procedures regarding use of force, review of officer conduct and citizen complaints.

As a result of the Mayor's January meeting, I, as the moderator of Better Together - The Beacon Interfaith Clergy Group, and Brooke Simmons of I Am Beacon, are co-chairing an effort to ensure that community voices are heard on these issues and ensure our elected officials and police are accountable to the public they serve. This is an independent community effort that is supported by Mayor Randy Casale and Chief Douglas Solomon, but is not organized by them, nor is it answerable to them.

Please mark your calendars for a focused public conversation about policing in our community on Sunday, May 31, from 12:30pm to 3:00pm at Memorial Building, 413 Main Street, Beacon, NY.

The results of that conversation will become goals that we expect our elected officials to achieve. We are working with a broad swath of the community to make sure that all voices are heard, and we are working with the city government to ensure that the goals that our community articulates are achievable. If you are interested in being involved with this effort, please be in touch with me or Brooke Simmons.

The prophet Jeremiah exhorted us to "seek the peace of the city in which we dwell" and indeed, the peace and security of our city, and of our nation, depends on all of us - police and citizens - working to ensure that the needs of all of our residents are met. I hope you'll be one of those joining together to seek the peace of this city.