Statement read to Asheville City Council in March 2018

I am here representing the Western NC Green Party, to share with the Council members and Mayor our thoughts on the most recent police brutality incident, a heinous injustice that should not have been covered up for the past six months. Council members have stated that they knew nothing of the incident, implying either ignorance, negligence, deceit, or all three. The fact that this incident was not included in the agenda for today’s meeting speaks volumes. This is not the first incident and it will not be the last, when the buck has been passed at every turn. Now that national attention has been brought to our town, you cannot pretend that we do not have a problem.

For this incident in particular, there was no accountability and the public remained uninformed until a video was illegally leaked. There is neither accountability nor transparency in our current structures, especially when it comes to policing, and this is our primary concern for the immediate future.

The following are our demands for further action, to ensure that this problem is addressed and not simply swept under the rug now that you have all been reelected:

1. Those involved in covering up this incident should step down. While Chief Hooper’s involvement in this incident greatly concerns us, her offer to step down as police chief is the sole example we have seen of leadership and accountability since the tape was leaked. Unless Gary Jackson, City Manager, can prove that he knew nothing of this incident, he should step down or be removed, without receiving his enormous pension. A full, independent investigation should be conducted to hold all parties accountable. Those who knew about the incident and covered it up should step down from their positions or be removed.
   
   
2. Drop all investigations into “the leaker.” Investigating and prosecuting the whistleblower would be misuse of taxpayer funds, and we would like to publicly thank the person who came forward with this video at great risk to themselves.
   
   
3. The extra $1 million allocated to the police force to increase patrols downtown was a gross mistake, as we have seen. This money should be immediately reallocated to community programs supporting disenfranchised and oppressed communities.
   
   
4. Make body cam videos public property. They should be viewed regularly by community members so that the public is aware of the actions of our police force.
   
   
5. Any officer who displays violent and racist tendencies must be removed from APD immediately. The entire hiring and training process for APD must be rebooted and police must be trained in de-escalation and community policing.
   
   
6. Immediately implement the low-cost/no-cost policy changes suggested by Ian Mance of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, which he presented to Council and to APD about a year ago to address traffic stop disparities.

7. It is necessary for the citizens of Asheville to take a look at what is happening in this incident and vote accordingly. Instead of electing elite businesspeople and lawyers, we must elect those who represent all of us, who understand our daily struggles and will know how to do the right thing when difficult issues present themselves.
   
   
8. Create a citizen oversight committee of the police that actually has the authority to effect APD policy. Accept Commissioner Al Whitesides’ offer to lead a new advisory board in restructuring the department and its interactions with City Council and City Manager. We ask to see members of Black Lives Matter, NAACP, BeLoved Asheville, and other groups working to serve disenfranchised communities represented in this body.
   
   
9. With support from Code for Asheville and PRC Applications, police data should be made open and available to citizens, so that we are truly informed and so that such an injustice is never again perpetrated against a member of our community without our full and immediate knowledge. Furthermore, it should be required that both the mayor and the city council be immediately read in on reports of any such incidents and required to both watch the body-cam footage and acknowledge they have done so. It is too easy for our elected representatives to claim, “they were not aware” and throw the blame for lack of transparency or lack of action back onto lower-level officials.
   
   
10. Demilitarize the police - there is no need for our police force to have military-grade equipment. We demand transparency about the military equipment received by APD and we demand that APD stops receiving such equipment.
    
    
11. Although nothing can fully compensate Mr. Rush for the horrific injuries done to his person, there should be reparations made to him and his family for this egregious act of violence, both by the APD and the City of Asheville.
    

There is much more that could be done to expose this injury and hold those responsible fully accountable. However, we must start somewhere if we wish to turn things around. It is time to say enough is enough and redirect our efforts towards those who have been neglected, to rebuild the city we are all proud of and deserve. We look forward to the difficult but worthwhile journey to get there. Thank you for your time and attention.