Local Officials, Allentown Black Lives Matter Organizers, Emgage, Urge Local Police Reform

By Joshua Siegel  and Mark Pinsley

     ALLENTOWN, PA. – JUNE 5, 2020 – In the wake of the tragic murder of George Floyd and countless other Black Americans at the hands of police officers, Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley and Allentown City Councilman Joshua Siegel spoke with Allentown Black Lives Matter (BLM) organizers to unite and work together on finding solutions to prevent further loss of life, protect residents, strengthen standards, and improve the quality of Lehigh Valley police departments.

They believe these reforms can be part of a constructive and collaborative endeavor between community leaders, elected officials, and police departments. They’re intended to build upon local progress made by police departments such as Allentown’s body camera policy which has become a national model.  It is about working directly with local police as partners in good faith towards building a more just, transparent, and accountable system.

“We’ve been fortunate to be spared the wave of violence, rioting and looting that has gripped so many American cities which is a testament to both the determination and focus of our community activists as well as the professionalism and community connections cultivated by local law enforcement,” said Pinsley, “We have a unique opportunity to show the country that progress and positive change between police and community leaders can be achieved peacefully, and continue to be a model for law enforcement and community policing throughout the nation.”

Together with Allentown BLM organizers, Pinsley and Siegel are calling for the review of local “use of force” policies among all police departments in the Lehigh Valley. The review would compare existing local police policy against the science-based recommendations of the Police Use of Force Project, an organization created by prominent BLM activists. The project reviewed the use of force policies in America’s 100 largest cities to analyze effective law enforcement tactics to inform their evidence-based recommendations that would significantly reduce police violence in all communities. These recommendations include:

  • Requiring officers to de-escalate situations through communication and maintaining distance – eliminating the need to use force.
  • Requiring officers who witness police brutality to intervene and stop the offending officer.
  • Prohibiting the use of choke holds and other dangerous restraints on civilians that can lead to loss of life.

The project found that departments who adopt these restrictive policies have the fewest killings per population and per arrest. While some of these recommendations may already be present in Lehigh Valley police departments, a review should be conducted.

“Now is the time for state legislative and Congress to pass meaningful police reform legislation. We need comprehensive measures taken by local authorities from the systemic perils of over-policing, misconduct, and end the impunity in which officers operate in taking the lives of Black people,” said Muhamad Kaku, a board member of Lehigh Valley Emgage.

Additionally, Pinsley and Siegel are calling for local use of force policies to be transparent and open to the public for the police to build trust with residents.

They also urge local police departments to create a Lehigh Valley-wide interdepartmental database of all criminal, civil, and ethics complaints that are substantiated – doing so prevents problem officers from job-hopping from one department to the next, perpetuating the problem.

“Black Lives Matter in Allentown fully supports Mark Pinsley and Joshua Siegel in their call for local police reform, and we strongly believe that these courses of action would prevent the senseless murder of Black lives,” said Justan Fields, a BLM organizer from Allentown. “We are asking the Allentown Police Department for transparency pertaining to their training and arrest procedures. But it does not stop there – action, follow up, and review should be implemented once these requested updates are put in place.”

An analysis of police terminations in Minnesota found that 46% were overturned.  In Florida, a single year roughly 1,100 officers who were fired in a year simply moved to another department.  These officers were twice as likely to be fired again once they arrived at their new job, continuing the cycle of problem officers.  The evidence indicates the importance of preventing the prevalence of “wandering officers.”

“Members of Emgage are deeply saddened and disturbed by the recent senseless murders of Black individuals around the country. We stand in solidarity with all people of color and condemn the brutality that Black communities face across the country. Emgage Pennsylvania would like to send a loud and clear message that we will not stand for it and we will do whatever we can in our capacity to work towards the eradication of inequality and establishment of justice in our society. And we support County Controller Mark Pinsley and City Councilman Josh Siegel in their requests,” said Abdul Mughees, Chairman of Emgage USA Pennsylvania.

Finally, they are calling for local police departments to explore referring cases involving lethal use of force cases to the Attorney General’s Office for a special prosecutor investigation to further ensure a fair and impartial investigation.

“The people have spoken, and we are listening. We cannot continue to ignore the pain and suffering of communities who have experienced centuries of marginalization, systematic violence, and disenfranchisement,” said Siegel. “Allentown’s police force deserves praise for the professionalism of its men and women, adaptability, leadership under Chief Granitz, and extensive commitment to community relations.  Now is the time to take action and continue to build upon that progress strengthening accountability, transparency, and standards throughout the Lehigh Valley.

Please contact Joshua Siegel at 484-892-1463 or Mark Pinsley at 716-861-1793 for further questions.

 

About Carma Henry 24481 Articles
Carma Lynn Henry Westside Gazette Newspaper 545 N.W. 7th Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33311 Office: (954) 525-1489 Fax: (954) 525-1861

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