Action is demanded in Saratoga
As dozens urge city to move forward, council will meet next week
After dozens of people, including faith leaders and racial justice advocates, urged city officials on Tuesday night to discard their language to “consider” police reforms and instead embrace an “adopt and ratify” stance on the proposed measures, the City Council will meet next week to try to finalize its resolution on the matter.
The Tuesday meeting was set to discuss the council’s second resolution on police reform, which was released on Monday. Tensions on the five-member council emerged at the end when Commissioner of Accounts John Franck said he agreed with the speakers, not city officials who have approached reform cautiously. He said the city should fully adopt all 50 recommendations from the city police reform task force when the council reconvenes for a vote on March 31 because, he said, “it’s pretty clear people want this.”
That angered Mayor Meg Kelly who told Franck, “Let’s try to be a team player. You are on your own
team. The rest of this council has been working on this.”
Among the items still under debate are a ban on no-knock warrants — the council resolution says the city should wait for a federal ban — and creating a civilian review board that city Attorney Vincent Deleonardis said still had to undergo a legal review. The first resolution, unveiled last week, was criticized for dismissing many points in the task force’s plan.
But those who spoke said they want full adoption of the 12-member task force’s plan. All municipalities statewide are required to adopt a police reform plan by April 1, as per an executive order by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.
“Saratoga Springs has the opportunity to lead the way,” said Lezlie Dana, co-chair of MLK Saratoga. “You have an opportunity to leave a legacy of real change, to be remembered for your bold courage and leadership or not. MLK Saratoga asks you to courageously approve these recommendations as is, securing a safer and healthy future for all people including the men and women who serve our community. Fearful or courageous. This is your defining moment, council.”
Supporters of the civilian review board said it must be created without delay to provide accountability and transparency.
The Rev. Joe Cleveland, of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Saratoga Springs, said such a board is essential “to develop trust” that was shredded after Darryl Mount Jr., a 21-year-old biracial man, died after being pursued by police in 2013.
“Darryl Mount died as a result of an encounter with our police department,” Cleveland said. “The trust has not been rebuilt and repaired. …We urge you to commit to implementing a civilian review board.”
Cleveland was backed up by faith leaders from the United Methodist Church and Temple Sinai.
John Schroeder, who helped the task force develop a community survey on policing, said not creating a civilian review board is allowing the police to have “a line-item veto” on justice reform. He also said that the language in the resolution, as now currently written, is meaningless.
“The task force’s work is done,” Schroeder said. “They made the determination. … I urge the City Council to adopt and implement the plan.”
Lexis Figuereo, a racial justice advocate who has organized Black Lives Matter protests in the city, said that if the council doesn’t adopt the task force’s plan, the protests will continue.
“It’s been said a lot of times that there is no problem in Saratoga Springs,” Figuereo said regarding racial injustice. “There is a problem in Saratoga Springs. Plain and simple, we need you to adopt and ratify the 50 points of the task force. We have to have accountability and transparency in Saratoga Springs. … No justice, no peace.”
While few spoke for the police, Commissioner of Public Safety Robin Dalton said she got about 100 comments in support of the police. Former commissioner of Public Safety Chris Mathiesen also spoke at the meeting, saying while he was in office, he got “very few complaints” about police. Mathiesen was in office when Mount died.
The City Council resolution also calls for Dalton to name another advisory committee by June 1 to develop a timeline for implementation. Some suggested that committee should include members of the task force. Others mentioned that implementation could face endless delays without firmly established deadlines.
Regardless, Suzanne Kwasniewski, another resident, said it’s “beyond the time to consider” reforms.
“You need to take action,” she said. “Is your boss the police union or is your boss the taxpayers? As a taxpayer, I want these things implemented. … Yes, there are difficulties that we need to work through. … But you need to be leaders, not followers.”