It’s time to rethink policing as part of public safety
The body camera video recently released by the Dayton Police Department showing Clifford Owensby, a Black man with paraplegia, being dragged out of his vehicle by officers during a routine traffic stop, despite saying clearly and loudly 16 times that he was unable to exit his vehicle, is horrific and deeply troubling. Mr. Owensby is alive. And while we are thankful that this latest high-profile incident of police brutality didn’t end tragically, the violent behavior of Dayton police remains inexcusable and indefensible.
Research indicates that people with disabilities make up 30% to 50% of victims of police use of force, despite representing only 20% of the population. An estimated onethird to one-half of people killed by police are people with disabilities. For those who have disabilities and are also Black, Indigenous, or people of color (BIPOC), the numbers are even higher. As more demographics are included — gender, LGBTQ+ status, class — the risks are further compounded.
Dayton leaders must listen to community demands and transform Dayton’s public safety system to support racial and disability justice. The problems are not new and Mr. Owensby’s experience is disturbingly common. Like Dayton’s own Jack Runser, who is deaf, mute and has cerebral palsy and who was unjustly arrested and injured just last year when police officers failed to recognize his disabilities and profiled him for his socioeconomic status.
Because we use police for traffic enforcement, what should be a mundane, administrative transaction can escalate to violence, arrest, or incarceration, and produce other harmful outcomes, particularly for Black and disabled people. We often talk of the importance of de-escalation training for police officers, when we need to talk about how we prevent police involvement whenever possible because police continue to escalate routine stops and cause harm.
Communities around the country have been hosting important conversations about public safety and piloting alternative response models that incorporate other disciplines like social work, paramedicine and peer support into first response (for example, a social worker responding to reports of unhoused people loitering, or a paramedic responding to an overdose situation). These reimaginings of public safety are critical. It is time to radically rethink the connection between policing and public safety. We need to fund systems that support survival and healing.
Ryan Ivory is a licensed social worker, a board member for NASW Ohio, and active with the Montgomery County Jail Coalition.
Joel R. Pruce is associate professor of human rights studies at the University of Dayton and also active with the Montgomery County Jail Coalition.