Racism declared public health issue by council

FAYETTEVILLE — The City Council unanimously declared racism a public health emergency Tuesday.

Council members voted 8-0 to support a resolution developed by Mayor Lioneld Jordan’s African American Advisory Council. The resolution makes 16 policy recommendations.

Recommendations include advocating for relevant policies to improve the health of Black residents; supporting initiatives to advance social justice; measuring city programs and measuring their effectiveness toward racial equity; and implementing a comprehensive public safety structure to address the criminal justice system. The resolution also cites several studies demonstrating the effect of systemic racism on poorer health outcomes for Black populations.

D’Andre Jones, who leads the advisory council, introduced the measure and said subcommittees focusing on workforce development, community engagement and public health and safety also will be formed. Jones is a candidate for the open Ward 1 council seat, along with three other residents.

Jones told the City Council of statistics showing Black women are more likely to die from pregnancy complications than white women; Black men are more than twice as likely to be killed by police than white men; and the life expectancy of Black people is four years lower than the rest of the nation’s populations.

“Black people remain the most segregated population in the country,” he said.

The majority of the dozen or so residents who addressed the council via Zoom expressed support for the measure. Kindra Terry spoke of the disparity in women’s health among Black people. She described structural racism as a system in which public policies, institutional practices and cultural representations reinforce racial inequity.

“These things are fueled by predominantly white power structures that perpetuate power imbalances among people of color,” Terry said.

Comments from resident Peter Tonnessen garnered counter-responses from other speakers and council members. Tonnessen is challenging Sarah Bunch for the Ward 3 council seat. Tonnessen said he opposed the resolution, calling it “nonsense.”

“As far as these so-called health issues, I think a lot of it comes to cultural and individual choices as to diet,” he said. “I don’t think it has anything to do with systemic racism by the government, and I don’t think the government has any business getting into this.”

In other business, discussion over an item on whether accept a grant to hire two additional school resource officers went past 9:30 p.m. The Police Department has seven school resource officer positions.

The agreement would have the School District take on the cost not covered in the grant to hire the officers. The School District would pay $342,900, more than the $312,710 matching requirement, to have two higher-ranking officers than the $250,000 grant otherwise would provide.

Earlier in the day, a Washington County Circuit Court judge denied a request from a nonprofit law firm, the Arkansas Justice Reform Coalition, to hold a hearing on an emergency injunction to prevent the council from taking up the grant.

The council supported applying for the grant in March.

It rejected an amended version of the grant Aug. 4 by a 5-3 vote. City Attorney Kit Williams said previously the council never voted on the original proposal, only an amended one, and the agreement with the School District differed.

Stephen Coger with the coalition said the group asked Judge John Threet to deny the hearing.

“It was important that we requested one for procedural reasons, but we wanted it denied so that the discussion could take place,” he said.

The lawsuit filed argues police working as school resource officers harms students. Williams filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, saying the complaint is a political statement, not a legal one.