Oversight
attached to Luttrell’s most recent letter, Summers wrote that there was no “race problem” in Shelby County or Chicago — and that “most of the crimes committed by juveniles are committed by young blacks.”
“That kind of perspective is something we couldn’t have in my administration, so we transitioned him the first day I walked into the mayor’s office,” Harris told a group last week at the Frayser Exchange.
Debate in committee
Several commissioners who opposed the resolution said they don’t agree with Luttrell’s request for oversight to end, but that the resolution didn’t acknowledge the progress juvenile court has made. Some expressed concern that the resolution would reopen issues where the court has been found compliant.
Commissioner Tami Sawyer, who cosponsored the resolution, said a portion that asks that “the full Memorandum of Agreement be re-implemented” didn’t mean all areas initially found deficient and now up to standard would be back on the table. Rather, it meant that the remaining 25 issues in where the court is not compliant would be dealt with as if Luttrell’s letter had never been sent.
Out of around 120 total issues the Department of Justice identified in juvenile court in 2012, seven remain in the area of due process, three in the area of detention and 15 in the area of equal protection, commissioners were told Wednesday.
“If you’ve gone from 120-plus issues down to 25, that’s a lot of work,” Billingsley said. “Commissioners, if you’re telling juvenile court no matter what you do we’re going to keep reviewing these 120 items even after they’ve achieved the goal, that’s punitive.”
Morrison said she opposed the resolution after visiting juvenile court last week and that she was proud of the work being done there.
Turner countered by saying that if the commission did nothing, they would still be operating under the letter sent by Luttrell. Because of that, the Department of Justice could still be under the impression that Shelby County wants oversight to end.
Commissioners also heard from two representatives of juvenile court.
Pamela Skelton, chief administrative officer of juvenile court, said the employees there care deeply about the people they work with.
“The letter (from Luttrell) stopped nothing at juvenile court,” she said. “We always have more and better work to do. We are a bunch of imperfect people working with a lot of imperfect situations. There is no doubt we can always do better.”
Leon Gray, special assistant to Juvenile Court Judge Dan Michael, read from a portion of the resolution that references the court’s “failure to protect the constitutional rights of the children of Shelby County.”
“That’s a bit harsh to me,” he said. “The children that come to us are brought to us and we do our best with them every day.”
Michael’s office did not return requests for an interview.
Supporters of the resolution said it was not meant to criticize the employees of juvenile court.
“This is about systemic inequity and inequality,” Sawyer said. “These are systems that have been in place for generations … We know you’re good people. We know you do good work, but you exist within systems that aren’t always created equal.”
Commissioner Reginald Milton also stressed that the resolution means the commission must have input on issues of this magnitude.
“That letter should not have gone out
Mayor Harris on juvenile court
The action on juvenile court comes just before a Department of Justice monitoring team arrives in Memphis for their biannual visit next week, conducting interviews to later draft a report.
It’s a visit that both the commission and the mayor’s administration are preparing for.
Harris, who has said he wants oversight to continue, said he was eager to meet with the Department of Justice to let them know a new team is on board.
“The public expects a fresh set of eyes,” Harris said. “They expect some real scrutiny around our progress and what can be accomplished to rehabilitate youth. I aim to give it to them.”
Harris hasn’t written any of his own letters to the Department of Justice because he wants to hear from the county commission about what direction they want to take, he said.
Marlinee Iverson, the new county attorney, said she has been at work preparing for the arrival of the monitors.
When Iverson was appointed, some commissioners initially voiced concern since she had been a magistrate in juvenile court.
Harris, however, said he viewed her time there as an asset since she has the relationships and knowledge to tackle issues at juvenile court.
In an interview, Iverson said she did not have a personal view on whether oversight should continue, since that isn’t her role as county attorney and was not her role as a magistrate.
“I’m there to support the commission and initiatives they want to take and the mayor and initiatives he wants to take,” Iverson said.