The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
An ‘urgent call to action’
MIDDLETOWN — Local leaders are expected to take action next month to establish a new panel focused on a progressive vision for a city intent on achieving racial justice and equality for all.
The Common Council will consider, at its October meeting, the establishment of the Mayor’s Permanent Task Force on Anti-Racism to address systemic issues on the local level in response to protests and demonstrations taking place in Middletown — and throughout the country.
These are calling for more police accountability, and an end to racial profiling, discrimination, unequality in the workplace, and other societal injustices involving people of color that have divided the nation for hundreds of years.
The number of individuals interested in being on the 12-member panel, which will also include three council people, was overwhelming, Mayor Ben Florsheim said. More than 80 individuals applied for
consideration.
“We had to spend a lot more time than we thought, making sure we did the due diligence necessary to make this task force what we think it can be. That was a really good process to have,” the mayor said.
Already work is being done to “destigmatize the notion that we still have racial justice problems in this community and everywhere,” the mayor said. “Saying that is not a condemnation of Middletown. It is a fact of life, part of how society has been constituted for hundreds of years.
“The stigma should be associated with pretending otherwise, looking the other way,” Florsheim said.
A few months back, city leaders moved $200,000, earmarked for police private duty assignments, to the new committee, some of which will be used to hire another officer, and possibly full-and part-time task force support staff, the mayor said.
“The whole idea of this goes back to more city support for work that, in the past, has only been led by volunteers,” including those from the Human Relations Commission, Florsheim said.
Common Councilman Darnell Ford, chairman of the Public Safety Commission, said he is looking forward to playing an integral part alongside the task force.
“It’s a necessity we get ahead of this, having conversations on how we bring those into action to provide a level of safety and, for all intents and purposes within our city,” Ford said.
“This is everyone’s work. Regardless of what your background is, what you’re coming to it from, it’s something that is on all of us and it’s going to make all of us better,” Florsheim said.
Most of the committee members have already been chosen, and will be presented to council members next month.
These individuals range from professionals in the field, experts using effective training methods, those employed by state agencies or large or small businesses — “those who have lived experience we think will be really, really valuable,” Florsheim said.
The envisioning process began more than a year ago, as stakeholders consulted with focus groups composed mostly of people of color, as well as groups already doing work in the field, including the Middletown Racial Justice Coalition.
Members will include those of color who likely have encountered racism on a personal level, the mayor said. Although there was a question on the very brief application asking for a person’s race and ethnicity, he wasn’t paying attention to the answers.
Still, “it was not a coincidence the folks who made it to the top tier were people of color,” Florsheim said about those with lived experience.
The mayor is interested in seeing two things come to fruition in the first two weeks of the task force’s formation. One is to make certain those who applied for the post, but weren’t selected, continue to be engaged.
“The idea is not for this to be the group that is the gatekeeper for work happening on this issue in town,” Florsheim said.
Over the past year plus, members of the Human Relations Commission examined the pulse of Middletown in terms of inclusion, employment, equality and equity with a three-pronged approach: anti-racism training, focus groups and a series of community conversations.
A report was generated with a wealth of information to guide the path ahead.
A letter suggesting some attainable goals, others that are “mid-range,” as well as matters that can be dealt with in the future was read at the August Public Safety Committee meeting. It included possibilities, such as a citizens review board, and allowing citizens to be involved in hiring the new police chief, Ford said.
It also asked for the department’s stances on issues including the use flash bang grenades, community policing, excessive use of force, knockless warrants and other tactics, Ford said.
Florsheim has spent a lot of time in conversations with administrative members of the police force, including Acting Chief Michael Timbro, and is encouraged at the response.
“To whatever extent, there’s tension between the Middletown Police Department and community at large, particularly the Black community in town. It’s a communication challenge more than it is a challenge of practice. It’s a great department, but there’s always room for improvement in every facet of local government,” he said.
Public safety is hoping “to get ahead of what role we can play in alliance with the police force and the anti-racism task force — a progressive vision,” Ford said.
It is a lofty goal, he said. “It’s a huge step. It shows that we are interested in making change and improving upon what we in Middletown already see as far as the job we’re doing to address this national crisis.”
Given the flood of applications from those involved in every facet of the community, Florsheim is set on being sure that participation can continue in conjunction with the new task force.
That could involve the establishment of a small grant program for individuals or city organizations to fund projects such as a community garden, youthled dialogue group, or other measures.
“We want everybody to come up with the best ideas they have, and to try to fund those projects to get them off the ground,” Florsheim said. “It’s not a personal problem to solve, it’s a societal problem. The meaningful change is going to start to happen when we change how our community, cities, states and country operates.”
That has been “explicitly clear” for months. “There’s been an urgent call to action that it has not gone away in Middletown,” he said.
“We would like to think we’re going to set the benchmark for what it looks like to actually do the work that has been talked about for quite some time,” Ford said. That can be achieved systematically through education, housing, the criminal justice system — “every aspect, inside and out of Middletown,” he said.
The Common Council meeting will be held Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. at City Hall Council Chambers, 245 deKoven Drive. To view the agenda and livestream access information, visit middletownct.gov.