If the presidential candidates won’t talk about the state of race relations and the tension between police and the communities they serve, those of us who deal with this crisis on a daily basis will have to step up to the task.
That’s my conclusion now that the presidential debates are over and the election of the next President is practically around the corner. The most important public statement on this issue in recent days was made not by a politician, but by the president of the International Association of Police Chiefs, Terrence Cunningham, who issued a formal apology for the “historical mistreatment” of racial minorities.
Speaking before the group’s annual conference in San Diego, Cunningham, the chief of the Wellesley Police Department, said that law enforcement officers have been the “face of oppression for far too many of our fellow citizens.” He called mistrust between police and minorities the “fundamental issue” facing police today.
I agree. Each time a city is ripped apart by a police shooting of an African American, I’m asked for a quote as a spokesman for the nation’s cities. It’s a task I find difficult because I – like many Americans – want to move beyond the rhetoric and find real solutions to these deep-seated challenges. But, I know that until we can strengthen trust between minority communities and the institutions that are supposed to serve them, we will continue to have unrest.
City leaders have an important role to play. They can start by having conversations with communities to foster understanding. It begins with creating a place that everyone can call “home.” Think about what the concept of home means to you. It’s a place where you can wave to your neighbors, have a well-paying job and send your kids to good schools. There may be a park or a library down the street, and stores that are welcoming, clean and safe. The police are seen as part of the community, and you certainly don’t tense up when they pass you on the street.
Now, imagine that’s all gone. How invested would you be in a place where you don’t feel like you belong? You don’t own or rent a decent place to lay your head, there are no sustainable jobs and public facilities are neglected. No one you know owns a small business, not even a neighborhood store. Hardly anyone who looks like you is on the school board, on the housing authority or on the public services commission.
If a community is underrepresented, and its needs not served, then its residents will not be vested in the city as a whole – it won’t feel like home. When the tragic events occurred in Charlotte, Ferguson and Baltimore, it’s not hard to see why the tension boiled over. These cities have people who feel that they are not part of a community; that they are not “real” citizens with a voice in government.
This is a dangerous misapprehension that city leaders have the power to change. We can respond to racial tensions in our communities and identify the systemic barriers that sustain racial injustice in our nation’s cities by applying a racial equity lens to a wide range of policies, initiatives, programs and budgets—and not just high-profile flashpoints like police departments, public safety and the courts.
In this way, city leaders can be more thoughtful about the power, influence and responsibility they have to build inclusive communities. Elected officials have a responsibility to communicate across cultures, to convene difficult conversations and to lead in new directions. Sometimes this energy comes down from the convening power of leadership. Sometimes it bubbles up from the most elemental levels of local government.
For example, cities should examine the appointment process for city advisory boards and councils. From parks and recreation departments to tourist development councils, every policy board that advises elected leadership should represent the diversity of that city.
Local leaders should also review their ordinances and policies to make sure they are inclusive, not discriminatory. Recently, the Fairfax, Virginia County Board of Supervisors adopted the One Fairfax Resolution, directing the development of a racial and social equity policy at the core of all publicly delivered services. And in Pittsburgh, Police Chief Cameron McLay issued a public apology for the “horrible, unjust” history between police and communities of color and implemented a training program to teach, in his words, “ethical decision-making as the predominant decision-making model within the organization.”
The change we need will not occur overnight; it will take patience and time to build the trust that our cities deserve. We need to reach a level of trust and understanding necessary for city leaders to take action against the injustices, the inequality and the creation of opportunities for all of their citizens.
If we can rise to that challenge, we’ll have more people in our communities saying, “This is our neighborhood; we own this.” We have to create cities that all citizens can call home.
Anthony is the executive director of the National League of Cities. He served as the mayor of South Bay, Fl for 24 years. Follow him on Twitter @ceanthony50.
The views expressed by Contributors are their own and are not the views of The Hill.