"Skirmish Erupts Between Police Supporters, Protesters During Hearing"
Riverfront Times, January 25, 2015
On Wednesday, January 27, 2015 a local Saint Louis meeting was interrupted by
Jeff Roorda, the
business manager for the police union. The purpose of the meeting was to
address a proposal to create a civilian oversight board. This board
would objectively review complaints against police.
The chaotic debacle lasted around fifteen minutes before alderman Terry
Kennedy adjourned the meeting.
This
incident portrays the Saint Louis that I have encountered since moving
here five months ago perfectly -- broken. Reports of video footage claim
that Roorda did
indeed strong arm his way through local residents, injuring resident
and meeting attendee Cachet Currie. Roorda claims that the public was
shoving him and the surrounding police officers.
The
irony is not lost that there was an outburst by a law enforcement
official at a meeting purposed at better oversight of law enforcement.
I watched some of the available video footage and the only thing I can
discern without a doubt is chaos. Although I believe that the oversight
board is an excellent addition, I do not think it addresses the
fractured communities that are still very much suffering.
Do you have suggestions for how communities can repair their
relationships with the police assigned to “protect and serve” them?
Mr. Roorda is himself a failed police officer, with his Wikipedia entry saying, "He was a police officer in Arnold, Missouri until 2001, when he was fired for making false statements". He also advocates "allow(ing) the government to close 'any records and documents pertaining to police shootings' ". He disapproves of the use of dash cams on patrol cars and body cams on officers saying, “It causes constant second-guessing by the courts and the media.” His way of thinking will certainly help to isolate police officers from public oversight of their actions and in so doing may further ostracize officers from the public they are serving. Public ombudsmen would be a step towards having a buffer/interface between police and citizens. They would be familiar with the concerns of a community as well as having been given a look at police procedures and needs. But what could Social Workers do? Perhaps take steps to help a community and it's police force see that they have shared goals that don't necessarily conflict with one another.To help steer at-risk youth towards positive outcomes instead of jails and graves. - Kerry Manderbach
ReplyDeleteWork cited: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Roorda
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI too read about this in the news. I truly believe that more respect should be given to members of this community. Like we discussed in class, it is so important to feel "seen." I do not see a lot of acknowledgement being given to those working so hard for positive change. However, I am not in their shoes so this is really just my opinion on the event that took place.
ReplyDeleteI have several friends that attended this meeting. It was definitely interesting to hear their first-hand accounts as compared to what mainstream media was reporting. It was also funny to once again see how those who support change in Ferguson were portrayed once again in major media outlets (like the Today Show). I wish the story from StL American would have been what the national news picked up one...but it's not at all shocking that this didn't happen.
ReplyDeleteWhat I cannot believe is that any police officer in or near St. Louis is okay with Jeff Roorda speaking on their behalf. Every time I have heard that man speak, my blood boils. He is doing nothing other than furthering the divide that already seems insurmountable. I would also love to know the reasoning between the need for having two different unions, one for black and one for white officers.
To Nici's question regarding suggestions for how communities can repair their relationships with the police assigned to “protect and serve” them; I think that it would help for police to build rapport and relationships prior to there being an emergency. Today, I feel like many times that we interact with police officers it is because we have to for some emergency, incident, or traffic violation reason. I personally feel like I try to avoid interaction with police because these are the only times I feel I have a need to speak with them. I think that it might help to revitalize the programs such as D.A.R.E. that many of us probably did back in the day. The D.A.R.E. program is still in existence, but I have not heard much about it since I did the program in fifth grade. None of the kids I babysit or family members’ children have mentioned participating in the program within the last fifteen years. Another thing that police did when I was a kid was that they gave out baseball cards to the neighborhood kids. These little things made police more approachable and human rather than something to be feared. I think that if police are assigned to “protect and serve,” part of their job could be more incorporation of “serving” the communities they patrol in. It would be nice to see officers attend community service projects, community events, fundraisers, etc in a positive manner, unlike the events with Mr. Roorda. Lastly, in reference to the “out of the bag” assignment it is important for officers working in neighborhoods they do not live in to look beyond the surface and find commonalities with the people in the community so that they have an investment in that community.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Karla, officers should get involved with the community in which they serve. Building rapport and getting to know the people within a community will allow officers to feel comfortable in their work environments and be more approachable by the residents. This is a great preventative tool, but at this point is that enough to ease the tension between the Ferguson police department and residents?--Arriana
ReplyDeleteArrianna, you are right. This is a great preventative tool, but unfortunately I do not think that getting the officers more immersed in the community as participants is enough to ease the tensions between the Ferguson police and residents. I think that this is an issues that will take a fair amount of time to resolve and it will be a slow process to rebuild the trust that was lost.
ReplyDelete