A Letter To Akron's Mayor From Akron's Councilman At Large Eric Garrett Sr.

Councilman At Large Eric Garrett Sr.

Dear Mayor Malik, Action Now I, along with the family of Jazmir Tucker and the voices of many in the community, have asked you, Mayor Malik, to take action now. The people are crying out and demanding that you move without further delay and remove the officer from our community. He is not capable with serving this diverse community. The actions of a few have truly broken the back of the community's trust in the police department and you if you do not heed the collective voice and demands of the people. Without question, you campaigned on the foundation of police reform and, in part, made promises or gave assurances that change was coming. The Akron Beacon Journal, which endorsed you for mayor, polled the community's opinions. The data demonstrated strongly that the police department needed to be reformed from the top down. We're still waiting! While a nearly 1,000,000.00-dollar policy review may be a viable consideration, it is short-sighted and offers no guarantees or commitment from you that the policies and culture within the department will substantially change. The distress signals the community has sent can be seen across the country, and the eyes of the nation are upon this city. The families of Michael Jones and Jazmir Tucker are watching. Hasn't the community been asked to bear enough tragedy at the hands of the police? The recent tragedy is too much to continue to ask the community to digest. How much longer must we wait? We've grown nauseous of the toxic policies, culture, and strong-arm tactics of the police department that seem to impact disadvantaged communities disproportionately. Before you, the FOP, or any of my colleagues suggest that the data doesn't support these perspectives, I'd say, "The opinions of those impacted by tragedies at the hands of the police would suggest otherwise." Moreover, what is inconceivable to many is knowing at one point, you walked with the community demanding justice for Jayland, and now you sit silently around this issue. Supporting our safety forces in general and the police department expressly is understood. However, too many have gotten comfortable and seemingly aligned too closely with the police department and FOP. Is the dog wagging the tail, or is the tail wagging the dog? Many community members lack public trust, and repairing the fracture requires courage. To this point, you have been all bark and no bite. In previous responses, you highlighted the limitations of what you cannot do based on the current collective bargaining agreement. Even though you and I both know the truth according to our current FOP contract page #15 Article #10 management rights, the administration has the right and YOU mayor have the responsibility, to suspend, discipline or discharge officers for just cause”. Just cause outlined: Officer Fields, a trained professional with two fatalities, has 36 uses of force in four years, failing to activate his body camera twice, this time resulting in a fatality and failing to render aid for nearly 10 minutes, makes him a terror for the poor white black and brown community. You have the responsibility to protect our citizens from this terror. To allow officer fields who does not live in the city of Akron to collect a $70,000 paycheck at the taxpayers’ expense while on paid leave is unconscionable. We request that you fire him immediately. Suppose collective bargaining is the monster that hinders you. In that case, I advise you not to create another beast in the form of the new collective bargaining agreement that binds your ability to act when future incidents arise. If we know better, we must collectively do better. I hope the city won't agree to new terms and conditions during the current negotiations, which would further impede the administration's ability to remove officers when future incidents arise. To that end, the ongoing negotiations provide an invaluable opportunity to get this right by ensuring the community's interests are reflected in the new collective bargaining agreement. Anything less will be considered an insult and a smack in the community's face. Best regards, Eric D. Garrett Sr. Councilman-at-Large Council Chambers ● Municipal Building ● 166 South High Street ●