WHEREAS:
AFSCME is a diverse union that has always stood for racial and economic justice, solidarity and equality. As a union, we are committed to being a leader in the fight to win racial and economic justice and to bridging the gap that exists in too many of our cities between the community and public safety officers; and
WHEREAS:
We join the nation in concern about the number of police shootings and the mass incarceration of the black community and other communities of color. The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world, and African-American males are six times more likely to be incarcerated than white males and 2.5 times more likely than Hispanic males. The National Institute on Drug Abuse found that white secondary school students were slightly more likely to have used an illegal drug within the past month than black students; yet for the past thirty years, black youth were arrested for drug crimes at rates more than double those of white youth. The effects of incarceration disproportionately impact African-Americans. A recent study by Devah Pager at Princeton University found that whites with criminal records were more likely to receive call-backs for jobs than blacks without a criminal record. The Bureau of Justice Statistics found that while white, black and Hispanic drivers were stopped at similar rates nationwide, black drivers were three times as likely to be searched during a stop as white drivers and twice as likely as Hispanic drivers. Black drivers were twice as likely to experience the use or threat of violent force at the hands of police officers as both white and Hispanic drivers. The Washington Post found that 9 percent of police shootings across the country involved an unarmed victim; the unarmed victims were disproportionately black. In a Post analysis looking at population-adjusted rates, unarmed black men were seven times as likely as unarmed whites to die from police gunfire; and
WHEREAS:
Over the past several decades, a handful of wealthy CEOs and politicians have manipulated the economic rules in their favor, causing our economy to tilt dramatically out of balance. In 2015, the
wealthiest 1 percent possessed 20.1 percent of the total income in our country. This is similar to levels prior to the Great Depression, when the wealthiest 1 percent had 19.6 percent of total income. In addition to income disparities, our economic system creates racial disparities as well. For example, while 8 percent of whites are poor, 26 percent of blacks, 25 percent of Latinos and 12 percent of Asians live in poverty in the U.S. There’s an enormous racial wealth gap, too. In 2013, the median wealth of whites was $141,900, 13 times the median wealth of blacks ($11,000) and 10 times the median wealth of Latinos ($13,700); and
WHEREAS:
While our nation has made significant progress since the days when Memphis sanitation workers carried “I am a Man” signs, the struggle for racial justice and equity continues. We remember our nation’s troubled history on race and the struggles of previous generations. Many of our communities are still trying to heal from the scars of the past. The experience of African-Americans with our economy and criminal justice system is often uniquely negative. The phrase “black lives matter” is not intended to communicate that black lives matter more than other lives, but is a rallying cry for a community that feels the impact of decades-long systemic oppression. In the face of such oppression, AFSCME affirms that black lives do matter; and
WHEREAS:
Recent events have reengaged a national conversation about the current racial, social and economic injustices in our communities and have called us to confront and eradicate systemic racism. The police shootings of Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, Minnesota, and Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, follow too many others that raise significant and troubling questions about the use of deadly force; and
WHEREAS:
We believe in due process for all union members and working people. In cases where public safety officers or other workers have been found to have abused their authority, they must be held accountable; and
WHEREAS:
We honor and respect the work of all public safety officers who put their own lives at risk every day and serve and protect the public without regard for race, color and creed and we recognize the complex challenges they confront; and
WHEREAS:
AFSCME commends the public service and professionalism of the Dallas Police Department and its officers who work tirelessly to protect the constitutional rights of the people to engage in peaceful protest. We mourn the tragic loss of life of Officers Brent Thompson, Michael Krol, Patrick Zamarripa, Michael Smith and Lorne Ahrens as they protected the community they swore an oath to serve; and
WHEREAS:
There is never a justification for engaging in violent actions against those who have devoted their lives to protecting the public; and
WHEREAS:
Our vision for racial and economic justice means:
- Our economic system works for everyone, not just the rich;
- Our criminal justice system treats everyone equitably and fairly, and communities of color are no longer disproportionately arrested, tried and sentenced; and
- Our communities are safe, with robust public services to address the needs of residents, including mental health services; and
WHEREAS:
We also believe in holding elected officials, public safety officers and community leaders accountable for their actions which strengthen or undermine public safety and racial justice.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:
Working with community partners, AFSCME will use its political and bargaining power to urge local, state and national elected officials to develop policies that:
- Revive and reinvest in community outreach and policing;
- Invest in the appropriate recruitment and training of public safety officers to achieve safe staffing levels;
- Create a law enforcement workforce that is reflective of the communities they serve. Recruitment should begin in the community the officer will serve with incentives that promote living and working in that same community;
- Create opportunities for public safety officers to work with youth to support them in becoming positive and productive citizens, including National Nights Out and Police Athletic Leagues,and mentoring programs where public safety officers and former inmates go into the schools to educate about life choices;
- Create a national Department of Justice clearinghouse on use of force incidents to enable evidence-based discussions and decisions about public safety;
- Create national standards and policies regarding the use of lethal force and that make funding available for the training of all front line law enforcement personnel in the use of lethal force;
- Secure funding for body cameras for law enforcement officers;
- Provide continuing education for public safety officers, including training on implicit bias;
- Invest in mental health services for our communities, because prevention is less expensive than crisis; and
- Require meaningful interaction between faith-based and community leaders and law enforcement through education on the needs of each; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
We recommit ourselves to promoting an economy that works for all and will fight for more effective enforcement of civil rights laws, investment in job training, apprenticeship programs and career paths to raise wages for the lowest paid workers, who are disproportionately people of color; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
In order to build relationships and mutual understanding between community members and public safety, we encourage community and elected leaders to attend Citizens Police Academies and tour corrections facilities, we encourage public safety officers to participate in community events and meetings and we encourage implicit bias and cultural awareness training for all; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
We will work to create local tables of key stakeholders to include unions, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, school administration, mental health professionals and public safety officers and leadership to have an ongoing dialogue around issues affecting the community and commit to a process of finding solutions; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
We call upon AFSCME affiliates to replicate the intent of the AFSCME Racial Justice and Public Safety Working Group process at the local level by bringing together public safety officers and community activists for dialogue, debate and discussion of solutions; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
We recognize that real, systemic change will require time and dedication, and our union is committed to addressing these challenges for as long as it takes. We call upon AFSCME International to create curricula and equip trainers and facilitators at the local level to support this process. To support this work in an ongoing way and to hold the national union and affiliates accountable to these action steps, AFSCME will establish a Racial, Economic and Social Justice Working Group; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED:
America must heal. The best of us must rise up to demand justice, change and conciliation. Fear must give way to compassion. AFSCME affiliates at all levels will play a leadership role as our nation unites to make our society more just, more tolerant and less violent.
SUBMITTED BY: INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE BOARD