An open letter in Aurora: Things must change

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By Brandy Gilliam
Aurora

My name is Brandy Gilliam. I am writing this letter with the endorsements of The People’s Coalition, Aurora Rapid Response Team, Indivisible Aurora, and P.O.B.U.M.S. (Positive Outlooks Balances Universal Madness Strategically) S.OC.I.E.T.Y. (Sisters Of Conscious Intellect Educating The Youth).

We express our sentiments regarding the Study Circles, Listening Sessions, the 60 Key Recommendations, Civilian Review Board, and the City of Aurora government’s overall attitude towards any effort to hold the Aurora Police Department accountable.

For more than 25 years, members of Aurora Police Department (APD) have terrorized, harassed, and demoralized the black and Latino communities. For more than 25 years, City Council has failed in its duty to the residents of Aurora to hold APD accountable for its depraved actions. For more than 25 years, Aurora has held Study Circles and Listening Sessions that have produced no fruit, no follow through, no change in policy, and no change in the culture of the Aurora Police Department.

• The recent Study Circles meetings were conducted by individuals who have close ties to Police Chief Kristen Ziman and mayor Richard Irvin. In 2017, Chief Ziman asked the director of the YWCA on three occasions for the “names of the participants” of the Study Circle. I find it very troubling and problematic because Study Circles is supposed to be safe spaces. How can black and Latino community members discuss issues such as white supremacy, racism, implicit bias, and police accountability openly and freely if the Chief of Police is asking for their names?

What guarantee do the residents of Aurora have that the host who conducted the recent Study Circles in 2020 did not give Chief Ziman their names? Furthermore, many black and Latino people did not participate in the C.H.A.N.G.E. (Communities Helping Aurora’s Necessary Growth and Empowerment) Reform Initiative, Study Circles and/or the Listening Sessions because they feared retaliation from APD.

• The Listening Sessions were conducted from Thursday, Oct. 8 through Thursday, Nov. 5. These Listening Sessions were held at five churches in Aurora.

When the Listening Session was conducted at Main Baptist (the only African-American Church), Chief Ziman and Deputy Keith Cross were both absent. Because members of the black community have serious grievances with APD, their absence speaks volumes. It sends a message that black people’s concerns are overlooked and not taken very seriously by APD.

During these Listening Sessions, three of which I attended, the Aurora Police Department constantly defended the actions of their officers. APD took no accountability and/or responsibility for the past indiscretions of its officers. Deputy Keith Cross even went to the extreme and said the APD does not have an issue with race. According to an article in The Beacon-News, minority officers are complaining about discriminatory promotional practices within the Aurora Police Department.

During a Committee of the Whole meeting Tuesday, Aug. 4, Police Union president, Lee Catavu called in to voice concerns about discriminatory promotional practices that were inhibiting minority officers from being promoted. Lee even called out Chief Ziman in saying that she is not helping with the process of remedying the current problem. APD Officer Edwina Pirella raised concerns over discrimination/biased promotion ratings and retaliation from a superior. Bill Powell, former Aurora Police Chief and current vice president for N.O.B.L.E. (The National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives) stated that out of 57 APD supervisors, only 3.42% of those are minorities. Powell added that the current grading process for the exams are unjust.

Out of the 300 police officers in the Aurora Police Department, only 13 of them are black. Out of those 13 only two are in upper management. Out of those two, one was barely promoted because an upper management police officer retired.

APD wants to hire more minority officers, but who would want to work for a police department that will not fairly promote minority officers? If the Aurora Police Department does not have a problem with race, then minority officers would not be constantly complaining about the issue?

• The Aurora Police Department’s response to the 60 key recommendations are far from satisfactory. Chief Ziman claims that APD is progressive. How progressive can APD be when black and Latino people are still having the same issues in 2020 that they had in 1995? That’s not progressive; that is regressive!

Two grassroots organizations; P.O.B.U.M.S. S.O.C.I.E.T.Y. and The People’s Coalition, issued Demand Letters to mayor Richard Irvin and to the Aurora Police Department. Instead of addressing the Demand Letters, mayor Irvin and chief Ziman frequently refer to the 60 Key Recommendations, even though some of the more highly contested points came directly from the demand letters before the CHANGE Reform Initiative was even a thought.

• The Civilian Review Board was one of the points from the Demand Letters issued by the P.O.B.U.M.S. S.O.C.I.E.T.Y. and The People’s Coalition. The proposed version of the Civilian Review Board is total fluff and all lip service.

The proposed Civilian Review Board has no power! The Civilian Review Board is not independent; it has no subpoena power and/or investigative power to force a police officer to testify. In other words, it has no impartial investigatory authority. The only thing the Civilian Review Board can do is review and give commentary on an already completed internal investigation. That’s the equivalent of my going grocery shopping and bringing back the receipt. At that point the only thing you can do is comment on what I should have purchased, but you were not involved in the actual decision making process.

According to Law.jrank.com . . . “Generally, the power of a civilian review board is restricted to reviewing an already completed internal police investigation, and commenting on it to the Chief of Police.”

No one on this Civilian Review Board should have any connections to the city of Aurora government, or any past or present police organizations.

• In conclusion, the community members have spoken at the C.H.A.N.G.E. Reform Initiative, Study Circles, Listening Sessions, private and open meetings, but our words continues to fall on deaf ears.

The mayor’s response to grassroots organizations and concerned residents who have spoken up against police misconduct has been arrogant, condescending, and outright dismissive. Chief Ziman and the Aurora Police Department’s response has been defensive, tone deaf, pretentious, self-righteous, and laced with an abundance of drivel.

We feel as grassroots organizations and concerned residents of Aurora, if those in authority will not hear our words and take appropriate action then you are not fit to be in leadership positions.

If the mayor and City Council will not hold the Chief of Police and the Aurora Police Department accountable for their constant indiscretions against the black and Latino communities, then they should resign. If Chief Ziman is going to continue to defend the depraved actions of her officers and dismiss the problem then she should resign. Any Aurora Police Officer who has an alarmingly negative history should resign. If Chief Ziman is not willing to confront the current toxic and racist culture of the Aurora Police Department then she is unfit to lead it.

Thus far the mayor and/or any other candidate who is running for mayor, has yet to show any backbone when addressing and holding the Chief of Police and/or the Aurora Police Department accountable for past actions that have resulted in black and Latino community members being constantly harassed, assaulted, demoralized, targeted, abused, and/or arrested, by the Aurora Police Department.

The Gathering of the Grassroots event will be by way of Zoom at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021.

We as grassroots organizations and concerned residents who demand better from our elected officials and Police Department. We are not asking you…we are telling you that things must change.

Apply pressure . . . .

Salaam,

Brandy, P.O.B.U.M.S. S.O.C.I.E.T.Y..

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