The institution of policing needs reform in the U.S. Headline after headline about police officers’ brutal killings of Black people shows this starkly. In the past year alone, 986 people have been shot and killed by the police. That’s 986 too many. 

Knowing this, a logical solution would be to take away guns from police, but changing weapons is not enough. We need far more in-depth change to the entire policing system to stop police brutality, and this change needs to extend to Syracuse, too.

The police officer who shot Daunte Wright in Minnesota claimed the killing was an accident. She said that she meant to reach for her Taser but instead pulled her gun. But why would a police officer use a Taser on a resident after pulling him over for a small traffic violation? Police should be de-escalating situations, not escalating them. 

Police have proved over and over that they are capable of killing Black people with or without guns. In May, only 20 minutes away from the location of Wright’s killing, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd by kneeling on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds, suffocating him until he died.

Syracuse University students and Syracuse residents must ask what policing and police reform should look like in our community, and we should hold elected officials accountable to ensure our vision is met.

The city of Syracuse recently released a plan for police reform and reinvention in response to a June executive order from Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Both the executive order and plan create room for change, but Syracuse residents have yet to see the full effects of these efforts. 

For example, the plan outlines that crisis intervention training for officers with fewer than five years of service won’t be developed until between October and December. We could lose more Black community members before then, and that training may not even make a difference.

These are large discussions that the Syracuse Police Department and the city are having. These types of conversations need to take place in communities all over the U.S. 

In an August update to his executive order, Cuomo states: “I urge everyone to begin these discussions immediately. Restoring the relationship between the community and the police is in everyone’s best interest, and conversation may be required to enable each stakeholder to understand others’ points of view.” 

Conversation is certainly a large part of the equation, but it’s ignorant and privileged to assume that, at this point in history, there is any relationship to restore, or that there could be a positive relationship formed between police and a community constantly threatened by them. We need real tangible change, and we must do more for Black community members.

Micaela Warren is a freshman communication and rhetorical studies major. Her column appears biweekly. She can be reached at mgwarren@syr.edu.

Published on April 18, 2021 at 10:50 pm