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Dr. King’s Legacy and the Campaign for Law Enforcement Accountability and Transparency
January 15, 2015 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Updated list of organizations endorsing listed below:
Contact: Jalal Sabur at 917.704.3354
Dr. King’s Legacy and the Campaign for Law Enforcement Accountability and Transparency
White Plains, New York
On the actual birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Thursday, January 15th, community activists and leaders from across Westchester County will gather at noon for a press conference in front of the Westchester County Office Building located at 148 Martine Avenue to demand an end to abuses in law enforcement practices and also to deliver a letter to County Executive Rob Astorino. Community leaders are calling for an end to police misconduct with impunity and specifically to aggressive policing that targets African Americans and other people of color.
“Dr. King practiced nonviolence and fought for systemic change to battle injustice. We feel this is the appropriate way to honor his legacy in light of the challenging times we live in” said Juanita Lewis, community organizer with Community Voices Heard in Yonkers.
Members of WESPAC, Community Development Governance Council, Community Voices Heard, Westchester MLK Institute for Nonviolence, the Westchester Coalition for Police Reform, the Antiracist Alliance, Bethel Baptist Church, Concerned Families of Westchester, the Memorial United Methodist Church and Westchester-Putnam Working Families Party will gather on the steps of the County Legislative building to demand that County Executive Rob Astorino take an active and vigorous role in ensuring that all Westchester residents are safe, and that law enforcement is held accountable and that their policies are transparent. Community groups are also demanding the appointment of an Independent Special Prosecutor and a Civilian Review Board at the County level with subpoena power as well as a reinstatement of funding for the Crisis Intervention Teams that are the first responders in cases dealing with mental health incidents.
“A strong voice is needed to get the County Executive’s attention to the needs of a Special Prosecutor and a Civilian Review Board at the County level. We are personally delivering a message to County Executive Astorino requesting a public meeting to discuss these items of concern” says LaMont Badru, founder of the Community Governance Development Council based in Yonkers, New York.
WESPAC, Community Development Governance Council, Community Voices Heard, Westchester MLK Institute for Nonviolence and Westchester Coalition for Police Reform are independent organizations that work towards the accountability and transparency of law enforcement and their official policies.