Community members and organizations got together for a community-led town hall discussions in North Charleston on Saturday to provide input on the topic of racial bias in the city’s police department.
Event organizers told Live5 News the event was to give community members the opportunity to share their experiences with the North Charleston Police department> People were invited to discuss and recommend different solutions for improving policing within the agency.
The event, hosted by multiple organizations including the South Carolina ACLU and NAACP, comes as the non-profit group CNA is conducting an audit of the police department.
“Since we fought so hard for this racial bias audit, especially organizations like CAJM, we want to make sure these experiences are being captured and we want to make sure folks are being reached,” Emily Walter, ACLU of South Carolina, told Live5 News.
Background: In September 2020, North Charleston city leaders made their initial recommendation for a firm to conduct a racial bias audit of the city's police department.
The North Charleston Police Evaluation Committee selected CNA, a nonprofit research and analysis organization, for the racial bias audit (CNA handled the racial bias audit for the City of Charleston Police Department in 2019). The first listening session for the Racial Bias Audit happened on April 6 this year, and involved a virtual meeting with the public and CNA.
North Charleston Police Chief Reggie Burgess has told ABC4 the audit is an opportunity for improvement. He said it will give the department a look at what's been done right and wrong. The in-depth look at the department is personal to Burgess.
"I told the mayor, I said 'Mayor, I would like to be the Chief to get this audit going. Because this is my city. I am born and raised right here and I am sorry I am getting emotional but, I just want to do right by the people, by officers, and the citizens. That's what I am trying to do. That's all. Do right by them,'" Burgess told ABC4.
Burgess said he hopes the racial bias audit only makes the police department stronger.
"We don't have anything to hide. We're working hard everyday to try to provide the best services that we can for our community. And most importantly, we're trying to save lives. We're trying to end victimization," Burgess said.
Community activists explained to ABC4 how they have pushed for the assessment for 6 years.
"Everything hasn't been OK with law enforcement in North Charleston as far as I can remember. culminating in the death of Walter Scott," Pastor Thomas Dixon said.
"This is an opportunity for the community to say where it hurts at or where law enforcement has helped that," Dixon said.
CNA representatives say community input is vital to the effort.
"It lends a lot of credibility to the process," CNA Senior Research Scientist Zoe Thorkildsen said.
Thorkildsen explained some of CNA's focus areas.
"Review of policies, procedures, documents, and then administrative data from the police department," Thorkildsen said.
It's a review Burgess pledged to take seriously.
"I hope when the folks are feeling that we have failed them in a way, I hope that they are talking about it. I would like to take a look and find where we failed, and where we find out where we failed, then it's my job and the commander's job to correct those failures," Burgess said.
Event organizers are planning on hosting more events and town hall meetings in the near future.