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Petition Started for Better Police Accountability


A petition has been started on change.org to increase the accountability of the Memphis Police Department.

Seeking 1,000 signatures, Jimmy Donlon started the petition to Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland and the Memphis City Council this week.

“Police are entrusted with weapons and deadly force when deemed necessary,” the petition reads. “The people of Memphis ask for increased accountability from the Memphis Police Department.”

The petition has three main asks. The first is that police officers begin all encounters by telling civilians that the interaction is being recorded.

By law body cameras are required to be worn and on whenever interacting with the public. MPD’s 2020 handbook (Chapter XIII, Section 15, Page 3) advises that encounters with civilians should begin with this statement by officers, “Ma’am/Sir, I am advising you that our interaction is being recorded,” according to the petition.

However, Donlon said in his experience with MPD, this has not been the case.

“Fear escalates many situations, and this simple statement could keep not all but some interactions from becoming dangerous,” the petition reads. “In the same way Miranda rights must be read to civilians being detained, we ask that this statement be read prior to all other conversation. It is already required by the handbook except when unsafe, impractical or impossible. We only ask that we enforce it.”

The next ask is that police officers’ in-car video (ICV) systems remain on at all times.

The handbook allows for officers to turn the system off if an encounter will take place out of view, but to turn it back on if the incident returns within view of the squad car (Chapter XIII, Section 15, Page 6-7).

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But the petition notes that if an incident takes an unexpected turn, there is no time for the officer to turn the system back on.

“The benefit of an ICV is that it provides a third person POV of an interaction rather than a first person POV like the body cameras,” the petition reads. “Cameras increase police accountability to the public, and we firmly believe that if we are trusting police officers with deadly weapons, we should maximize their accountability. The video from the car should not be turned off until the end of the shift.”

Finally, the petition requests that the Civilian Law Enforcement Review Board (CLERB) be empowered to subpoena MPD, review cases simultaneously with the Inspectional Services Bureau (ISB), and discipline MPD.

CLERB is tasked with reviewing and investigating claims from individuals regarding excessive force, improper arrest, and other types of police misconduct.

Currently, CLERB “is virtually powerless if it is unable to subpoena MPD,” asserts the petition. “The board must have access to all resources and footage pertaining to a claim, and the board should not need the permission of the group it seeks to control in order to obtain said resources.”

The ISB, a unit of MPD composed of Internal Affairs and Security squad members, conducts all internal investigations involving police personnel, as well as “other sensitive investigations,” according to the MPD’s website. The unit’s members are hand-selected by the MPD director and are “considered to be highly experienced investigators.”

ISB is currently required to review all cases before CLERB can begin its investigation.

“Although it is good to have internal accountability, the CLERB was created because police officers should answer to the people first and foremost,” reads the petition. “Some people distrust the police and its internal review process because of a long history of conflict.”

The petition asks finally that CLERB be able to directly discipline officers or recommend disciplinary measures to the city council. Currently CLERB can only make disciplinary recommendations to the MPD director.

“If the purpose of the board is to hold the police accountable to the people, the discipline of the officer found at fault should not be decided by anyone affiliated with Memphis Police,” the petition states. “We must have external disciplinary powers for the officers who we are trusting with our lives.”

As of Thursday morning, the petition has garnered 731 signatures.

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Former SCS Student Petitions for Inclusivity in Schools’ Cosmetology Program

A former Shelby County Schools (SCS) student started a petition last month asking that ethnic hair be a part of the elective cosmetology courses offered at SCS high schools.

Jazmyne Wright, a freshman at the University of Memphis studying political science and African-American studies, started the petitionmem on Change.org to address the lack of inclusion of lessons on natural, African-American hair in the courses.

“I think ethnic hair should be just as much a default in cosmetology as any other hair texture or origin,” the petition reads in part. “Black students should be able to learn about their community’s hair and even how to take care of their own hair. The cosmetology course of Shelby County Schools is not diverse or inclusive of ethnic hair.”

When Wright was a junior at Germantown High School, she said she took the cosmetology course for a half of a semester before dropping the class after realizing the course would not include instruction on ethnic hair.

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“The fees for the class were $170,” Wright said. “It came with two mannequin heads. I was under the impression that one would be European and the other African American. They were both European.”

Her concern is that in the SCS cosmetology courses consider European hair as “the default. The problem is this perpetuates the normalization of only one type of hair.”

A SCS spokesperson said that the curriculum for the four-course cosmetology program currently offered in 14 of its high schools is created by the Tennessee State Board of Education as a part of its College, Career, and Technical Education (CCTE) program. The spokesperson added that SCS only offers CCTE programs approved by the state.

“Cosmetology is designed to prepare students for careers in cosmetology by developing an understanding of efficient and safe work practices, salon business concepts and operations, hair techniques and chemical services, facial and skin care procedures and state board theoretical practical application,” reads the state’s description of the program.

Wright

Wright said this issue is important to her because growing up in a military family, she moved around a lot and attended many predominantly white schools where he felt like her hair wasn’t acceptable in its natural form.

She learned then about the stereotypes associated with natural African-American hair, such as it is “untamable,” “nappy,” and “unprofessional.” Wright says the stereotypes are “disgusting and extremely offensive.”

Natural hair “isn’t bad hair,” she said.

“There are far too many black girls with natural hair who don’t believe their hair is beautiful,” Wright said. “It’s mental oppression when you actually think you are not beautiful in your natural state.”

Wright said not only should African-American students have the opportunity to learn about ethnic hair, but all students should be exposed to different types of hair. “It should be widespread knowledge.”

“Assimilation is not form of beauty, but a tactic of oppression,” Wright said. “In 2019 — almost 2020 — it’s not okay that we are still promoting that.”

Since posting the petition, Wright said it’s gotten more support than “she was hoping for.” As of Friday, the petition had 167 signatures.

Originally, Wright said she was looking to gather 100 signatures before presenting the petition to the SCS board, but now she is working to garner more support and address the board in January.


As Wright prepares to address the board, she is looking for SCS students who have taken the cosmetology classes to give firsthand accounts of their experience.

Beyond changing the SCS curriculum, Wright also hopes the effort will heIp break down the stereotypes surrounding natural African-American hair, as well as start conversations on policies around natural hair in the workplace.

“The petition is just the beginning of normalizing ethnic hair,” Wright said. “So I’m not hoping this will make a difference. I know it will because I’m not stopping until it’s a thing and it’s normalized.”

But Wright said she doesn’t want the sole credit for creating the petition.

“I may have started it and put it on a website,” Wright said. But this has been a thought in the back of every black girl and woman’s mind in Memphis. I simply put it in words. This is all of our petition.”

Legislation

In July, California became the first state to ban employees and school officials from discriminating against people with natural hair when it passed the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act.

The new law, which will take effect in January, prohibits employers and schools from enforcing a dress code or grooming policing discouraging hairstyles such as braids, afros, twists, and locs. New York followed suit later in July, becoming the second state to pass a CROWN Act

Parkinson

Tennessee Representative Antonio Parkinson (D-Memphis) introduced similar legislation, HB1546, over the summer here. The Tennessee CROWN Act would expand the definition of “race” as it relates to discrimination to include “the physical or cultural characteristics associated with a certain race, including, but not limited to, hair texture or protective hairstyles.”

Having been discriminated against because of his hair in the past, Parkinson said this issue is “near and dear to his heart.” As a lieutenant in the Shelby County Fire Department, Parkinson said he nearly lost his job because of his dreadlocks.

“I myself have been a victim of discrimination in the workplace for wearing dreads,” Parkinson said. “My job was threatened. Disciplinary action was threatened. And at the time there was no policy against wearing certain hairstyles.”

Parkinson was written up for his hairstyle of choice and as a result, eventually cut his dreadlocks.

“A lot of people don’t understand African-American hair,” Parkinson said. “People have one idea of what beauty is and what the standard should be. And in a lot of cases, the standard is European. African Americans are born with a certain type of hair and there be no discrimination whatsoever.”

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Similar CROWN legislation has also been introduced in Illinois, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Michigan, and New Jersey.

Just last week, a county in Maryland became the first in the country to pass local legislation banning discrimination based on a person’s hairstyle.

The Montgomery County City Council voted unanimously in favor of legislation that prohibits such discrimination in housing, employment, education, taxi services, and other public accommodations. Under the legislation, anyone who is discriminated against can seek a civil penalty of up to $5,000 through the county’s Office of Human Rights.

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Groups Call for a Living Wage for All U of M Workers

CREDIT: Maya Smith

Maya Smith

Students demand living wage for all campus workers

Students protested at the University of Memphis Friday, asking for a living wage for all campus workers and an overall more equitable campus.

The Memphis Young Democratic Socialists (901YDS), comprised of U of M students, staff, and alumni, helped organize Friday’s event.

The protest comes a day after U of M president M. David Rudd announced he would not be accepting a near $100,000 salary increase. Rudd currently earns a base salary of $394,075, according to the university.

Rudd

Rudd was expected to sign a new contract to receive $525,000 annually beginning October 1st, but said Thursday that he believes “it is in the best interest of the institution to forgo any salary increases at this time.”

“Overall institutional efficiency has been at the forefront of my agenda from the day I started, a value I firmly believe and will continue to live,” Rudd wrote.

Tre Black, co-chairman of the 901YDS, said although he is “overjoyed” with the president’s decision, “there is still much work to be done.” He noted that Rudd didn’t mention if he would still accept the near $2 million in bonuses and benefits offered by the university’s board of trustees.

At the protest, students honed in on the issue of every campus employee making a living wage of $15 dollars an hour. Rudd assured the campus in July that a plan to raise all employees’ pay to $15 an hour over the next two years was in the works, but the details of that plan were never shared.

Rudd’s promise of paying a living wage to campus workers came after Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris moved to veto $1 million in county funding going toward the university’s new natatorium until a plan to pay all university employees was presented.

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“We have a definitive plan,” Rudd said at the time. “We’ll be at $15/hour in two years. And in a sustainable manner.”

Black said that 901YDS wants all campus workers to earn a living wage, including those hired under a work-study contract, those earning a stipend, part-time and full time employees, graduate workers, and adjunct professors.

The protesters also want Rudd to participate in a public forum with 901YDS and United Campus Workers, another organizer of Friday’s action, to address these and other issues relating to “inequality and unfair treatment of a large section of students and workers.”

As an example, Black cites graduate workers not receiving health care or a living wage, yet working more than 40 hours most weeks.

According to United Campus Workers, about 330 employees on campus are paid less than $15 an hour.

Maya Smith

Students demand living wage for all campus workers

The group has a petition on the Action Network website. In addition to asking Rudd to forgo additional bonuses, the petition asks that Rudd reveal the university’s plan to raise campus workers’ hourly wage to $15 an hour.

The petition also notes that the groups oppose any increases in tuition and fees: “We call upon the president and the board of trustees to freeze tuition and all administrative fees, not to be increased without approval of the students.”

See the full petition here.

The university did not immediately respond to the Flyer‘s request for comment. 

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Tom Lee Construction Pushed to Fall, Petition Aims for Pause on Park

CREDIT: Toby Sells

Toby Sells

Tom Lee Park redesign.

The Mississippi River Parks Partnership (MRPP) pushed back the construction start for Tom Lee Park to this fall while a petition surfaced online to pause the park plan for more discussion.

MRPP unveiled its plan for the park in January. It includes hilly contours, built facilities, trees, trails, and more. The plan sparked concerns from some, worried the plan would shrink Memphis in May (MIM) events and move it to a new location for one year — 2020 — while the new park was under construction.

MIM officials said in February that the plan has “issues,” “challenges,” and “problems.” They said the plan would reduce the capacity for crowds, stages, and tents at Beale Street Music Festival and the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest.

The two groups have been working toward a compromise on the situation with former Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Janice Holder since March.

Before that mediation began, MRPP executive director Carol Coletta said construction on the new park would begin as soon as MIM ended this year. Tuesday evening, the group issued a statement saying they’ll soften that timeline.

“Construction on the new Tom Lee Park will begin this fall once construction documents are complete,” reads the statement. “The park, currently closed to the public for Memphis in May, is expected to re-open in June following a period of remediation to repair any damage resulting from the major festival weekends.

“Tom Lee Park’s construction schedule is now likely to align with a simultaneous project to fix and improve Memphis’ historic cobblestone landing, also scheduled to begin this fall. Aligning these projects will minimize disruption to Riverside Drive.
[pullquote-1] The new Tom Lee Park will join significant improvements to the riverfront already completed, including an enhanced Mud Island Park, the 5-mile River Line trail from Wolf River to Big River Crossing, and River Garden.”

This new timeline comes after a new petition began online to “Save ‘Tom Lee’ Park!” — though, the new construction start date and timing of the petition appear to be unrelated.

The petition, started Monday by Todd Adams, had 1,027 signatures as of late Wednesday morning. It needs 1,500 signatures before the request is formally sent to a raft of state and local leaders including Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, the Memphis City Council, Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris, the Shelby County Commission, governor Bill Lee, and some federal lawmakers from Tennessee.

“Memphis River Parks Partnership reps have said several times ‘Memphis in May officials have been involved the entire time,’” reads Adams’ petition. “Yet, here we are in mediation because Memphis In May officials have publicly said that this current design brings many red flags and concerns.

Chris McCoy

Sunset over Tom Lee Park

“We are petitioning the city to stop any construction/demo until a joint statement is made by MIM/MRPP and until they reach an agreement. We are petitioning for the city of Memphis to be transparent with the citizens.”

However, petitioners say they are not against a newly re-designed Tom Lee Park. They say they want a “new, smart park design that allows the park and the festival to co-exist.”
[pullquote-3] “This is ‘Memphians’ sticking to our history, and our biggest festival and money-making weekends of the year — economic impact far beyond this so-claimed ‘park’ boom you speak of,” reads the petition. “We MUST AND INSIST on a park plan/model that will allow easy flow of people, logistics, safety, and convenience for our big MIM events. ANYTHING LESS IS NOT AN OPTION!!! [capitalization and punctuation their own].”

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Petition Seeks Change From “Main Street” to “Mane Street”

CREDIT: thepetitionsite.com

Gabbie Duffie

A new petition online seeks to change the name of “Main Street” to “Mane Street.”

Memphis artist James “IMAKEMADBEATS” Dukes posted the petition Tuesday. He is seeking 5,000 digital signatures to send the petition to city officials here. Dukes’ petition had 75 signatures Wednesday morning.

Here’s what Dukes said of the change on the petition site:

“Mane.

Hello, I’m IMAKEMADBEATS. I’m an artist/producer/engineer from Orange Mound, Memphis, Tennessee, and founder of Unapologetic, a creative company.  thepetitionsite.com

If you’re from Memphis, you know the many ways the word ‘mane’ is used. It’s a part of our culture as Memphians. To be clear, I’m not talking about Southern culture. I’m talking about what is to be from and live in this unique space in the corner of Tennessee.

It’s a word we’re proud of… one that has made it’s way into movies about our culture… songs about our culture. It’s a word used by the old and the young, crossing all demographic divides.
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IMAKEMADBEATS

People from this city have become the culture shifters, celebrated around the world, and a lot of the time it seems the rest of the world celebrates, adopts, and makes more money off of our culture than we do. Our ideas in music have fueled other Southern cities’ identity in the music industry.

It’s time that Memphis did what was necessary to not only take ownership in who we are and what we are, but for the city officials to show the people of Memphis appreciation for being and creating this culture.

And ‘mane’ is a big part of our culture. So why is Main Street called Main Street again? Just because all cities have a Main Street?

Well, Memphis isn’t all cities. It’s a very different city, in an amazing way.

Make Main Street Mane Street. Let’s make sure we appreciate us.”

Check out IMAKEMADBEATS on Soundcloud:

Petition Seeks Change From ‘Main Street’ to ‘Mane Street’

Read all about Dukes and the Unapologetic collective in our cover story from last year.


(Clockwise from top) IMAKEMADBEATS, A Weirdo from Memphis, PreauXX, Aaron James, Quinn McGowan, Jr., Kid Maestro, Eric Stafford, C Major

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Memphis MoveOn.org Delivers Petition to Congressman Cohen’s Office

About 20 people gathered in front of the downtown federal building at noon today to deliver a petition urging Congressman Steve Cohen to affirm that President Bush has no congressional authority to attack Iran.

The demonstration, sponsored by MoveOn.org, was part of a national campaign in which hundreds of similar events took place around the country. Over 160,000 people nationwide signed MoveOn’s petition. Locally, volunteers gathered 200 signatures from Cohen’s district.

The petition drive was sparked by President Bush’s recent remark that “Iran is still dangerous” despite new findings by the National Intelligence Estimate saying Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in the fall of 2003.

The petition asks Cohen to support House Joint Resolution 64, which says the 2002 authorization of force against Iraq does not give Bush the authority to wage war in Iran.

Though Cohen was not present to accept the petition, members of his staff accepted the papers. They said the petition will be sent to Cohen’s Washington D.C. office.

“President Bush is talking about World War III and it’s really scary,” said local MoveOn organizer William Shepherd. “Someone needs to express the will of the American people. Evidence shows that most people are against attacking Iran.”

–Bianca Phillips

MoveOn.org