Lory Parks, National Action Network
Phone: (313) 492-6774
January 12th, 2021
Community Members: “Accountability for Dewayne Jones” & “Justice for Sheldy!”
When: 10:45 AM to 12:10 PM EDT. Wednesday January 12th. Where: 36th District Court building 421 Madison Street. Detroit, MI 48226. Why now? Dewayne Jones has a pretrial hearing at 11:00 AM
Detroit, MI – Members of Detroit Residents Advancing Civilian Oversight (DRACO), and others, will be holding a News conference, promptly at 10:45 AM this Wednesday, to express their displeasure with the injustice surrounding the August 2018 beating of hospital patient Sheldy Smith by then-Corporal Dewayne B. Jones. Community members will continue to picket outside the courthouse until after Noon.
Jones was convicted of assault and battery in connection with the beating, but received a promotion to the rank of Sergeant by the Detroit Police Department. His penalty for the assault was probation, but he could still be tried for a felony misconduct charge because it was dismissed without prejudice on January 15th 2019. Activists are calling on the Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy to reintroduce those charges given the large amount of video evidence that surfaced, and the fact that Jones still had a badge and a gun while on probation.
On April 21st 2021 Jones was granted a new trial. On Wednesday January 12th Dewayne Jones will have a pre-trial hearing in the courtroom of Judge E. Lynise Bryant at 11:00 AM. His new trial will be on February 22nd.
“Dewayne Jones was able to get a promotion in spite of being a convicted violent criminal. In spite of the conviction he wasn’t held accountable. Now he is trying to be exonerated while his victim (Sheldy Smith) remains captive and isolated from her family. This isn’t justice,” Said Boman. “The DPD contract is up for renewal. It is essential that the Board of Police Commissioners make it a matter of policy that the DPD insists on a clause, in the new contract, barring usurpation of the BOPC’s authority to be the final word on promotions.”
The actual hearing may be virtual, but concerned community members will still meet and protest outside the 36th District Court building. Organizers feel it can be the symbolic location of the hearing, which is scheduled to be held in the “Court room” of Honorable E. Lynise Bryant on Wednesday, January 12th, 2021 at 11:00 AM. This is a “Pre-trial Hearing” for Case No. 1806106901. Dewayne Berran Jones. Assault and battery case. Anyone can look up the court schedule here: https://www.36thdistrictcourt.org/online-services/case-inquiry-schedule
Candidates will have two minutes to introduce themselves along with a one minute closing statement.Audience members and the moderator will ask questions during the forum. Each candidate will have two minutes to respond to each question.The moderator will rotate the order in which candidates will respond. The event will be recorded for later reposing on public platforms.
An organization called “Detroiters to Protect Our Future” has been applying the “Big lie” tactic of public persuasion to scare voters into voting against Proposal P. The idea is that if enough people publicize a baseless claim often enough, it will be perceived as true.
One of the baseless claims appears in an 8.5″x11″ color glossy pamphlet. It reads “Now a Charter Commission has proposed radical changes that would Demand $2 billion in new spending – but no way to pay for it. * 47 New Elected Politicians…” This falsehood is being repeated by the Detroit Free Press editorial board which has brazenly repeated these easily refuted falsehoods: https://www.freep.com/story/opinion/editorials/2021/07/02/reject-detroit-charter-revisions-editorial/7802492002/
First of all there is nothing in the document calling for $2 billion in new spending. Furthermore the only specific claim given to support this number is the claim that the revision calls for “47 New Politicians.” The actual increase in elected offices is 12.
Clearly this group thinks Detroiters are stupid. They think we won’t read the document or do basic arithmetic. I will present the numbers here, but if you don’t believe me, good! I welcome all of you to be fact checkers. Just read through the document here: https://sites.google.com/view/detroitcharter2018/
The current charter (not the revision) allows for the following elected municipal officers: 1 Mayor, 1 Clerk, 9 City Council members, 7 Police Commissioners and up to 35 Community Advisory Council members. 1+1+9+7+35 = 53.
The Proposed Charter revision would call for 1 Mayor, 1 Clerk, 9 City Council members, 7 Police Commissioners, up to 35 Community Advisory Council members, 9 Fire Commissioners and 3 election Commissioners. 1+1+9+7+35+9+3 = 65.
So 65-53=12.
Yup that’s 12, not 47!
Honest mistake? Well I have trouble believing a group of people, who appear to have access to limitless advertising funds, can’t do basic arithmetic. They probably don’t care. This is a campaign based on fear and repetition of the big lie, not facts.
It is worth noting that the best known personality featured on the flyers is Horace Sheffield. He previously attempted to use voter suppression to defeat the proposal. He was one of two people who filed a lawsuit to deny us the right to vote on it at all. This is a sad blemish on the legacy of a man who has been such an asset to the community in the past, but he is just the front man. Who are the people behind the curtain?
Full Disclosure. I am biased. I helped write provisions pertaining to civilian oversight, but I’m not asking anyone to accept what I write on faith; I want to be fact-checked. If someone tells you something about the Charter Revision that sounds important, ask that person for specifics. Ask “Where does it say that?”
I fully respect people who disagree with me and wish to vote “No on P,” but their arguments against it should be based on what it actually says, not baseless or blatantly false claims backed by nothing but mysterious money.
Note: None of these 12 new officers would get regular salaries and the fire commissioners only receive a stipend for attending meetings, so their budgetary impact would be negligible. Also there are already 7 appointed fire commissioners, so converting appointed positions to elected ones makes no fiscal difference. In which case the financial impact is nothing more than small stipends for 5 more positions.
When: 11:00 AM to Noon EDT. Monday April 12th. Where: 36th District Court building 421 Madison Street. Detroit, MI 48226.
Detroit, MI – Members of Detroit Residents Advancing Civilian Oversight (DRACO), and others, will be holding a News conference, promptly at 11:00 AM this Monday, to express their displeasure with the injustice surrounding the August 2018 beating of hospital patient Sheldy Smith by then-Corporal Dewayne B. Jones. Community members will continue to picket outside the courthouse until Noon.
Jones was convicted of assault and battery in connection with the beating, but received a promotion to the rank of Sergeant by the Detroit Police Department. His penalty for the assault was probation, but he could still be tried for a felony misconduct charge because it was dismissed without prejudice on January 15th 2019. Activists are calling on the Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy to reintroduce those charges given the large amount of video evidence that surfaced, and the fact that Jones still had a badge and a gun while on probation.
On March 23rd Dewayne Berran Jones had a motion hearing to be discharged from probation. District 4 CAC Chairperson Scotty Boman (who founded DRACO) is concerned that Dewayne Jones may be trying to get the conviction reversed.
“He should be in prison, but was promoted instead. Meanwhile his victim, Sheldy, is being held captive indefinitely, without having a chance to fight for her freedom.” Said Boman. “It is up to us to be Sheldy’s voice and call out a system that promotes violent criminals, and imprisons their victims.”
The actual hearing may be virtual, but concerned community members will still meet and protest outside the 36th District Court building. Organizers feel it can be the symbolic location of the hearing, which is scheduled to be held in the “Court room” of Honorable E. Lynise Bryant on Monday, April 12th, 2021 at 11:30 AM. This is a “Motions Hearing” for Case No. 1806106901. Dewayne Berran Jones. Assault and battery case. Anyone can look up the court schedule here: https://www.36thdistrictcourt.org/online-services/case-inquiry-schedule
Education (and relevant experience): Masters in Psychology with an emphasis on research study design and analysis, Full-time faculty in Psychology & currently serving as Dept. Chair. Five years + labor union contract oversight including discipline and grievances, negotiated 2 labor union contracts (2015 and 2018). Certified Civil and Domestic Mediator.
Please provide any biographical information and experience, and explain why you are running for this office.
My educational background is in research study design and analysis. I’ve worked at Schoolcraft College for 15 years as a faculty in the Psychology Dept. and currently serve as its Chair. In 2018 I was honored to receive the Faculty Teaching Excellence Award. I’ve also taught college courses at Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility, the only women’s prison in Michigan. Part of the job of Police Commissioner is to review data and ask the right questions, my background has prepared me to do just that. If elected, my skills as a professional academic will strengthen the make-up of the commission.
Education is one of several lenses I’ve come to think about interrupting systems and institutions that are not working equitably for everyone. As an example, I’ve created a Critical Race Theory unit in my Educational Psychology course, a course for K-12 teachers in training. I’m currently creating a entire psychology course dedicated to Racism and Discrimination, with the goal of getting Schoolcraft’s Education, Nursing and Criminal Justice programs to require it. I was able to initiate a change in the criminal justice associates at Schoolcraft that requires Introduction to Psychology for all students enrolled in that program. I believe leveraging curriculum is one path, to educate future police what it truly means to serve the communities they work in.
While at Schoolcraft I’ve negotiated 2 faculty union labor contracts, one in 2015 and one in 2018. I also conducted the oversight and enforcement of those contracts, managing all grievances and representing faculty for over 5 years. In 2019 I was recognized by peers with the Faculty Union Service Award. I’m proud of the work our Union Executive Team did to secure good working conditions and wages for our members. Police Commissioner provides an opportunity to write, review and enforce policies which make policing and our community safer.
I believe in the power of restorative justice and am a certified civil and domestic mediator. I’ve been a volunteer at the Wayne Mediation Center since 2013.
I belong to and/or have worked directly with national, state and local organizations which include:
National Org. of Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE) and the Michigan Round Table Advocates and Leaders for Police And Community Trust, also known as ALPACT. I have worked on Michigan United’s sub-committee on criminal justice reform and was honored to be appointed to the Schoolcraft College Diversity Equity and Inclusion Task Force.
This is a time of reckoning and a reexamination, a time to re-imagining public safety. It will require understanding the history of racism in this country, looking at the research, best practices and national trends, which are all important variables when participating in any oversight practice. But most importantly, public safety is a partnership. Getting input from my community and centering those voices is paramount. I’m ready to engage in whatever dialogue is needed for the health and safety of both police and our community. I’m running for Police Commissioner because I believe in the power of community to drive change. I’m running because I believe in community oversight, accountability and transparency and I’m running because I want DPD to have the best policies and practices possible for the benefit of both the department and the community.
Describe policies you will champion to give Detroit residents greater confidence that their complaints are taken seriously, and that they result in policy and behavior changes in the department that improve community relations?
One of the first things the BPOC needs to do is make a concerted effort to regain/renew seek/get the public’s trust. The community needs to know that they are the first priority of the BOPC. A civilian oversight body that does not answer to the residents is broken.
BOPC’s response to complaints is the beating heart of the oversight commission. The BOPC has the authority to oversee behavior, gather evidence, issue subpoenas and mandate discipline.
One way to make sure resident complaints are taken seriously is by addressing them directly during the BOPC meetings, the community should know the status of the complaints as it moves through the process. The public should also be made aware whenever complaints result in DPD policy changes. That way the public understands that their complaints are being taken seriously and that they are having a significant impact on the process
Another thing that would help the community have confidence that their input is being taken seriously is if the processes for receiving communications from the public is streamlined and efficient. For example, the Detroit Disability Power Network sent a list of really important issues to the BOPC in June of this year, which they felt needed to be addressed regarding issues of implicit bias training, de-escalation training for all emergency medical services, crisis intervention specialists, and community engagement services, with an emphasis on disability and mental health support. These are very important issues that impact a lot of people in our community, but BPOC never responded to this list of concerns. Not even an email or phone call of acknowledgment. Thus BPOC missed the chance to examine them and potentially work with DPD to improve policies and procedures related to disability needs in our community.
Specific policies would include but not limited to banning facial recognition, eliminate use of no-knock warrants, review of warrant execution processes, increase transparency of BOPC resident complaint process, review of use of force continuum and training reform. I also think we should take a look at increasing the age of recruitment based on brain development.
How would you ensure that officers (who have problems with excessive force) are appropriately disciplined or kept off Detroit’s Police Department?
The BPOC needs to make sure the police contract specifies that there are violations for which an officer would be automatically terminated with no arbitration or progressive discipline including excessive force, falsifying records, lying and making inaccurate statements. That will help eliminate officers who exhibit misconduct. Regarding discipline, the DPD needs to enforce the disciplinary policies across the board, consistently. BOPC should be monitoring this through regular reporting.
These processes will help insure accountability and making them public will enhance transparency.
What policies would you support to alert other jurisdictions of abusive offices to prevent them from harming civilians elsewhere?
DPD needs to commit to mandatory documentation of the circumstances of every officer’s separation from the DPD, and commit to share that with any police department who seeks information in the process of hiring that PO. BPOC needs to receive a quarterly report of all police separations that documents the circumstances of their leaving. For example, if someone retires but also has an ongoing investigation on them, this should be included in the report.
Equally importantly, DPD must thoroughly vet any potential police officer hires and investigate the circumstances of their separation from any other police agency, whether they left voluntarily or not, and commit to not hire anyone with documentation of excessive force, falsifying records, lying, making inaccurate statements.
What level of participation in the 1033 program do you support?
Police and military serve different purposes. I do not support any further investment in the 1033 program. Further, an inventory of current equipment and review of policies and practices governing the use of this equipment is essential to determine what militarized equipment is in the possession of the DPD such that its deployment can be at best eliminated or at worst minimize and monitor.
BOPC needs to receive a report when any of this equipment is used to determine why it was used and to insure that community members were not put at risk. Policies dictating the use of this equipment should prioritize the safety of our community members.
To what extent (or under what circumstances) should police use military or experimental technology like sound cannons and heat rays on civilians?
Police and military serve different purposes. Military is designed to fight wars against foreign nations. The Police work for and serve the public. You cannot and should not use the military against the american public, therefore military technology should not be used by police in our communities.
Under what circumstances should police use facial recognition technology?
Oakland, Boston, San Francisco Portland and others have banned the use of Facial Recog. Pittsburg, New Orleans and Jackson Miss all considering banns. As of June this year, Microsoft, Amazon and IBM refuse to sell Facial Recog. Software to police departments. ACLU has made a formal statement against this technology.
A week ago Tuesday, city council tightened its grip on facial recognition technology by renewing the Dataworks contract. Two representatives from the ACLU of Michigan spoke as well as many of you against this racist technology, both at this meeting and weekly at the BOPC meetings.
Facial recognition technology has an error rate of 94%, which is completely unacceptable and amoral. In addition to it being ineffective it is costly, millions of dollars spent on technology that does not work. This money could instead be used in the community on mental health programs, job training, diversion programs, after school programs, summer school programs, just to name a few. Facial recognition technology is a colossal failure and should be abandoned immediately. It has already caused irreparable harm to two men that we know of……Mr. Robert Williams and Mr. Michael Oliver. Its failure rate in identifying Black and Brown faces exposes the racism ever present in our nation.
To what degree should police surveil citizens with cameras?
Surveillance does not equal safety. The over surveillance of communities is not a new phenomenon. Technological advances are just the new version of an old narrative that some of us need to be “monitored” more than others. Policies and laws addressing issues of privacy follow the technology, it should be the other way around, if at all. Meaningful discussions about what public safety really looks like typically do not include surveillance.
This is just another example of people being over policed and under protected.
To what extent (or under what circumstances) should police use cell phone spying resources like “Stingray” or “Base-station.”
The abuse of any surveillance technology is always a concern. BOPC needs to be constantly on top of these technologies to evaluate whether their use is consistent with the values of our communities.
These technologies are controversial and their efficacy should be evaluated against public interest and the public’s right to privacy.
For example, the American Civil Liberties Union has been critical of these spying devices, indicating that when they are used to track suspects’ phones, they can also gather information from phones of nearby bystanders. Gathering cell phone data from uninvolved, innocent citizens is inappropriate and unacceptable.
What would you do to see that the Detroit Police Department close loopholes in contracts that enable arbitrators to usurp commissioners’ authority on matters of discipline, promotions, and dismissals?
It is clear, all across the country, that one of the most effective ways to influence police behavior is when the police contract is up for negotiation. The BOPC needs to strongly encourage the city to eliminate arbitration for termination. If police officers are deemed unfit for duty by the police chief or their commanding officer, if they have used excessive force, falsified records, lied or made inaccurate statements against our community, we do not need an arbitrator restoring their jobs or giving them promotions.
Would you support making BOPC committee meetings and minutes accessible to the general public?
Absolutely. One of the key responsibilities of any civilian oversight body is to increase transparency of the police department to the community it serves. The BOPC works for the people, therefore, minutes, videos and meetings should be easily accessible to the public 100% of the time. Residents need to have a sense of all the work the commission is doing on their behalf. Therefore, the BOPC documents and processes need to be available to the public for scrutiny, criticism or support.
Many retirees and veteran officers lost benefits as a result of Detroit’s bankruptcy. How would you use you authority over the DPD budget to prioritize restoring some of those benefits to disenfranchised officers.
I think raiding the police pension fund for the sake of a bankruptcy agreement is highly problematic. A solution is required to remedy the harm done to retirees, because their ability to support themselves was impacted through no fault of their own. As a member of the BOPC, I would advocate for the city of Detroit to restore the lost money to the pension fund.
Is it a conflict of interest to accept campaign contributions from DPD contractors or the DPOA?
I have not and would not accept a donation from DPD or the DPOA. Each candidate, whether for Police Commissioner or any elected office for that matter, will need to make their own individual assessment and decision.
What policy should the DPD have concerning no-knock raids?
I do not support the use of no-knock warrants and would work to eliminate the use of them.
All policies on the execution of warrants should be reviewed, including but not limited to no-knock. No-knock warrants have resulted in the murder and harm across the nation and right here in our community. In May 2010 Aiyana Jones was murdered when DPD was executing this kind of warrant.
Unfortunately, we find that even though someone was hurt or even killed, policy supports the actions of officers and departments. That is what needs to change in order to get justice for victims like Breonna and Aiyana.
What changes would you support in the DPD use of force policy?
Reexamining the use force continuum, how can it be improved by creating a more Scenario based continuum verses the current model which is essentially “what you think (more like feel)” in any given moment, with little or no training in physiology of stress and decision-making processes.
How do you get to lethal force, what’s the measurable justification? Determining what factors MUST be in place to use force.
Training reform with an emphasis on better understanding the stress response of self and community they come in contact with.
If the policy is violated, officers must be fired and prosecuted.
Adjust policy title to “response to resistance” to better communicate to both officers and the public the true meaning.
Detroit Residents Advancing Civilian Oversight 