APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Four Fox Valley pastors of color, Appleton’s police chief, protest organizers and community members came together Tuesday night in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
FOX 11 reporting they discussed systemic racism, police violence and what can be done in Appleton.
“We wake up black, we go to sleep black. You all wake up a policeman, you go to sleep a policeman. So my point with you, why do they feel so comfortable to harass us?” protest organizer Cassandra Ross asked Appleton Police Chief Todd Thomas.
Chief Thomas said he can only speak for his department in Appleton.
“When I talk to my new hires, my new officers, we look for people with a good heart. I don’t care what kind of degree you’ve got, I don’t care what kind of experience you’ve got. I want to know where your hearts at,” Thomas said.
The Appleton Police Department checks for past racism and bias during the hiring process by asking those who know the candidate, according to Thomas. If they show racist behavior, they are no longer considered for the position, he added.
The pastors spoke on a panel, sharing their experiences with racism in Fox Valley.
Pastor Alvin Dupree discussed racism in society and institutions.
“There is systems in place that want to start some crazy race war, but we’re not gonna have it. Anytime there’s reports of rubber bullets getting shot at peaceful protesters, and you’ve got staged looting going on, these are systems that are in place.”
Thomas discussed what the Appleton Police Department has done to be proactive with training officers on bias and prejudices.
Dupree added that he has been having these discussions with Thomas for years.
“Before they’re even out of their training program, they have to go through a minimum of a four and usually and eight-hour training course. It’s called ‘fair and impartial policing.’ It’s kind of the national standard on implicit bias,” Thomas said.
The panel also discussed things the police department can do to be more transparent.
Thomas says he plans to make a change.
“One of the things that we’re going to do moving forward after discussions to today is to start putting all of our, we can’t put names, but we’ll put our internal complaints on officer numbers on the website so you can see every year, how many complaints do we have on an officer.”
At one point, young people wanted to share their experiences during the panel.
The panel acknowledged their voices before moving back to the scheduled discussion.
“This is organic, This isn’t made up. This is real pain that everyone needs to see. These young men have so much hurt and pain. Can we pause right now and let’s appreciate them for allowing them to be seen,” Dupree said, while he and Thomas stood with one of the young men.
Another community discussion will be held July 2 at 6:30 p.m. at the Breakthrough Covenant Church, including many young people as speakers.
