The American Life For Some Of Us

I recently heard this broadcast on WCBU here in Peoria. 

Some of these officers in Miami Gardens were jaded and some were simply bad cops. In a town with a population of 110,000 had 99.980 stops in 5 years. Miami had 3,753 stops in the same 5 year period of time. This was a Black Police Chief as well. A 5 and 7 year old were stopped for being "suspicious" or a suspect in a crime. Are you serious??? 

What should be done is a rotation and readjustment for street cops so that they won't become victims of reinforced stereotypes and predispositions. I have people in Peoria calling me that are experiencing things similar to this. When we have police telling people to move and get off the front porch of their own homes, we have an issue. We have received many calls from Peorians who have similar experiences to these. 

SMH!!!!

Do Black Lives Really Matter In Peoria?

Then what do we say against the #1 killer of Black Lives in this country?

I need about 20 pastors from various churches to stand with me on this issue in preparation for a community event. If you would avail yourself, please contact my office by email at Dunamis1@netzero.com. Thank you. 

Blessed!

National Solidarity Sunday

On Sunday 12-14-14 New Bethel COGIC along with thousands of other churches and houses of worship all across America, participated further in the national movement to facilitate change for countless families calling for a revamping of the criminal justice system and community policing.  

The critic asserts that Blacks have run-ins with the law and are in jail because they commit more crimes, but nearly every study done on the issues creates totally different picture than those that appear in the news. Not only is a Black man more likely to die at the hands of police or a law enforcement official, (as of this writing there have been 5 high profile Black homicides at the hands of the police in 5 months) but once sentenced, Blacks are more likely to receive a higher and more lengthy sentence than their White counterparts. Blacks are also more likely to be engaged and stopped by the police during the normal course of life and living based on "suspicious" activity. 

The fact is that both Blacks and Whites commit crimes at similar rates, nearly 6.4%. Yet the prison population explodes with Black persons and persons of color at disproportionately high rates. Combine that with the seeming reversal of 4th Amendment rights and high unemployment and poverty rates within the Black community, then there is no wonder why we have a dangerous combination of frustration and unrest, which leads to a strained relationship between the police and the community. 

Below is a 7 point agenda developed by myself, that a group of associates and I will be promoting along with other items and issues in the coming days and on into the new year. We believe that these issues are fundamental to the process of change which must occur in our city, Peoria, and is inclusive of everyone in the community and not just the poor and minority. In our opinion, these issues have an importance for citizens on Grandview Drive as equally as they have importance for citizens living on Howett St.  You'll be hearing more about these agenda items in coming days and we will add to them as citizens speak up and out on the issues. 

National Solidarity Sunday Agenda from Pastor Harvey Burnett

  

Black Lives Matter...Most Of The Time

The recent excuses given to not indict individuals trusted to protect the public has created a firestorm of controversy in the United States. The Presiding Bishop of the Church Of God In Christ, Bishop Charles E. Blake, calls on the COGIC community along with all believers to send a strong message of solidarity Sunday Dec. 14th that Black Lives Matter! (I will save my continued and ongoing commendation to the church to prove the same in a future writing thus the "Most Of The Time" appellation in the title)

New Bethel COGIC, The Dunamis Word and entities in which I, Pastor Harvey Burnett, have association or oversight of, also gladly join in with our national church organization to send a message around the country that we believe that BLACK LIVES MATTER!

[Please join New Bethel COGIC at 824 N. Duryea The Romeo B Garrett Ctr. on the campus of Bradley University at 9:00AM Sunday Dec. 14th. Email for more details at Dunamis1@netzero.com]

Pastor Harvey Burnett, New Bethel COGIC, The Dunamis Word & Related Entities Also Believe:

The quality and current condition of Black Lives matter as well. 

Therefore, we call upon business and social and political leaders to help create and develop sustainable economic opportunities whereby Black and poor minorities can be and become gainfully employed and a relevant part of the development of their communities.

The quality of communication, between authority and the community, matters, and must be enhanced:

Therefore, we call on the police and other entities entrusted with the preservation of the public trust to create methods of communication and dialogue that are in the best interest of the entire community and that safeguard all citizens. We commend both citizens and authorities to be held accountable to following those established guidelines and standards, quickly fixing and redressing issues that arise.  

The tactics of authorities must be improved and developed in accord with the community:

We call on law enforcement at all levels to work with the community and community groups in developing strategies and tactics that best serve the public, fight crime and be of a benefit to all citizens.

We Believe That The Local Process Of Police Policing Themselves And The Use Of The Local Prosecutor Or States Attorney In The Cases Of Police Killing Is Ineffective And Ask For A Complete Overhaul In The Process Which Includes An Automatic Independent Review Of Each Occurrence In Which A Citizen Is Killed By A Law Enforcement Official. 
All around the country, in events such as those that took the life of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, the public relies on the local States Attorney's office for Grand Jury assembly and due process. The States Attorney's office however is placed in an immediate position of conflict of interest because that office regularly works with police in order to produce convictions against criminals. We believe that process should be changed immediately simply based on the "appearance" of conflict. We believe that legal review should be an "at arms length" process and regulated independent review appears to be the best way to create and maintain that type of relationship.  

We believe that the community policing strategy of "broken windows" is a tragedy and must be done away with.

We believe the the theory of "broken windows" leads to tragic incidents and standoffs between police and citizens. We believe that this failed theory has contributed to the mishandling of both innocent citizens and citizens such as Eric Garner allegedly engaged in certain low level  crime or criminal activities. We believe that the "broken windows" strategy is a racist strategy at root and only leads to racial profiling.

We believe the courts, including the Supreme Court of the United States, should backtrack historical decisions and reaffirm 4th Amendment protections for ALL citizens.

The historically wild and fanciful interpretation of the courts at the recommendation of law enforcement has eroded American citizens 4th Amendments rights. A violation of 4th Amendment protections has led to excessive "stop and frisk" policies reinforcing practices of racial profiling that we see in departments and communities that embrace such theory. This must STOP! 

Good and exceptional officers should be hailed for their values, efforts and commitments to their communities.

We believe that police departments nationwide are filled with good police who respect and serve the public. We commend those good officers and leaders to stand forward, stand up, and reclaim their departments from associates who may have questionable tactics, methods and philosophies.

From the parents of a police officer:

"OUR TAKE ON ALL OF THE "UNREST" CONCERNING LAW ENFORCEMENT:

We are so disheartened with some of the bad people in law enforcement because they are making it really hard for the good cops, as our son is here in the Orlando area. People are getting so afraid of anyone in a law enforcement uniform that it's making it very difficult for the honest cops out there doing the right thing and making a positive impact in the community in which they serve. It is so very important for ALL of us that when GOOD and HONEST law enforcement gets on the scene of an emergent situation, that they are able to get control of the situation or else a lot of lives can be at stake. If people have a preconceived thought that ALL cops are "crooked cops" this will add more chaos at the scene because of this preconceived way of thinking. All of us can potentially suffer when we ourselves may really need to call "911" because we may be in a life threatening situation where if law enforcement isn't able to get control, our life or our loved ones lives may be at stake. It truly is an unfortunate and scary situation that our nation is in right now because of the bad cops out there.

From: Concerned Parents Of A "GOOD" Cop,
Rodney and Rhonda Furness"

God bless the Furness family and may the protection and the guidance of the Lord be upon them, their son and his family as he serves both God and the community in his profession. 

CCIRB A TRUE Citizens Committee To Address Peoria's Community Policing Issues

The events in Ferguson, MO. is becoming a measuring-stick of many communities.  Those who do not take measure or do not examine themselves in light of these events are simply missing the boat and I believe setting the stage for unrest in their own communities.

The following is a brief examination of the similarities between Ferguson MO. and 1 zip code similarly situated to Ferguson. We believe that a TRUE Citizen's review Board calling on multiple community members and partners to address the issues, is the way to both prepare for and address all things. When examining the numbers on Pg. 2, one cannot understate the significant and terrible similarities between Ferguson and Peoria:

We were intrigued to read a recent article in the Peoria Journal Star  outlining  an "advisory committee on police-community relations". While the effort to sound as if Peoria is doing much work on patching police/community relationships sounds good, there is little as it pertains to the bite of the program because of the apparent conflicts of interests, limited scope of inclusion and selective issues that the committee addresses.

One could ask, what issues has this so called "committee" addressed? How has this committee "advised" the police? Did it "advise former Peoria Police Chief Settingsgaard to drop its "broken windows" community policing strategy? Has it undertaken to address the multiple complaints of police overreach since the City adopted the "Don't Shoot" strategy to combat gangs and gang activity? Then, why would the citizens, especially them in highly affected areas, not know the benefits and objectives of such a committee and be encouraged to be involved in addressing issues that affect us all?

These are questions not easily answered, but neither are they being asked, and especially not by this committee. But let us examine this further...

In 2009, our office received multiple complaints about the interaction of Peoria police with its citizenry. There were over 8 Black men that contacted our office who had highly negative experiences with the police in which they felt that their rights and civil liberties were violated. Although the police claimed that they had not initially received complaints of these gentlemen, I was told that their complaints weren't "real" and that I (Pastor Burnett) was just "stirring things up" by the former police Chief Settingsgaard.

When  we filed the multiple complaints, the former Chief found out that they were "real". Each complaint was addressed and every person leveling a complaint was answered satisfactorily. Whether the end result was desirable or not for each individual, the men were glad to see that at least their issues were taken seriously.

It is that flippant attitude toward citizens of low estate and especially Black citizens, that the CCIRB is designed to address. Though every complaint may not have merit, every complaint should be heard and taken seriously. In addition, more than Black citizens are affected by these sort of events and occurrences. Community policing is an issue for EVERY man, woman and child of this city. We should ask, what can we expect when we are stopped? Is it simply street justice, or can we expect to be handled professionally and with integrity? In addition, we should ask, what type of persons are on our force? What is the temperament of officers, and what tests have been administered to gauge that so that officer rotations can be made in a corresponding manner? 

While I believe that a city should reflect the makeup of it's citizenry, it is a DEAD issue to assume that adding Black officers, or officers of diverse races solves or even addresses the problem with Peoria policing. We advised Settingsgaard to drop the "broken windows" community policing strategy. We have no idea whether that policy continues to exist in Peoria, but we do know this:

Currently there are a series of complaints dealing with the overreach of Peoria Police in the implementation of its "Don't Shoot" tactic to target gang members. The complaints that we have received are not from the criminals and gang-members themselves, but from non-criminal family members in how the program is being administrated. There are some serious issues that could lead to more intense and negative relationships on the streets. That coupled with the low economic environment of certain segments of our community creates a "powder-keg" environment that the so called "advisory committee" will not touch and or address. I believe that failure to address such serious issues is due to conflicts of interest and desire to cater to politics and political issues.  

We will not be so deceived and or entangled. implement a TRUE plan that INCLUDES All citizens of Peoria and asks the tough questions and formulates real and right now strategies that uplift the community. The CCIRB is a true Citizens sponsored plan that includes everyone that has interest in insuring that our community does not suffer unrest and that issues are addressed in a forthright manner. 

Additional info to come.

Pastor H. Burnett  

Taking The Lead In Creating A Safer Community

The Peoria Association Of Pastors has taken the lead in promoting a safer Peoria for all of it's citizens. Not only is the Association engaged in helping address issues of crime and violence at street level, but we are also communicating with law enforcement through regular monthly meetings.

The concept of community interraction and dialogue instigated by citizens and in this case churches, is new to the City Of Peoria, but has already reaped benefits that cannot be measured. Since meetings have begun, the Association has had the opportunity to address issues of community and officer safety, community initiaives to proliferate information in order to combat crime and violence, and open discussions regarding issues of alleged Police brutality.

Although it may be uncomfortable to open the can of worms called "brutality", The Peoria Assn. Of Pastors has done so in a highly professional, non-political and above board manner.

On April 15th 2008 Pastor Harvey Burnett, Assn. Director, held a press conference to address issues and complaints of alleged brutality, many of which were presented to Peoria Police Chief Settingsgaard as early as Jan. 2008 and additionally in a meeting held Monday April 14th 2008 at the Peoria Police Department.

The press conference stemmed from the overarching need to inform the community about citizens current concerns and actions that have been taken both by the police department and the Association in addressing multiple complaints received over time. During the press conference Pastor Burnett stated the following:

"With that said, we certainly DO NOT wish to paint the picture that the Peoria Police Department is out of control or running rampant. In fact we believe that the overwhelming majority of officers protecting our homes and policing our neighborhoods are highly professional, ethical and valuable assets to the community.
However, we also believe that there are instances and times when non-professional behavior has been displayed and has assisted in undermining the public trust that the citizens must have in it’s local law enforcement agency.
We will not specifically name the victims nor the alleged offenders in this press conference. Much information has already been shared with the Police and is currently under review. We have every reason to believe that Peoria Police Chief Settingsgaard, who has embraced the opportunity to dialogue with the Pastors Assn. and the Pastoral community, will do a thorough, complete and fair evaluation of each particular allegation with the utmost integrity.
What we can share, is that based on the information that we have received, tensions have risen in some neighborhoods because of perceived unprofessional policing activities against some of our youth and has caused highly negative sentiments and rebellious actions toward authority.
In addition, there are other highly credible incidents, including one (in which an official complaint has been filed) where a reputable older aged, community member was verbally confronted in an unprofessional manner, tazed at least once from behind, prod-shocked 3 times while laying on the ground and kicked in the face while handcuffed, creating significant bruising and additional medical issues.
In this particular case, there was no drugs or weapons involved, and the person was merely responding, in a non threatening manner, to the arrest of a family member who was "facing the music" for an admitted charge.
This is particularly troubling for a number of reasons. At a grass roots level, this is a time when we are dealing with issues of trust between police and the residents of certain neighborhoods.
Many individuals who could report crime have no confidence due to what they have observed at times. As we have explained to police in great detail, these types of incidents do not foster open communication, and tend to destabilize individuals and neighborhoods emotionally.
It is our aim to foster a heightened awareness of both the problems and solutions to such behavior."

Although this issue is challenging and can be highly subjective, we hold fast to our premise that a safer community takes the committment of both the church, citizens of the community, and governmental agencies that professionally and adequately deliver services without exception. Citizens are the tax paying base on which the city and community exists. It is encumbent upon the leadership of the community at all levels to make it's best effort to accomodate the citizens they serve.

Although we feel that great efforts and strides have been and are being made we realize that there is a long way to go toward making the community better and more safe for ALL of it's citizens.

ANY citizen having experienced police abuse or brutality, and wishing to file a complaint should complete the Peoria Police Citizen Complaint Form and submit it as soon as possible. If any individual is having a problem dealing with the police directly, or simply needs assistance, information or direction, please contact Peoria Police Chief Steve Settingsgaard at (309)494-8334 or the Peoria Assn. Of Pastors at Dunamis1@netzero.com or (877)677-6599.