Judges should get tough on criminals, city needs more bi-lingual cops, racial commission says

The city’s Equity and Inclusion Committee held a series of pop-up listening sessions, regular online video meetings, and discussions with area leaders. The most commonly used word in responses received from residents was “equality,” said commission Chairman George Odom.

During a speech to the city council, Odom reminded elected leaders equality and equity is not the same. “Equality treats everyone the same without deference to different races, sexes, or social classes,” said Odom. Meanwhile, “equity” deals in judging the fairness of an issue, Webster’s Dictionary defines.

According to Odom, city residents told the commission judges should issue harsher sentences to criminals. Residents said the courts treat teens who get in trouble with the law too leniently, Odom reported.

Residents surveyed said police took a proactive approach to stop riots on May 31, 2020. Officers clashed with protesters on Liberia Avenue, where multiple businesses saw glass windows shattered and a Walmart looted following the death of Minneapolis resident Geroge Floyd at the hands of a Minnesota police officer.

Residents also want more Spanish-speaking police officers and urge the city to pay for language classes for its employees. According to 2020 Census data, Spanish is the second-most spoken language by families in Virginia, behind the more than 80% of families who speak English.

The commission urges teachers to continue using culturally-responsive education methods within the city’s government schools. At a town hall last month in neighboring Prince William County, officials explained that this teaching method aims to be more inclusive of marginalized students, like those who may lack public speaking skills.

Teachers also aim to teach children to become more civic-minded and speak out about social issues. A cultural competency requirement demands teachers to self-identify and correct their personal biases, also called forms of oppression, of which county employees named more than 20.

“We think it’s important that children have teachers who look like them,” said Odom.

Earlier this year, the city’s school board vowed to use race as a metric in evaluating how the government school division hires new teachers. The decision follows an approved school resolution to dismantle the “structural racism that exists in the [school] division.”

The commission also recommended the city use public funds to provide a low-income families tax credit and establish a housing trust fund to help home buyers.

Other recommendations include posting city employment listings in more conspicuous places and posting more job listings in Spanish.

Formed initially with 30 city resident members, the number of commissioners dwindled to just 13 at the report, Odom explained. They blamed life events and the pandemic for reducing participation said, Odom.

Over the past 12 months, the company held 15 “listening” sessions and pop-up listening sessions at various community events and festivals.

The city hired a contractor to facilitate the meetings. “When I asked for this to be done, it was already past due,” said Vice-Mayor Pamela Sebesky.

“This effort commits the government to pair with other entities in the community… to eliminate disparities, and to make sure all residents have access to opportunities,” said Councilman Ralph Smith. “This report is a great foundation, but they get real thin real fast if we don’t take action.”

Councilwoman Lynn Forkell Greene, who took her seat last month, said she was disappointed the commission didn’t conduct more surveys of residents in the city’s Weems neighborhood.

“I wouldn’t do anything differently. I would be following the same path we’ve been blazing. We just ran out of time,” he said.