This week, several community groups got together to demand accountability and transparency from Metro government in light of the recent whistleblower reports from MNPD employees. This is not the first time MNPD employees have tried to do the right thing and speak up about wrongdoing within the department. However, those previous reports had been minimized or totally ignored. But not this time. We are demanding the following:
The Mayor must call for an investigation of MNDP abuses by the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.
Chief Chris Gilder, Assistant Chief Mike Hagar, and Don Aaron must be placed on administrative leave until the Stanton investigation is complete. If the allegations are true, they must resign from MNPD.
All officer-involved shootings during Kathy Morante’s tenure as OPA director must be re-opened and subjected to external investigators.
The Nashville Community Review Board (formerly OPA) must be allowed to hire the Brazil Clark law firm as legal counsel. This was tentatively agreed upon to avoid a conflict of interest with the Metro Law Department (also called Metro Legal), which represents MNPD. Currently, Metro Legal is backtracking on this agreement.
An external review or investigation of Metro Legal’s role in hindering investigations of police misconduct and oversight is needed.
The establishment of a whistleblower complaint system to give MNPD officers a vehicle for reporting misconduct without fear of retaliation.
The establishment of a strong MOU organized in good-faith between the CRB and MNPD. Currently, there are nearly 50 police misconduct complaints that are being held up because a new MOU has not been signed. The MOU can only move forward if Mayor Freddie O’Connell takes an active role in bringing all the parties together for extensive negotiations.
AbolitionWorksTN supports these demands but wants us, as a community, to go further. We must move toward public safety which recognizes that safety comes in providing for the needs of everyone. When people's needs are met, the conditions that create violence are removed and our streets and homes are safer.
Watch the full press conference here: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/XR6xWbpqkXbZRori/?
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