Many are wondering, some simmering, about the NAACP’s stance on citizen oversight of the police. The NAACP has not been a part of the nearly four-year effort by the Coalition Against Police Crimes and Repression (CAPCR) to research existing civilian review boards around the country, shape local and state legislation, mount a community-wide campaign to educate citizens about the bill and engage in lobbying efforts on the state and local levels.
The thinking is that, since the NAACP didn’t lead, it should follow or get out of the way.
The most recent development regarding the review board is being presented as a debate between Harold Crumpton of the NAACP and Jim Buford of the Urban League. (Buford has endorsed the bill and been a consistent voice for police accountability.) This discounts the hundreds of organizations and individual citizens who have dedicated varying levels of time and energy to the cause.
In addition to the organizations affiliated with CAPCR, there are also those associated with other coalition groups working with CAPCR. These include Jobs with Justice, Metropolitan Congregations United, and Citizens and Clergy Concerned – a combination of churches, faith-based groups, labor unions and other citizen groups.
It appears that once again the NAACP is trouncing on the backs of those who have been toiling in the fields to reap the benefits of the harvest.
CAPCR and other supporting groups are adamant that an effective civilian oversight bill must include subpoena power, independence and some elected members. It goes without saying that the office which implements the civilian review board must be adequately funded and staffed. We need not waste time pretending the City of St. Louis has a competent oversight board without these fundamental elements.
Crumpton has been quoted as saying that St. Louis will never get an elected review board here. The word “never” is an interesting term when you look at the past glorious days of the NAACP, especially its legal defense arm. It dared to take on the “nevers” of desegregation in housing, education, employment and other areas that undermined the civil and human rights of black people. The legal challenges, along with the mass organizing of many different groups, is the pressure it took to move us to some modicum of access and opportunity.
The mayor does not need another paper tiger committee or commission; he has plenty of those already at his disposal. The continued abuse of power by the St. Louis Police Department needs a serious, institutionalized and citizen-drive response.
Board Bill 69, sponsored by Alderman Terry Kennedy, has been introduced to the Board of Alderman. It’s time for citizens who have the vision and concern about police brutality to support the passage of the bill.
