NEW COALITION CALLS FOR BUDGET CUTS, INCREASED ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY IN AMHERST POLICE DEPARTMENT

Source: Amherst Racial Equality Task Force

A broad coalition of Amherst residents is joining forces to call for a reduction in the police budget during the Town Council Budget hearings on July 13 and 14. Led by the newly formed Amherst Racial Equity Task Force and Defund 413 Amherst, with support from the Pioneer Valley Workers Center, organizers anticipate a broad turnout of residents at the budget hearings to advocate for reduced funding, increased police transparency and accountability, and increased funding for mental health services/emergency responders, services for unhoused peoples, and youth programming.

Defund 413 Amherst and the Amherst Racial Equity Task Force formed in the aftermath of the George Floyd murder and nationwide call for police defunding by the Movement for Black Lives. Together, these groups believe that major change is needed in Amherst’s policing systems, and that the city must lift the veil on its confidence that the Amherst Police Department (APD) is a progressive body, free of the brutality found on police forces nationwide.

Though Amherst Chief Scott Livingstone repeatedly claims the lack of bullets shot in Amherst is proof of the department’s progressive policies, the coalition groups cite racialized targeting of residents and reliance on both tasers and rubber bullets as significant problems. (Editor’s note: The Amherst Police Department claims that they have neither rubber bullets nor tasers and they do not own military grade equipment). Coalition groups call on the town to end the practice of sending police to respond to mental health crises and community concerns, and instead fund the creation of an alternative responder program. They seek new systems of accountability through which residents can file concerns, and new transparency allowing the public to access information on officer misconduct.

Amherst residents living in low-income housing areas and apartments have experienced and reported over-policing for many years. Defund 413 members have found data that supports these claims. By far, the most officer-initiated calls happen on North Pleasant street (about 600 in the last year, double the number of such calls on any other street). Both Puffton Village Apartments and Craig’s Doors, a temporary shelter for unhoused peoples, are located on North Pleasant

Accountability has been a problem for APD for decades, observes coalition member, Dr. Amilcar Shabazz: “In 2014, the Town of Amherst was reprimanded by former Boston police commissioner Ed Davis for its lack of police accountability and transparency.”. In the aftermath of the Blarney Blowout, Davis produced an evidence-based report that included the as-yet unenacted recommendation: “We recommend the APD enhance a public complaint process. Several sources reported that it is unclear how to file a complaint at APD. APD does provide training to its officers on the complaint process and provides a detailed explanation of their complaint process on the APD website. We recommend that APD enhance their complaint process and utilize a Citizen Advisory Board as a vehicle for ways to improve the process and transparency with the community.” (Edward Davis, “University of Massachusetts and the Town of Amherst: A Safer Community through Partnership,” September 2014, pp. 41-42).

Coalition groups believe Amherst has failed by ignoring the recommendations that the city create an accessible police complaint system and a citizen advisory board. The coalition groups now call for the creation of a Commission on Police Practices that would be empowered to enhance the town’s current complaint process, investigate complaints against officers, have subpoena power to call witnesses or request records related to its investigations, and make recommendations to the police department on disciplinary decisions for officers, and communicate budget recommendations to city councilors. This body should include members from the University and College communities. In the upcoming budget hearings, APD is calling for an increase of 108K to its already nearly 5.3 million dollar budget. Coalition partners seek a reduction in the budget allotted for the APD overall.

“The town of Amherst sees itself as a place of progressive policing, racial equity and inclusivity. But this idea is dangerous and can keep the town from enacting real change especially when it comes to APD,” said Lydia Irons, founding member of Defund 413 Amherst. Irons points out that, “After doing research into APD’s budget, call logs and arrest records, we discovered some alarming facts that directly challenge the idea that police violence and overspending are not a problem in Amherst.” As a result of their research, Defund 413 Amherst is calling for a 52% cut of the APD budget ($2,677,892).

Coalition groups are hopeful that defunding the police department will free new funds to be used to increase community trust and create a more welcoming community for BIPOC youth and families.

“We do not support the full funding of the Amherst Police. Among other things, funds need to be shifted in order to provide for trained mental and medical health workers as well as housing advocates as first responders. It’s being done elsewhere and it can be done here. It is counterproductive, and potentially dangerous, to the health of our community to have untrained, armed and uniformed police respond to non-violent 911 crisis calls,” said Rick Last, a leader with the Pioneer Valley Workers Center, 25 year Amherst resident and former Amherst public school teacher. Last and coalition partners point to the long-standing innovative Cahoots program in Oregon that sends trained crisis worker and medic to behavioral health crisis calls instead of police.

Racial Equity Task Force member, Dr. Demetria Shabazz adds that “budgeted funds should include ongoing antiracism training within the department.” Such training should be mandatoryfor all police, and should be paid for by the police budget. As coalition groups prepare for Monday and Tuesday night budget hearings, they are also preparing for a longer vision on how to create meaningful change in the city of Amherst.

For more information about the coalition contact Contact: Lydia Irons, at |lydia.sivel.irons@gmail.com