Joint Statement by President Jen Grigoraitis, Councilor Maya Jamaleddine, and Councilor Leila

Migliorelli made at the June 1st City Council meeting

The killing of George Floyd and too many other black Americans at the hands of police is
unacceptable, and silence on the part of elected officials equals complicity. It is our job to help
lead our community in efforts to be anti-racist. We see this as the beginning of a long overdue
effort to address the structural racism within our community. While we each have our own
individual perspectives and priorities, we are collectively committed to the following:

● All Americans have a constitutionally-protected right to to protest and demand action

from their government and community. We support all those moved to peacefully
gather within our city and stand against racism and police brutality.

● Our community has much work to do to ensure that it is truly "one community open to
all." This starts with implicit bias training for all city employees, including police, fire,
human resources, and the schools. We will work in partnership with these city
departments, the Human Rights Commission, and the Mayor's Office to support funding
for these trainings. It is only when we invest our time and money in the hard work of
anti-racism that we can impact systemic change.

● The City must ensure transparency about complaints against the police with a more
formalized process to vet and review these incidents. Reinstating community forums
with the police is a tangible next step to enhance and improve relationships between
residents and our police department.

● City officials and employees must create an environment in which persons of color feel
safe and supported in their ability to speak up about their experiences with our city
government. In turn, elected officials and city staff must be open to reevaluating
practices and procedures to ensure an anti-racist approach.

● We recognize that racism goes beyond the walls of city hall, police, fire, and the schools.
We need to come together as a community to actively participate in educational
opportunities, forums, and turn those conversations into solutions for our city. We
support efforts by our fellow residents to take the next steps to engage our community
on anti-racist issues.

● Lastly, we welcome our colleagues on the council to join us sharing this statement.