RACINE — Racine’s Common Council voted Thursday to move forward with the Mayor Cory Mason’s “Task Force on Police Reform.”
In a unanimous vote, the council approveD the spending of $47,500 already in the police department’s budget to hire a consulting firm. Payne and Frazier will facilitate conversations with the community to direct policing reforms.
Mayor Cory Mason held the special Common Council virtual meeting with just that item on the agenda to get it underway quickly. The mayor accepted the challenge of Former President Barack Obama to review and reform police practices in 90 days.
Alderman Maurice Horton said, “People are looking for change people are looking for things to change within the system. Everybody is looking for reforms. I think this is the moment this is the time.”
While he also cautioned the council must follow the recommendations made by the task force no matter how difficult they are.
“There have been other studies that have been done. I just like for us that when the consultant firm goes through the study that we follow some of the recommendations."
The Affirmative Action and Human Rights Commission met earlier Thursday to discuss ways to connect with the community for the upcoming conversations on police. They suggested using social media, engaging the youth in the community, and talking with the families of people who have died in police incidents.
