Post by WaTcHeR on Apr 20, 2006 11:52:35 GMT -5
04/19/2006 - Faced with another overflow crowd Tuesday of people advocating for a police oversight commission, the Davis City Council fast-tracked the creation of a city ombudsman position. And, straying from form, council members took turns clarifying their positions on the matter and promising something will be done.
“All that we did last night is we sped the process up,” Councilman Stephen Souza said this morning, after his motion to start work on an ombudsman position as soon as the next council meeting received unanimous support.
“We’ve been on this course of action since February. Instead of waiting for our mid-May budget review when we put the motions forward, we have asked that it be stepped up.”
There was standing room only in the Community Chambers Tuesday night. Outside, about 50 people marched from Davis High School to City Hall in support of Halema Buzayan, the 17-year-old Muslim girl who has become the face of months of complaints against the Davis Police Department.
Suspected of a parking lot hit-and-run accident, Buzayan was arrested at 9:30 at night in her pajamas, taken to the police station and questioned without her parents present, leading the family to raise allegations of police misconduct and discrimination because they are Muslim.
A Yolo County judge dismissed the hit-and-run case Monday.
Dina El-Nakhal, director of communications for the Sacramento Valley chapter of the Council of American-Islamic Relations, said the march was organized to keep pressure on the City Council as well as to support Buzayan.
“Support for Halema was the major theme, and certainly the issue that injustice was done and needs to be corrected,” El-Nakhal said.
Speakers at Tuesday’s council meeting said the dismissal only reinforces the need for a police oversight commission.
“It took (the judge) not more than five minutes to make that decision because he was looking at facts, facts, facts,” said Halema’s father, Jamal Buzayan. “We’re not against you, we’re with you. I’ve been working for 10 months trying to get my message across to you. We have a problem.”
Some on the council agreed.
“This is something we do have to work on,” said Mayor Pro Tem Sue Greenwald. “We’ve heard too many comments from the people you wouldn’t expect to hear it from. I think we do need to start hearing this. We can improve.”
Councilwoman Ruth Asmundson agreed.
“We’ve been listening to the community and we need to look into this,” she said.
The city has plans for two models of police oversight: a three-person panel made up of people with justice backgrounds who will investigate complaints and an ombudsman to independently investigate and respond to complaints. A large Community Advisory Board examining police issues has been meeting with Chief Jim Hyde since December.
This morning, David Greenwald, who watched the meeting from the audience, said he was pleased the council is responding to speakers, but is still wary about the ombudsman concept.
“I have real concerns about the proposal for the ombudsman because I don’t know how sincere they are about getting someone with teeth,” he said.
Souza, however, said an ombudsman will depoliticize police oversight, and will be useful for handling complaints in other city departments as well.
“We chose another method of oversight that is independent and transparent and used in 120 countries on this planet,” Souza said.
If the new system doesn’t work, he added, the council is willing to try a police oversight commission, but Souza said he remains optimistic.
Greenwald said she felt the same.
“I’m really confident that it’s a new day,” she said. “I think in the end, we’re not going to need a citizen review board.”
“All that we did last night is we sped the process up,” Councilman Stephen Souza said this morning, after his motion to start work on an ombudsman position as soon as the next council meeting received unanimous support.
“We’ve been on this course of action since February. Instead of waiting for our mid-May budget review when we put the motions forward, we have asked that it be stepped up.”
There was standing room only in the Community Chambers Tuesday night. Outside, about 50 people marched from Davis High School to City Hall in support of Halema Buzayan, the 17-year-old Muslim girl who has become the face of months of complaints against the Davis Police Department.
Suspected of a parking lot hit-and-run accident, Buzayan was arrested at 9:30 at night in her pajamas, taken to the police station and questioned without her parents present, leading the family to raise allegations of police misconduct and discrimination because they are Muslim.
A Yolo County judge dismissed the hit-and-run case Monday.
Dina El-Nakhal, director of communications for the Sacramento Valley chapter of the Council of American-Islamic Relations, said the march was organized to keep pressure on the City Council as well as to support Buzayan.
“Support for Halema was the major theme, and certainly the issue that injustice was done and needs to be corrected,” El-Nakhal said.
Speakers at Tuesday’s council meeting said the dismissal only reinforces the need for a police oversight commission.
“It took (the judge) not more than five minutes to make that decision because he was looking at facts, facts, facts,” said Halema’s father, Jamal Buzayan. “We’re not against you, we’re with you. I’ve been working for 10 months trying to get my message across to you. We have a problem.”
Some on the council agreed.
“This is something we do have to work on,” said Mayor Pro Tem Sue Greenwald. “We’ve heard too many comments from the people you wouldn’t expect to hear it from. I think we do need to start hearing this. We can improve.”
Councilwoman Ruth Asmundson agreed.
“We’ve been listening to the community and we need to look into this,” she said.
The city has plans for two models of police oversight: a three-person panel made up of people with justice backgrounds who will investigate complaints and an ombudsman to independently investigate and respond to complaints. A large Community Advisory Board examining police issues has been meeting with Chief Jim Hyde since December.
This morning, David Greenwald, who watched the meeting from the audience, said he was pleased the council is responding to speakers, but is still wary about the ombudsman concept.
“I have real concerns about the proposal for the ombudsman because I don’t know how sincere they are about getting someone with teeth,” he said.
Souza, however, said an ombudsman will depoliticize police oversight, and will be useful for handling complaints in other city departments as well.
“We chose another method of oversight that is independent and transparent and used in 120 countries on this planet,” Souza said.
If the new system doesn’t work, he added, the council is willing to try a police oversight commission, but Souza said he remains optimistic.
Greenwald said she felt the same.
“I’m really confident that it’s a new day,” she said. “I think in the end, we’re not going to need a citizen review board.”