Thread by @RosiePalfy

Good morning, #Cleveland! I’ll be live-tweeting today’s Cleveland City Council Mayor’s Appointments Committee meeting for @cledocumenters, starting at 10 a.m. #CLEDocumenters is supported by @NeighborUpCle.

The @CleCityCouncil Mayor’s Appointments Committee meeting is being broadcast live on:
YouTube: youtube.com/user/Cleveland… Cleveland TV Channel 20 (Spectrum Cable TV)
TV 20 Livestream online: tv20cleveland.com/watch-now/

Think we got something wrong? Send any inquiries on the meeting or these tweets to @cledocumenters or email us at [e-mail]

Today & tomorrow the Cleveland City Council Mayor’s Appointments Committee will interview finalists for the 3 nominations to the Cleveland Community Police Commission. At a later date, the Committee will review the Mayor's appointments to the Commission.
clecpc.org

Under Section 115-5 of the City Charter, all final appointments to the Cleveland Community Police Commission are made by the Mayor & approved by the full Council. The @CityofCleveland Charter was amended after voters overwhelmingly voted to approve Issue 24 last November.

Issue 24 is now known as Charter Section 115. It creates a new Community Police Commission, restructures the disciplinary process for police reviews, & changes the review process for Cleveland police training. mayor.clevelandohio.gov/news/city-clev…

Most notably the new police accountability measures outlined in Charter Section 115 removes the Civilian Police Review Board from reporting to the Chief of Police or Public Safety Director. The consent decree with @TheJusticeDept was amended in March to reflect these new changes.

The @CleCityCouncil Mayor’s Appointments Committee is chaired by Ward 1 Councilman Joseph Jones. Other members are Council President & Ward 6 Councilman Blaine Griffin, Ward 10 Councilman Anthony Hairston, Ward 13 Councilman Kris Harsh, & Ward 5 Councilman Richard Starr.

@CleveJoeJones was the only council member who publicly supported Issue 24 when it was on the ballot last year. The finalists being discussed today are: John Adams,
Shandra Benito, Virginia Beckman, Jerry Billups & Alexander Cooke.

Please be patient. My WiFi is misbehaving, so I’m live-tweeting with a time delay.

Here we go‼️The meeting is called to order. All Mayor’s Appointments committee members are present: Committee Chair Joseph Jones, Council President Blaine Griffin, Council members Anthony Hairston, Kris Harsh & Richard Starr.

Ward 16 Councilman Brian Kazy & Ward 8 Councilman Mike Polensek are also participating. Please note today’s meeting is listed online as Safety Committee Meeting Aug. 17, 2022. @TV20Cleveland has to fix the title.

Committee Chair Joe Jones tells members 224 applications for the new #Cleveland Community #Police Commission were received. 169 applicants met at least 1 of the required qualifications. A “diverse panel” reviewed applications & 12 finalists will be interviewed today & tomorrow.👇

@CleCityCouncil Safety Committee members vetted the application list. The 1st candidate being interviewed is John Adams. He’s a Chicago native & has a working class background. He has a PhD & accepted a job in Cleveland.

John Adams has a PhD in African American history & U.S. history with a specialty in civil rights & gender from Rutgers University. For the past 5 years, he’s worked at the Cleveland School of Science & Medicine. He said applied for the commission because he’s a “balanced person.”

John Adams said he’s had “an array” of experiences living in a variety of other cities. He said he does not have “an agenda.” The 1st question from Councilman Joe Jones is what has been your experience with police & law enforcement? Adams has had both good & bad experiences.

John Adams said the commission needs people who can analyze data & have strong opinions but can make decisions that aren’t based on “personal feelings.” His “most severe” experience happened while he was in college. He & his friends were going out & police stopped them.

Police “rolled up” on John Adams & his friends. Officers pulled their guns & threw them on the ground. He said that was his “scariest” experience with police. This happened in another city. He’s also had good experiences with police that he described as “reasonable.”

It should be noted that the other Cleveland Community Police Commission finalists are in the room listening to questions from council members & hearing the answers given by fellow applicants. Some are taking notes.

TWITTER🐥FOLLOWERS: I appreciate how engaged you are. I’m receiving private messages, twitter responses & emails. I don’t have insight on how the selection process works. I’m not ignoring you. I will take questions to @cledocumenters & try to get them answered. Stay tuned… 📺

Councilman Jones asked about a situation where he made a decision based on facts & not emotion. John Adams said, “As a teacher, you do this everyday.” Next Councilman @CleveJoeJones asks what his interpretation is of police roles & responsibilities.

John Adams said police enforce laws & play a critical role in keeping the city safe. He relies on them for public safety. They need to make sure police protect the public & don’t create more problems. More healthier relationships between the police & public need to be created.

Councilman Jones asks for examples & ideas on how to increase trust. John Adams said people have visceral reactions & strong personal feelings about police for good reason. He dances around the question before saying, “I don’t know.” Councilman Jones opens the floor to other ?’s.

Council President Blaine Griffin asks if he has served on any boards. John Adams replies no. @Griff4CLE6 says there are no right or wrong answers here & asks about past experiences when he has had to be a “consensus builder.” John Adams again draws on his experience as a teacher.

Mr. Adams said people need to be heard & he’s confident in his ability to work with people. He said that if there was an easy solution for policing & it’s challenges, then we would be doing it already.

Council President Griffin asks Mr. Adams if he has read & familiarized himself with any General Police Orders (GPOs). GPOs are written directives outlining Cleveland police policies & procedures. Officers can be disciplined for policy infractions. clevelandohio.gov/CityofClevelan…

John Adams has not read any CDP policies. But he has read the consent decree & responsibilities of the Community Police Commission. Council President Griffin asks if he’s ever been in a position where he has had to discipline someone. How did he approach that as an administrator?

John Adams said he has experience in this area. But said he does not believe you can force adults to do what they don’t want to do. But if there’s a structure in place then you can follow that process. He believes in progressive discipline, but those aren’t the words he used.

He said people need space to learn & grow. Council President Griffin wants people to understand decisions are going to have to be based on facts & ensuring police policies are followed. @Griff4CLE6 said John Adams’ application says he’s been a panelist on Critical Race Theory.

Council President Griffin acknowledged some of his questions are “probing” & said there are polarizing issues like “cancel culture” & Critical Race Theory. He asks John Adams how his “historical background” & training informs his ability to make decisions that are “non biased.”

Then Council President Griffin said he’s rephrasing his question to ask “or do they?” because he believes everyone has some level of bias. John Adams said, “It has trained me to seek information. Like I can’t form an opinion on 1 or 2 sources.”

John Adams said his research skills are 1 of the top contributions he can bring to the commission. He has “a foundation” for understanding issues as well as a “historical foundation.” He would not be comfortable making decisions without having information to back it up.

He re-read the Community Police Commission’s responsibilities to prepare for this interview. “It’s serious, serious work when you have the authority to end someone’s career,” said John Adams.

See Cleveland City Charter Section 115-5👇
codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/clevelan…

Finalist John Adams said, when you are given that type of authority, you can’t make decisions without all of the information. He described himself as “a pretty strong personality.” Committee Chair Joe Jones wants people to be comfortable, but said they’re in the “hot seat.”

Up next is “the dean” of Cleveland City Council Ward 8 Councilman Mike Polensek. He chairs the Safety Committee. He reminds everyone this is the 1st #Cleveland Community #Police Commission in the city’s 226 year history to be appointed by the @CityofCleveland & @CleCityCouncil.

Councilman Polensek again reiterated that all 7 members of the Cleveland City Council Safety Committee reviewed the 169 applications that met the criteria & came up with this list of 12 finalists. He said he has the same questions for all applicants.

Councilman Polensek has the following questions: What ward do you live in? John Adams lives in Ward 16 which is Brian Kazy’s ward. What is your perception of the Cleveland Police Dept? He said his perception is formed more by other people’s experiences than his own.

His worst experience with Cleveland police was getting pulled over for expired license plates. John Adams moved to the city in Aug. 2014 during a “tense time” for CDP, adding it was after the “137 shots” police chase in Nov. 2012 & before Tamir Rice was killed in Nov. 2014.

Those events informed John Adams’ opinions but living in other large cities has also had an impact on his overall experience with law enforcement. Other residents have shared their experiences with him. He has been “fortunate enough” not to have had those negative experiences.

Here is a link to the rest of my thread 🧵#CLEDocumenters
u26043067.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=B…

@threadreaderapp Please unroll this🧵‼️