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To Repost: https://micheleflynn.substack.com/p/nashville-bus-boycott-choose-how
Friends, The more we learn, the greater our concern. May you keep an open mind and move to the rhythm of justice and freedom. Michele
Introduction
The whistleblower charges of collusion between Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) officials and the Tennessee Legislature, combined with the Mayor hiring an investigator instructed to partner with the very same Office of Professional Accountability (OPA) that gave one of these officers an award for their successful effort to disband our Community Oversight Board (COB) voted on by over 134,000 Nashvillians (and if you believe Metro Legal was unaware of this collusion, I’ve got a bridge to see you in NJ) is SO DISTURBING that Community Oversight for Nashville (CON) is calling for a boycott of the Mayor’s Transportation Plan unless investigative accountability and transparency of MNPD’s actions occur and collaboration with the very community that elected him is forthcoming.
We in the general public, who supported the passage of the Nashville Community Oversight Board AND voted for the Mayor, now need to stand in solidarity with the NCRB, African-American-led organizations, leaders, and residents who have born the brunt of over-policing by calling on our city leaders to address systemic corruption within the good-old-boy political and policing systems and specifically to ask the Mayor to do the right thing by them and us. Otherwise, our friends and neighbors are predicting Nashville will be the center of a new “bus boycott,” that is, residents will be called on to actively vote against the Mayor’s Transportation Plan scheduled for the November ballot.
Background
Just yesterday, the Interdenominational Ministers Fellowship held a Press Conference attended by members of community organizations, religious leaders, and residents of Nashville to show support for the Nashville Community Review (formerly Oversight) Board (NCRB), as they respond to a whistle-blower complaint filed by retired Lieutenant Garet Davidson against Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD). Davidson alleged that two high-ranking MNPD officers (Chief Chris Gilder and Assistant Chief Mike Hagar) worked with Tennessee Republican lawmakers to draft legislation to disband the NCRB, limiting its ability to conduct independent reviews of alleged police misconduct.
According to a Tennessean article, a second MNPD employee filed a complaint with NCRB detailing “rampant nepotism, discrimination, retaliation and harassment” within MNPD. He went on to warn that evidence handled by MNPD or Metro Legal could be destroyed by those agencies before an investigator even had a chance to review their files.
Upon receipt of this complaint, NCRB Director Jill Fitcheard, Board Chair Alisha Haddock, and community leaders called on the Department of Justice to investigate the whistleblower complaints. To encourage other MNPD officers to come forward if they have a complaint about police misconduct, NCRB set up a confidential whistleblower phone line (615-880-8777).
After the first complaint was received about MNPD misconduct, including legislative collusion, Mayor Freddie O’Connell recruited U.S. Attorney Edward Stanton to investigate the whistle-blower complaint. Stanton had previously served as chief federal prosecutor in West Tennessee under President Obama and was later recruited by Governor Lee to review Tennessee’s lethal injection manual and Department of Correction staffing.
However, according to an ABC report published Friday, Stanton will be coordinating his investigation with Nashville’s Office of Police Accountability (OPA). Note that this is the very same OPA that gave an award to one of the officers in appreciation for their successful effort to help the TN Legislature dismantle Nashville’s Community Oversight Board. Even though asked, O’Connell did not involve Fitcherd or Haddock in the selection process of Stanton nor ask for their input about the investigation itself. But OPA? And Metro Legal? Right there, all along the way, begging the question, how independent can this investigation be?
Call for Action
Community Oversight For Nashville (CON), Nashville-based NAACP, and the National Action Network-Middle TN (NAN) partnered with the NCRB to call for the following 7 independent actions by the city in response to the allegations by Davidson:
The Mayor must call for an investigation of MNDP abuses by the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.
Chief Chris Gilder, Assistant Chief Mike Hagar, and Don Aaron must be placed on administrative leave until the Stanton investigation is complete. If the allegations are true and supported by a preponderance of the evidence, then they must resign from MNPD.
All officer-involved shootings during Kathy Morante’s tenure as OPA director must be reopened and subjected to external investigators.
The Nashville Community Review Board (formerly COB) must be allowed to hire the Brazil Clark law firm as legal counsel. This was tentatively agreed upon to avoid a conflict of interest with Metro Legal, which represents and is closely aligned with MNPD. Currently, Metro Legal is allegedly backtracking on this agreement.
An external review or investigation of Metro Legal’s role in hindering investigations of police misconduct and oversight is needed.
The establishment of a whistleblower complaint system to give MNPD officers a vehicle for reporting misconduct without fear of retaliation.
The establishment of a strong MOU organized in good faith between the CRB and MNPD. Currently, there are nearly 50 police misconduct complaints that are being held up because a new MOU has not been signed. The MOU can only move forward if Mayor Freddie O’Connell takes an active role in bringing all the parties together for extensive negotiations.
In a letter to the Mayor from NAN and NAACP, they called for a boycott of the Mayor’s transportation plan (Chief Priorities for Transportation Improvements), scheduled for a November vote, unless and until he meets with the community to hear its plan for public safety.
Press Conference Speakers (videos below):
• Reverend Aaron Marble, Senior Pastor · Jefferson Street Missionary Baptist Church
• Timothy Hughes, NAACP and Nashville Action Network-Middle TN (NAN)
• AliciaAlisha Haddock, Board Chair, NCRB
• Jill Fitcheard, Director, Nashville Community (Oversight) Board
• Dr. Sekou Franklin, Community Oversight Now (Press Release)
• Sheila Clemons Lee, Mothers Over Murder
• Theeda Murphy, Abolition Works Tennessee, and CON
Conclusion
I encourage you to first watch the videos from the Press Conference so you gain an understanding as to why the community is so angry about the actions of MNPD, OPA, Metro Legal, and Mayor O’Connell. Then read the documents made available by WSMV-TV-Channel 4, included at the end of this NOTE, which include include responses from MNPD, Metro Legal, and Mayor O’Connell to the demands outlined by these community organizations.
Seven Speakers
1A.) Reverend Aaron Marble: Welcomed attendees and addressed why people came together to support the Nashville Community Review/Oversight Board.
1B.) Reverend Aaron Marble: Linked the whistle-blower allegations to the meaning behind Juneteenth and the need to focus on a call to freedom.
1C.) Reverend Aaron Marble: Questioned actions of city leaders that are undermining the will of Nashville residents.
A) Timothy Hughes, Nashville Branch of NAACP and Nashville Action Network: Honored recently deceased James Lawson and other local civil rights leaders, those who have died at the hands of MNPD, and all people who deserve to be seen and treated with respect for their full humanity.
2B.) Timothy Hughes: Called on Mayor O’Connell to do what is right about holding MNPD accountable to the 134,371 Nashvillians who voted for the NCOB.
3. Alisha Haddock Chair, NCRB: Connected the failure of Metro Law to file a lawsuit challenging the Legislature’s dismantling of the COB to Metro Legal’s conflict of interest in simultaneously representing MNPD and the COB.
4A.) Jill Fitcheard, Director of the NCRB: Addressed the current public safety crisis in Nashville, the concerns and issues raised by the community regarding the whistleblower allegations about MNPD collusion and the new allegations by a second whistleblower, and called on the city’s leadership to stand with the NCRB to develop a robust public safety plan.
4B.) Jill Fitcheard, Director of NCRB: Read a statement by former New York City Detective, Frank Serpico regarding the importance of fighting for justice in the face of corruption.
5A.) Dr. Sekou Franklin, Community Oversight Nashville (CON): Thanked attendees for participating in the Press Conference and those working on violence interruption efforts, like Mothers Over Murder, and called out, “We got work to do.”
5B.) Dr. Sekou Franklin, CON: Warned the media that they will receive a “reframing of the charges” by MNPD leadership following the Press Conference and outlined the key elements of the whistleblower’s complaint:
manipulating evidence
rank bias
sexual harassment
racism
systemic racism
misconduct by leadership
refusal to implement good policing recommendations
failure to recommend new use of force policies
5C.) Dr. Sekou Franklin, CON: Identified how MNPD betrayed the public trust and undermined the will of the voters by its collusion with the State.
6.) Sheila Clemmons Lee, Moms Over Murder: Honored her son, Jocques Clemmons, who was murdered by MNPD officers as was Daniel Hambrick, which is why she continues to speak out about over-policing in the city, called on Mayor O’Connell to listen to how the citizens are asking him to intervene, and called out to everyone to fight for all of the children in our communities.
7.) Theeda Murphy, Abolition Works Tennessee, and the CON: Talked about what it means to be free, what abolition would achieve, and why we need to rethink how to achieve public safety in Nashville today.
WSMV-TV Channel 4 REPORT
The link above will take you to a review of Channel 4’s thorough coverage of the CON letter calling for a boycott and NCRB demands for change, along with responses from MNPD, Metro Legal, and Mayor O’Connell.
Understanding the complications inherent in political and policing systems are challenging, but listening to the people affected will always lead to the truth.
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