Policing Strategies Working Group Visits Atlanta

Washington, D.C. – Members of the bipartisan Policing Strategies Working Group traveled to Atlanta, Georgia on November 17-18, 2016 to meet with local community leaders and law enforcement to discuss police accountability, aggression towards law enforcement, and public safety concerns related to these issues. Members who traveled to Atlanta are House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), Ranking Member John Conyers (D-Mich.), Representative Doug Collins (R-Ga.), Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), Representative David Reichert (R-Wa.), and Representative Hank Johnson (D-Ga.)

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

Ranking Member Conyers and Chairman Goodlatte made the following statement on the trip to Atlanta: “Members of the Policing Strategies Working Group had a productive trip to Atlanta. We heard from local law enforcement and community leaders on how they’ve addressed the challenges of the use of excessive force by police and attacks on police, as well as what issues remain. Tragically during our time in Atlanta, Deputy Commander Pat Carothers of the U.S. Marshals Service was killed in the line of duty while serving a warrant to a fugitive in Georgia. We are saddened by this loss of life in the law enforcement community and stand shoulder to shoulder with them. We are reminded that law enforcement officers face danger every day while on duty and remain committed to finding solutions to these and other issues.”

Congressman Doug Collins, who helped coordinate the visit, said the following: “As a lifelong Georgian, I was proud to have the Policing Strategies Working Group visit Atlanta to learn some of the best practices our city and state have in place. Over the course of the trip, we had the privilege of hearing from law enforcement and community leaders and gathered information that will drive forward the conversation on policing and communities.”

Below are five pictures from the trip.

On Thursday, November 17, Emory University School of Law hosted a reception for Members of Congress, local law enforcement, and community leaders.

Congressional delegation with reception guests.

On Friday, November 18, the Members of Congress toured the United States Penitentiary (USP), Atlanta – a medium security federal prison housing over 2,200 inmates. During the tour, Warden Darlene Drew explained USP Atlanta’s reentry services for federal inmates, including those with serious mental illness.

Congressional delegation with Bureau of Prisons staff outside of USP Atlanta.

Following the prison tour, the Members participated in a law enforcement simulator at Georgia State University College of Law. During the simulator, members faced tense situations and had to determine whether or not to use force. 

Afterwards, the Members held a private roundtable with Atlanta Police Chief George Turner, Deputy Chief of Police Joseph Spillane, U.S. Attorney John Horn, Apostle Roderick Hughey of The Community Church of Gainesville, Georgia State University College of Law Associate Professor Nirej Sekhon, and Morehouse College Student Body President Johnathan Hill. Members discussed the challenges law enforcement faces and mistrust among the law enforcement and African-American community.

Group photo before the start of the roundtable.

Johnathan Hill addresses the roundtable.

Following the roundtable, the members held a press conference. Watch the press conference on the Majority’s Facebook page.

Rep. Collins gives remarks to the press.

Background on the Working Group: In July 2016, Chairman Bob Goodlatte and Ranking Member John Conyers announced the establishment of a working group to examine police accountability, aggression towards law enforcement, and public safety concerns related to these issues. The bipartisan working group is in the process of holding a series of roundtables to candidly discuss the issues fueling excessive force used by law enforcement and attacks against police officers. Read Chairman Goodlatte and Ranking Member Conyers’ op-ed on the working group in The Hill here.

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Members of the bipartisan Policing Strategies Working Group held a meeting with local community leaders and law enforcement in Atlanta, GA

Police accountability, aggression towards law enforcement, and public safety concerns. Members of the bipartisan Policing Strategies Working Group held a meeting with local community leaders and law enforcement in Atlanta, GA to discuss this and more.

Members of Congress

·         House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.)

·         Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.)

·         Representative Doug Collins (R-Ga.)

·         Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas)

·         Representative David Reichert (R-Wa.)

·         Representative Hank Johnson (D-Ga.)

Roundtable Participants

·         George Turner, Chief of Police, Atlanta Police Department

·         John Horn, United States Attorney, Northern District of Georgia

·         Joseph P. Spillane, Chief of Police, Georgia State University

·         Roderick Hughey, Sr., Pastor, Voices of Faith North

·         Nirej Sekhon, Associate Professor of Law, Georgia State University – College of Law

·         Johnathan Hill, Student Body President, Morehouse University

Learn more: BEVERLY TRAN: Media Advisory: Policing Strategies Working Group to Visit Atlanta & Hold Press Conference http://beverlytran.blogspot.com/2016/11/media-advisory-policing-strategies.html#ixzz4QUbRcfxo
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Media Advisory: Policing Strategies Working Group to Visit Atlanta & Hold Press Conference

Washington, D.C. – Several members of the bipartisan Policing Strategies Working Group will be traveling to Atlanta, Georgia to meet with local community leaders and law enforcement to discuss police accountability, aggression towards law enforcement, and public safety concerns related to these issues. Members of the working group plan to hold a press conference following their private roundtable with community leaders on Friday, November 18 at 2:00 p.m. ET. Details can be found below.

WHO:
Members of Congress

·         House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.)

·         Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.)

·         Representative Doug Collins (R-Ga.)

·         Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas)

·         Representative David Reichert (R-Wa.)

·         Representative Hank Johnson (D-Ga.)

Roundtable Participants

·         George Turner, Chief of Police, Atlanta Police Department

·         John Horn, United States Attorney, Northern District of Georgia

·         Joseph P. Spillane, Chief of Police, Georgia State University

·         Roderick Hughey, Sr., Pastor, Voices of Faith North

·         Nirej Sekhon, Associate Professor of Law, Georgia State University – College of Law

·         Johnathan Hill, Student Body President, Morehouse University

WHAT:  Press conference following the conclusion of the bipartisan Policing Strategies Working Group roundtable with community leaders. 

WHEN:  Friday, November 18, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. Media with video equipment can begin setup at 1:30 p.m. The press conference will also be streamed live on the House Judiciary Committee Majority’s Facebook page.

WHERE:       Georgia State University – College of Law

                        85 Park Place NE

Room 242

                        Atlanta, GA 30303

RSVP:  Members of the media who wish to attend must RSVP with Jessica Collins atJessica.Collins@mail.house.gov and Shadawn Reddick-Smith at Shadawn.Reddick-Smith@mail.house.gov by Thursday, November 17.

Background on the Working Group: In July 2016, Chairman Bob Goodlatte and Ranking Member John Conyers announced the establishment of a working group to examine police accountability, aggression towards law enforcement, and public safety concerns related to these issues. The bipartisan working group is in the process of holding a series of roundtables to candidly discuss the issues fueling excessive force used by law enforcement and attacks against police officers. Read Chairman Goodlatte and Ranking Member Conyers’ op-ed on the working group, below.

Examining police-community issues with bipartisan working group

By John Conyers, Jr. and Bob Goodlatte

One does not need a public opinion poll to know that fear and frustration is rampant in many communities across our Nation. Our newsfeeds and TV screens are filled with reports of deadly attacks on police officers and excessive use of force by law enforcement officers. These tragic events have strained race relations and heightened tensions as well as further added to feelings of mistrust between communities and law enforcement. When African-American men and women are pulled over for routine traffic stops, many fear that officers will cause undue harm. And as the men and women in blue head out on their daily patrols, many worry that it may be their last.

It seems as though there are two factions forming: one pro-police and one pro-racial justice. As Members of Congress, we strongly reject this notion of division. The senseless deaths that have occurred over the last several weeks are unconscionable. These incidents must not become the new normal for our communities. 

Just days before his murder, Montrell Jackson, an African-American  police officer, summed up these issues  in a Facebook post: “In uniform I get nasty hateful looks and out of uniform some consider me a threat…These are trying times.” He further called on his fellow citizens: “Please don’t let hate infect your heart.”

As a Nation, we must heed Officer Jackson’s call and come together to address these tensions so that we can overcome all unjustified acts of violence. Every layer of civil society – neighbors, community leaders, churches, and state and local governments – must confront this matter of vital national importance.

As Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, we recently established a bipartisan working group to examine the use of force by law enforcement, aggression towards law enforcement, and public safety concerns related to these issues. We are not naïve enough to believe that we can fix this problem by ourselves. However, we can and must devote urgent Congressional attention to these serious problems that must be addressed, and determine what can be done at the federal level to set an appropriate tone. In addition, we need to work with state and local communities to help find the tools they need to do the hard work of improving the relationships between their law enforcement agencies and residents. 

Before Congress adjourned, we and the 10 other members of the working group met for the first time to candidly discuss the issues fueling the current state of distrust between some of the public and law enforcement. Each of us comes from different walks of life and different parts of the country and can learn from one another and our constituents. We plan to hold more meetings when we return to Washington, D.C. in September, but in the meantime, we intend to take action to learn more about the problem and potential solutions from the individuals, law enforcement agencies, and community leaders in our state and local communities.

We plan to listen and talk with a variety of people in our districts who are impacted by this problem: law enforcement, religious and other community leaders, area youth, and mothers and fathers who have lost children to violent crime. We want to hear about people’s own experiences so that we can understand the fears and frustrations of those impacted most by the ongoing tension.

The issues driving the wedge between law enforcement and the public will not be solved overnight and they won’t be solved by the federal government alone. Much of the hard work needs to happen in local communities, but we in Congress acknowledge the gravity of this problem and are committed to finding solutions. There is room for compassion for all the victims of violence on our streets.  We must work together as fellow Americans on this issue so that we live up to our nation’s values of liberty and justice for all. 

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CONYERS Leads Effort for Diversity In Federal Reserve Bank Leadership

Washington, DC - Reps.  John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), Ranking Member on the Judiciary Committee;  John Lewis (D-GA), a senior member of the House Ways & Means Committee; David Scott (D-GA), a senior member of the Financial Services Committee; and Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member on the Financial Services Committee, urged the Federal Reserve to conduct an inclusive, transparent search for the next President of the Reserve Bank of Atlanta, one that engages candidates from many diverse backgrounds.

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

In a letter to Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen and Thomas Fanning, Chairman of the Atlanta Fed, the Members emphasized the need for Federal Reserve policymakers to account for our nation’s grave racial disparities in terms of unemployment, wages, and income in the development of monetary policy, especially since the economic downturn severely damaged the already tenuous financial security of traditionally underserved communities.  In the sixth Federal Reserve district, where the new president will serve, unemployment and poverty rates for African-Americans, for example, are about double those for white Americans.

Presidents of the 11 other reserve banks have all worked for major financial firms or at the Federal Reserve before their appointments.  The Members urged the Fed to consider a wider range of backgrounds, including academia, labor, and non-profit institutions, to capture the perspectives of all Americans as they develop economic policy.  Since the appointment of Andrew Brimmer to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors by Lyndon Johnson, there have been only a few minority governors, and no African-American or Latino bank presidents have ever been appointed.  Currently there is one Asian bank president, Neel Kashkari, who heads the Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.

A report by the Center for Popular Democracy in February 2016 showed that the overwhelming majority of Reserve Bank directors and presidents are white, and there has never been an African-American or Latino Federal Reserve Bank president in the Fed’s history.  In May, 127 Members of Congress, led by Congressman John Conyers, Jr., signed a letter urging for more diversity and a greater focus on high employment in minority communities at the Fed. 

“Selecting the first African-American or Latino Regional Bank president would be a historic milestone for the Federal Reserve, and I greatly appreciate Chair Yellen’s focus on increasing diversity.  But given the Fed’s long history of prioritizing low inflation over job creation, the candidate also should be truly committed to full employment and possess deep knowledge of labor market disparities that too often leave workers, especially workers of color, behind,” said Rep. John Conyers, Jr., Ranking Member on the House Judiciary Committee and Chair of the Congressional Full Employment Caucus.

“With this search, the Federal Reserve has a unique opportunity to restore confidence in our financial system by including the perspectives and experiences of a wider range of Americans,” Rep. John Lewis said.  “Metro Atlanta was hit hard by the Great Recession, and many people in the South are still mired in poverty due to that downturn.  In light of recent crises, the Federal Reserve should look far and wide to find the best person for this important job, not only within its own network.  The Fed has a responsibility to ensure that the financial needs of the most vulnerable are considered within the policymaking process.”                                      

“The Federal Reserve has an opportunity to do something very significant with the recent retirement announcement of the current President of the Atlanta Federal Bank,” said Rep. David Scott.  “We’ve never had an African American Regional Fed president.  I’m asking the Federal Reserve to take this opportunity to make history.  We have many exceptionally qualified African Americans who can do this.”

In September, Atlanta Federal Reserve President Dennis Lockhart announced his retirement, effective in February 2017.  To find a new president, the Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta will identify and consider candidates, who then must be interviewed and approved by the Federal Reserve Board of Governors.  The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta is one of 12 regional Reserve Banks and covers Georgia, Florida, Alabama, eastern Tennessee, southern Mississippi, and southern Louisiana.

Congressman Conyers launched the 32-member Congressional Full Employment Caucus in February 2014. Full employment is defined as the lowest possible unemployment rate that the economy can reach. Congressman Conyers has introduced several pieces of legislation to further that goal:  H.R. 1000, the Humphrey-Hawkins 21st Century Full Employment and Training Act of 2015, which would tax Wall Street speculation to guarantee a job or training to every American who wants to work; H.R. 3531, The Full Employment Federal Reserve Act, which instructs the Federal Reserve bank to target a four percent national unemployment rate – the rate reached in the late 1990s; and H.R.3674, The Labor Statistics Improvement Act, which would create a commission to ensure that unemployment statistics accurately reflect the reality on the ground for job seekers. The Congressional Full Employment Caucus serves as a platform and working group for Members of Congress who are dedicated to identifying solutions and advocating for legislative action to reduce unemployment. 

Congressional Letter to Federal Reserve About Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Presidential Search by Beverly Tran on Scribd

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Black mayors come to Atlanta for 38th annual convention

More than 250 mayors and state and federal officials are scheduled to be in Atlanta through Sunday for the National Conference of Black Mayors' 38th annual national convention.

"As leaders of large urban cities and rural areas, mayors play a vital role in ensuring the future economic growth and safety of our nation as we address challenges at home and increasing global competition from emerging economies," Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said in a statement. “Crumbling transportation infrastructure, joblessness and failing public schools are issues that mayors tackle on a daily basis."The gathering is billed as a forum in which rural and urban mayors can exchange ideas. The Atlanta convention is expected to deal with job creation, housing, health, sustainability, green technology, international trade, good governance and ethics and broadband.

Reed will serve as official host of the meeting. He plans to welcome the officials on Thursday night with a reception at City Hall.

It's a high-profile event for the 42-year old mayor, who has received doses of national exposure on CNN and Meet the Press and in forums organized by the Aspen Institute and other groups.

Atlanta’s history as the cradle of civil rights and its evolution into an "economic and political powerhouse" led the group to select the city as its meeting place, said Robert L. Bowser, president of the NCBM and mayor of East Orange, New Jersey. The conference will be held at the Marriott hotel in Buckhead.

Founded in 1974, the National Conference of Black Mayors represents more than 650 African-American mayors across the United States.

Valerie B. Jarrett, senior advisor to President Barack Obama, is scheduled to be there. So are Rep. John Conyers and Ambassador Andrew Young, former mayor of Atlanta. Representatives from Senegal, Colombia, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago are also expected to attend.

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