SAN ANTONIO — Millions have protested for weeks after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers. The way he died has sparked a world wide movement.
Now people are calling for their own police departments to be reformed.
“We’re looking at all of the avenues that we can truly tackle how to be the example of true reform,” District 2 Councilwoman Jada Andrews-Sullivan said.
Councilwoman Andrews-Sullivan says after many days of protest now it’s time for preparation and action. Her office submitted a police reform resolution document to San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg’s office.
“It’s just an outline, so it gives information on what we can look at doing,” Councilwoman Andrews-Sullivan said.
A few of the resolutions proposed include banning police choke holds completely, and having more diverse representation within the police department.
“That also includes looking at the internal affairs department. There are no African Americans that sit within the internal affairs department but a lot of the cases that you see coming forward have to deal with African American men who feel the civil rights have been violated,” the councilwoman said.
Also included is declaring racism a public health emergency, something Dallas County commissioners did Tuesday.
“Racism is not just against one race, it’s against a system that’s generationally perpetuated,” Andrews-Sullivan said.
Right now the proposal is being reviewed by the city attorney to see what can be done from a legal aspect.
Councilwoman Andrews-Sullivan says this is just the first step. She plans to keep talking with community members on other things they feel need to added.
A Council Consideration Request still has to be made before any of her ideas make it onto a city council agenda.