[Dryerase] The Alarm!--CPRB takes comments on selective enforcement

[The Alarm!Newswire]

CPRB met with public to discuss selective enforcement and police 
harassment

By Halie Johnson
The Alarm! Newspaper Collective

On Monday, October 14, the Citizens’ Police Review Board (CPRB) met 
with the public to address the problem of police harassment and 
selective enforcement in the City of Santa Cruz. During the two hour 
meeting members of the public spoke about their concerns and 
experiences with Santa Cruz Police Department and public policies.

Of those who stepped up to the microphone, a common complaint was the 
amount of harassment and surveillance people were suffering for free 
speech activities and some forms of political expression. Many also 
spoke of witnessing and experiencing police discrimination based on 
physical appearance.

Among some of the constructive feedback the CPRB received, Sherri 
Conable spoke on behalf of “People for a Free and Equal Downtown,” 
presenting a draft resolution and urging the CPRB to recommend that 
City Council vote the draft into public policy. The resolution called 
for an abolition of discrimination in the City “in any form, against 
any group of people, based on race, color, religion, sexual 
orientation, age, economic status, appearance, lifestyle choices or any 
other class based category.” The resolution went on the say “The City 
of Santa Cruz resolves that selective enforcement of the law (whether 
local, state or federal) against any such group of people will not be 
tolerated, nor will any city funds be spent to support such 
enforcement.” Mark Halfmoon, Chairperson of the CPRB, intends to bring 
the resolution to the table, as is, at the CPRB’s December meeting 
(Halfmoon and Vice Chairperson, Brent Fouse, will be at a convention 
for the National Association of Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement, 
in Cambridge Massachusetts during the CPRB’s November 4 meeting).

Halfmoon was pleased with the meeting’s turnout of up to 50 
participants, comparing it to prior meetings where the City Chambers 
were visited by only two or three members of the public, on average. 
City Council Members Ed Porter and Emily Reilly even made appearances 
at the meeting. In the past Porter has expressed the desire to abolish 
the CPRB. Halfmoon explained that he had received pressure to postpone 
this meeting because of concerns about it affecting voters’ support for 
Measure P on the November 2002 ballot. He disagreed, and said “I 
believe that if Measure P passes, it’ll be the fault of City Council 
for not making it clear to the public that it won’t just be homeless 
service agencies, for example, that are affected negatively, but 
everybody is going to hurt from it. The police department and the fire 
department will be on the cutting block.”

The CPRB will meet again on November 4 at Santa Cruz City Council 
Chambers. Members of the public are encouraged to attend and express 
their opinions on the agenda. To file a complaint about police 
misconduct contact the CPRB at 420-6295, or visit their office from 
Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. – 12 p.m.,  at 915 Cedar St., SC.

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